Recipe: Chili Powder

Grinding your own spices and making your own spice blends is really simple. The main advantage of making your own, other than cost (whole spices are usually much cheaper), is flavor. What you buy already ground at the supermarket is not necessarily that fresh, and even if it is, how long is it going to take you to use up that whole thing of ground cinnamon? By the time next year rolls around and you want to sprinkle some on your French toast, it will have almost zero flavor. If you buy whole cinnamon sticks though, you can grind as needed, and the whole sticks will still be flavorful for a long time (like years).

The only kitchen gadget you need is a spice grinder. In my experience, they can be hard to find in the store as they are not a sought-after item, but we live in the age of the Internet! Find one online. Should run you about $25-45 depending on how fancy or powerful it is.

Two spice blends I commonly use are chili powder and curry powder (or garam masala). For right now, let’s talk chili. Next time you’re in the store, or if you have it in your cabinet, pick up a thing of chili powder and read the ingredients. If they bother to list the spices, you’ll probably see cumin and pepper and several different chiles. There is also most likely onion powder, garlic powder, and some additive to prevent caking. When you make the powder yourself, you can skip the onion and garlic powder. I think they put that in there to cover up the loss of flavor from old, ground spices. You’re going to put garlic and onion in your chili, so you don’t need the powder.

I've tried several different recipes for chili powder that I've found online, sometimes with lots of different spices. I think I have nailed it now though. Not to say there won't be future experiments, but this blend is really good.

This recipe makes about ½ cup of chili powder, enough for about three batches of chili. It is spicy. If you want to make it milder, cut down on or cut out the chiles de arbol. They are there for heat. The guajillos and anchos are there for flavor, don’t skip them. And if you want things to be hotter, add a couple more of the little guys.

Another great thing about making your own chili powder is you can put what you want into it. If you want to go heavier on the cumin, do it. Want to add cocoa powder? It also adds nice flavor. For your first time though, follow the recipe, other than adjusting for heat as needed. It is tested and solid.

So here is the recipe.

Left to right: anchos, guajillos, chiles de arbol

Chili Powder

2 ancho chiles

2 guajillo chiles

5 chiles de arbol

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

½ inch piece of cinnamon

½ teaspoon black peppercorns

Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and tear them into pieces. Place everything except the peppercorns in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, dry fry the spices until they begin to turn a few shades darker and become very fragrant. It should take 8-10 minutes. Don’t let the spices burn. If anything does turn black, remove it. Probably your best measuring stick are the coriander seeds, since they start out pretty light. Once they are a golden brown, you’re ready.

A word of caution: as those chiles roast, they will release oils that may bother your nose and eyes if you’re not used to it. Open a window and turn on your exhaust fan.

Put the spices on a plate and let them cool. Once they are room temperature, add the peppercorns and grind everything in batches. Be careful of the fine powder that comes off the grinder when you take the lid off. You don’t want to breathe that in.

Mix the ground spices to make sure everything is uniformly distributed and store in an airtight container. It will be flavorful for about a month and not-too-bad the following month. See how easy it is?

This powder is great for your favorite chili, but you can also sprinkle it on cucumbers, jicama, or even mangos and pineapple like they do here in Mexico. Go nuts.