# Can someone from the SouthWest explain green vs red chiles to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 30, 2014, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939 "2014-03-30T23:27:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/21 "2014-04-05T17:30:14Z")
Thanks for the replies. Interesting background. I’ll probably treat it like wine–it depends on what I’m eating. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/22 "2014-04-05T18:58:55Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > Oops. That is correct about the bell peppers. However, red chile is almost always sold in a dried form. It’s either found as a powder or as a dried pod which you would grind up yourself. I bought a packet of dried chiles the other day at the market, just because they looked cool. When I got them home, I realized I had no idea what to do with them. Any advice? Do you hydrate them like dried mushrooms? ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/23 "2014-04-05T22:27:53Z")
Chop them up in a blender or food processor. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/24 "2014-04-05T22:42:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I bought a packet of dried chiles the other day at the market, just because they looked cool. When I got them home, I realized I had no idea what to do with them. Any advice? Do you hydrate them like dried mushrooms? Typically, when I cook with dried chiles, I quickly pan roast them to soften them (about one minute on a dry pan over high heat), then put them in a bowl that I cover with boiling water, let them soak for about 20 minutes. After reconstituting, they end up in the blender, along with as much of the soaking liquid as I need (taste it first in case to make sure it’s not too bitter.) Feel free to scrape out the seeds before soaking, too, if you don’t like the extra heat and slight bitterness they impart. That’s more-or-less the usual method for using dried chiles in Mexican cuisine. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/25 "2014-04-05T22:49:19Z")
[Here’s a reasonable video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_8JS7Y4uj4) showing how New Mexican red chile is made with dried chiles. It skips the pan roasting step I mentioned–I don’t know if that’s typical with New Mexico chile or not, but the quick roasting on the griddle is a typical step in Mexican recipes. But that’s the general idea. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/26 "2014-04-06T00:29:30Z")
Is pureeing them the only option? I can’t use them whole or sliced? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/27 "2014-04-06T00:54:00Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Is pureeing them the only option? I can’t use them whole or sliced? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never tried them reconstituted and then used in that manner. All the recipes I’ve had for dried chiles either has me reconstitute and puree them or, very occasionally, use them in powdered form by putting them through a coffee grinder or similar. I’m sure you can get away with using them whole or sliced in a stew or something. ETA: Then again, I just thought of one use where I’ve used them whole: in Sichuan cuisine, I’ve used the chiles fried up whole or in a soupy type of dish like a hotpot. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/28 "2014-04-06T00:58:42Z")
Actually, now that I think of it, I have come across anchos (dried red poblanos) being used in a chiles rellenos recipe, so, yeah, you can use them reconstituted and whole like that. It’s not the _usual_ way, from my experience, but no reason you can’t do that. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/29 "2014-04-06T01:24:51Z")
I’ve never tried using the dried red chiles whole. I typically simmer them to soften and then puree to make a sauce. One problem might be the texture of the chiles if they were whole or chopped. They can be a bit firm even after simmering and may not have a pleasant mouth feel. But I’m just guessing since I’ve never tried. Typically I bring them to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Then I puree them with some of the water they were in. Then I make a make a small roux with a bit of onions and garlic added and pour in the sauce and let that simmer on low for about 10 minutes. If your chiles still have the seeds in them, soak them in warm water to soften and remove the seeds. The chiles have veins along the side where the heat will be concentrated. You can remove them or leave them in for more heat. You can actually leave the seeds in too, but they’ll add a lot of heat. WARNING: your hands will absorb the chile as you’re working with them. You won’t notice it unless you touch something like your eyes or nose. Wear gloves or wash carefully afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/30 "2014-04-06T04:42:02Z")
I’m not in touch with the traditions or anything, but when I use dried chilis, I usually just crumble them into flakes and mix them in with whatever else I’m making. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/31 "2014-04-06T12:18:02Z")
Rick Bayless talks about using whole reconstituted chipotle peppers (most often the red/black type, as opposed to the light brown ones), both as a pickle and also as a stuffed main dish. I’ll go see if there are other recipes, but I don’t recall them off the top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2014, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/32 "2014-04-06T14:23:26Z")
No one in this thread is distinguishing different varieties of chilies, like Serrano (green), Jalapeño (green), Thai (red), or Habañero (orange), each of which have a different taste and hotness. I like 'em all. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Is pureeing them the only option? I can’t use them whole or sliced? Sliced, certainly. Whole might be too much to swallow at once, although if you put a whole one in soup, it might be OK after cooking for a while. I’ve eaten (carefully) whole, dried, Thai peppers in Chinese food (City Wok Beef), but they are tiny. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/33 "2014-04-07T22:49:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > or Habañero (orange) Haba **n** ero. Named after the capital city of Cuba, La Haba **n** a.\* \*Even though it doesn’t actually come from Cuba; it’s native to South America. But a dance that was popular in the 19th century, the _habanera_ (like in _Carmen_), actually does originate from Cuba. -\*eño \*is one suffix to form an adjective from a place name. Like jalapeño, which is named after Jalapa, Mexico. In this example the \*ñ \*belongs to the suffix. -\*ero \*is another suffix that forms adjectives. In the case of _habanero_, the \*n \*belongs to the root word, Habana. > [@](#): > > I like 'em all. You got that right, Cat. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/34 "2014-04-07T22:57:57Z")
Well, all the chiles come in different varieties, depending on how ripe they are (for example, I can get red and green jalapeños at my local grocery, and the habaneros can be anything from green to yellow to orange to red. Orange is the color most associated with them.) They do certainly have a wide range of flavors. While I find jalapeños and serranos similar, the difference between a poblano and a jalapenño and a Thai birds pepper and a habanero (let’s assume all green peppers in this case) is pretty obvious. They are very different. And they are all very good for different reasons. For this thread, although I’ve been talking broadly about red and green chiles, in the context of Southwest chiles, I assume the OP is asking about Hatch/New Mexico/Anaheim-type chiles. The green is the fresh variety of these. The red is the more mature and dried variety of these. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/35 "2014-04-07T22:59:04Z")
My ignorance of spanish is showing. Thanks for setting me right, **Johanna.** I have made a sauce with one of every one of the chilies I mentioned, including olive oil and garlic, and used it over pasta. It was delicious, but I may have reached my maximum tolerance for hotness. :eek: And every time I want to repeat it, I can’t find habaneros or Thai peppers in the local market anymore. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939/36 "2014-04-07T23:30:55Z")
If you have a garden, you should try growing them. Even in Sturgeon Bay, I bet you’d do pretty well. Here in Chicago, I grow habaneros and Thais (among about another dozen varieties) every year, and I end up with way more than I ever know what to do with. Seriously, a couple of Thai pepper plants will get you hundreds of peppers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-from-the-southwest-explain-green-vs-red-chiles-to-me/684939.md?page=1)