Just got some green chili powder from New Mexico. What do I do with it? Can I make that thin, green chili that they server with everything in New Mexico? All the recipes I see call for whole, roasted green chiles.
As a native New Mexican who worked in a ton of Mexican resturants my first response is, huh?
But after a quick google search the green chile (note, chili is a dish from Texas. Chiles are peppers) powder is apparently used to add flavor to canned green chile.
I’ve never used it but I never use canned chile. Frozen or fresh.
Slee
Thanks. That whole e/i thing is a pain. What do New Mexicans call the red and green sauce that they put on everything?
It’s called either red or green chile. If you put half red and half green on something it’s called Christmas.
Red chile is typically made from a powder which is created by grinding up dried red peppers.
Green chile is typically made from chopped up fresh peppers.
Both peppers are the same. It starts out green and turns red as it dries out.
No, you can’t. As you said, you need whole chiles, and they don’t come into season until the fall. Depending on where you live, you may find canned chiles, but it’s rare outside of the Southwest.
Are tomatillos added to the basic green chile? I have a pound of red chili powder as well. Xmas her we come
I would think that rehydrated green chile powder would be a lot like undried chiles. That is, it’s not like red chile powder, where the drying process changes the flavor. If that’s the case. I would try to find ways to use the powder in its dried state. Some ideas:
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Mix it with ground beef to make green chile burgers.
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Mix it into meat loaf.
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Sprinkle it on grilled or sauteed fish.
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Use it as a dry rub on pork tenderloin, turkey or chicken which you then roast.
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Sprinkle it on cut-up jicama, radishes, cucumber, etc. to make a kind of pico de gallo.
While I do use the same spelling convention that you do to disambiguate various uses of the word, “chili” with an “i” can absolutely refer to a pepper. Check a dictionary. Chances are, “chili” is the preferred spelling with “chile” (and “chilli”) as variations.
If it’s from New Mexico, it’s “chile”. I think the Legislature passed a resolution or something.
I’ve never seen dried green chile. You could try making sauce the same way you would make red chile, which is basically the same way you make gravy. I’d mince some onions and garlic, sweat them in oil, add flour to make a roux, then add the chile powder once the flour was browned to your liking (red chile burns astonishingly quickly; I’d assume green would do the same). Then add vegetable or chicken stock, simmer it until it’s the consistency you’d like and you’ll have a kind of green chile sauce. I think.
I think they turn red as they ripen on the plant.
OP, don’t know where you live, but you may be able to find frozen green chile at a fancy pants store. Central Market here in Texas generally has them, but you should be able to buy the roasted Hatch ones in late summer if you live in the southwest. They freeze wonderfully!
Or I bet some folks here can show you how to roast them at home. Mmmmmnm Christmas…