Chile Chipotle - Crushed Standard 40g - Steenbergs (chilpotle) details and description

Steenbergs Crushed Chilli Chipotle - or more correctly chilpocle - is the most popular Mexican chile that we sell at Steenbergs, which are cut to 2-3mm chop size with the seeds retained.  Chilli chipotle has that popular smokiness from this smoke dried jalapeno chillis from Mexico.  Chipotle chillis are great used whole for flavouring soups and for pickling in vinegar or even for stuffing with cheese or shredded fish.  Chipotles can also be blended in sauces for a varity of Mexican or fusion dishes.  Chilli chipotle is a fantastically versatile chilli that is always proved very popular.  Chipotle chilli is a dark black coffee colour and it looks leathery and wrinkled.  Chipotles have a smoky, some toasted nuttiness and spicy heat with sweet chocolatey tones.  Chipotle chili has a heat level of around 5/10, equivalent 2500-5000 Scoville heat units.

Axel says "I love taking a chipotle chile, chopping it up, then adding it to a tin of chopped tomatoes and some chopped onion and garlic, then whizzing them together in a food processor into a fine puree.  This can be used either as is or after being cooked for 5 or so minutes as a spicy pasta sauce or pizza topping.  Just vary the amount of chile you use to give you differing levels of heat."

Chilli plants vary considerably in size, appearance and heat. Capsicum annuum has oval leaves and have firm woody stems, growing to around 1 metre high (3 ft). They are usually grown for 2 - 3 years. The chilli pod is a many seeded red berry (10-20 seeds) with a shiny skin that comes in a wide variety of shapes, colours, thickness and spicy heat.  Chilpotle is a type of jalapeño chilli and so the fresh fruit is 5-10cm long (2-3.5 inches long), while when dried it is 6.5cm (2.5 inches) and 2.5cm (1 inch) wide.

The aroma and flavour of fresh chillis is distinctly capsicum-like, with a hint of sweetness. Their pungent bite comes from the levels of capsaicin present in the fruit; capsaicin causes the brain to release endorphins and so feelings of wellbeing. To make dry chilpotle chillis, the fresh chillies are dried in a closed smoking chamber; a wood fire is made in the firebox and the smoke enters the chamber. It takes roughly three days for the moisture content to be brought down to 10% and to infuse the jalapeño with the smoky flavour; as an approximation, 100kg of fresh chillies yields 10-20kg of dried chilli chilpotle spice. Chilpotles are coffee-coloured, wrinkled and leathery.  For more information on chilpotle chilli, visit Wikipedia.

With the popularity of Indian and Mexican cooking in the UK, we have become very fond of chilli in our food, whether dried or via a table sauce. I am forever adding some heat from a sauce or a few chopped prices of dried chillis to add some spice into insipid and bland chicken, soup or vegetables. Why not make a simple sauce by adding half a chilpotle into a tin of chopped tomatoes to make a simple chile sauce? For more inspiration, try the Allrecipes Website or click on BBC Good Food or try Chilpotle Chile Carnitas. Note that the canned chipotles in the chile carnitas can be replaced by crushed chipotles on the basis of 1/2 teaspoon per large canned chipotle. 

Steenbergs Crushed Chilli Chipotle is a core part of Steenbergs UK range of over 400 spices, peppers, seasonings, herbs and baking ingredients.  For information on these or to buy, please purchase online at steenbergs.co.uk or on Amazon, or ring Steenbergs on 01765 640 088 or email us at enquiries@steenbergs.co.uk.

Spice - season - savour with Steenbergs