California Chilies

• California chilies are dried Anaheim chilies, which light green, and usually quite mild although heat levels vary based on genetics and growing conditions, including heat, sun and water. Anaheim chilies turn a deep, dark red as they ripen and dry. Although relatively mild, California chilies have a rich and complex flavor, making them a good choice for recipes that draw on Mexican culinary traditions and flavors other than challenging levels of heat.

California Chili Powder Blend

• Just as curry powder blends differ across India, recipes for chili powder blends vary across regions in the Americas and beyond, offering different levels of heat and salt as well as different supporting ingredients. California chili powder tends to be relatively mild because it showcases the California chili, which is more flavorful than hot. Other common ingredients include cumin, oregano, salt, and sometimes coriander.

Making California Chili Powder

• Prepare California chili powder made exclusively from California chilies by grinding them in a blender, coffee grinder or spice grinder. Remove the stems. It is not strictly necessary to remove the seeds, especially if your blender is reasonably powerful. A coffee grinder with a shallow blade height will be better able to grind both the pods and the seeds. Prepare a California chili powder blend by adding ground cumin, dried oregano leaf and salt. The combined volume of additional ingredients should roughly equal the volume of ground California chilies.

Using California Chili Powder

• Just because you choose a chili powder that showcases a mild chili doesn't mean your dish has to be mild. Use California chili powder to add deep, rich chili flavor and add hotter fresh or dried chilies such as chipotles, habaneros or cayennes if you want a hotter dish. When using California chili powder made exclusively of dried chilies, add cumin, oregano, salt and other spices, if you wish.