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Roasted Chile Powder

By Pepper Teigen
Image may contain Cutlery Fork Pottery and Saucer
Photo by Chelsea Kyle

Roasted chile powder is one of my most essential ingredients because it adds both earthiness and heat. If you can’t find dried Thai chiles at the market, any small dried red chile will work.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 1 cup

Ingredients

2 cups dried red chiles, such as Thai, de árbol, or japones

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F. If you have an oven hood fan, turn it on.

    Step 2

    Spread the chiles evenly across a sheet pan and roast for about 6 minutes, checking them halfway through. The chiles are done when they change color from red to a very dark reddish brown. Watch closely near the end to make sure they don’t burn.

    Step 3

    Transfer chiles to a plate and let cool completely. Place them in a mortar and grind with the pestle until they’re the size of red pepper flakes (or use a spice grinder or small blender on high speed for 10 to 15 seconds; make sure the blender is totally dry). Store the chile powder in an airtight container; it keeps for about 3 months or longer if kept in the freezer.

The Pepper Thai cookbook cover with photo of Pepper Teigen sitting at a table with a bowl of food.
From The Pepper Thai Cookbook: Family Recipes from Everyone's Favorite Thai Mom by Pepper Teigen and Garrett Snyder © 2021. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. Buy the full book from Amazon, or Bookshop.
TagsThaiSoutheast AsianAsianThai ChileChileVegetableChile de ÁrbolRoastBlenderCookbooks
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