Dried chillies

Dried Chillies

Fresh chillies are everybody’s favourite but what are we to do during those long winter months when chilli cravings take hold of us, leaving us frustrated and eager for a chilli fix?
The answer is of course to use dried chillies. Many think that the flavour and heat get compromised during the drying process but fret not, this is definitely not the case. We have been drying our own chillies naturally and in a dehydrator for a while now and always get fantastic results. If anything the flavour is more concentrated due to the absence of water. Here are a few tips on how to handle and use them:

The first thing to remember is that, as with any dried goods, dried chillies have to be kept in the right conditions for them to last the distance. Dried chillies can be kept for years if stored right but for best results in flavour we would recommend using them within 6-8 months. Any airtight container will do the trick, a Tupperware being of course the best, but freezer bags work as well as long as kept in a dry, cool and dark place.

Now one might be tempted to think that since chillies are dried they are ok to handle and are not as harmful as fresh chillies. We have learned at our expense that this is not the case at all and would advise you to wear gloves or at least rinse your hands with lemon juice, either fresh or concentrate, after handling the dried chillies. For the hotter chillies such as Bhut Jolokia, Trinidad Scorpions, Scotch Bonnets or Habaneros you should really use a mask too as the micro particles coming out of the dried chillies can be pretty potent and irritate eyes.
The great thing with dried chillies is that you can use them whole, ground or chopped up but they can also be re-hydrated. To do so, immerse the dried chillies in a bowl full of hot water (not boiling as this will scorch the chilli skin) and leave to re-hydrate for at least 10-15 minutes. If your kids do not like chilli bits in their food you can always ground whole dried chillies using a small coffee grinder although if you want finely ground dried chillies we would recommend that you buy them as powder (such as Blair’s Death Rain shakers) or flakes (Dartmoor Chilli Farm’s ones are superb) as it can be pretty time-consuming and arduous to do it yourself. Professionals have specialist tools that turn dried chillies into really fine powders so why not leave it to the best?

A question that a lot of people ask us is how much dried chillies to use. Well of course it depends on how many people are coming round for dinner and what dish you are making. Milder dried chillies such as Pasilla, Guajillo, Ancho, Mulato or New Mexico can be used whole and even stuffed or roasted but hotter ones such as dried Chipotle, Habanero or De Arbol are to be handled carefully depending on your resistance to chilli of course. Half a habanero would be plenty for a 4 people meal for example while 1 or 2 De Arbol will really fire up your belly!
Versatility is immense with dried chillies so do not hesitate to try out various combinations of flavour or heat with your food until summer comes round again, bringing you gorgeous fiery pods!

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