Recipe - Chile Peppers To Keep On Hand And Types For Recipes



One thing that was mentioned (Mexican recipes probably mean serranos) is to
look at the original or probable origin of the recipe. If a New Mexican
recipe says green chile, it is likely that they mean any of the varieties
of New Mexico grown green chiles; the variety chosen depends on your heat
requirements. If a Louisiana recipe calls for dried red chile, it is
probable that cayenne will produce the intended results, and you can play
from there. But a Thai curry that wants dried red chile wants something
completely different. Take your best guess and have fun with it or, if
you're too lazy to go to the store, play with whatever you have on hand.

Speaking of which, what do you folks tend to have on hand? I'd guess my
usual arsenal is small compared to others on the list, but I always have
around something like this:

Frozen:
jalapeno
serrano
New Mexico Barker
various roasted/peeled New Mexico varieties
pasilla (the real thing with the hook end)
Thai green
habanero

Dried:
guajillo
chipotle
New Mexico red
habanero
smoked habanero
japones
de arbol
ancho
negro (seems quite different from ancho, which surprises me)
pequin
??? (probably a few more; I'm too lazy to look ;)

Canned:
jalapeno
roasted jalapeno
serrano
guajillo
yellow wax
chipotles adobado
roasted mild green chiles (holdover from preseriouschilehead
days; probably only to be used for sandwiches or in
case nuclear war cuts off all other supplies)

Given even this narrow range of chiles, I can get a wide variety of tastes.