Chile peppers are a cornerstone of Mexican cooking. Technically a fruit and often immediately categorized as "fiery hot" there are more than 100 different chiles grown in Mexico in a variety of flavors and heat intensities.
In addition to adding flavor and spiciness to Mexican cooking, chiles are a rich source of vitamins and minerals including Vitamins A, E, C, potassium, and folic acid.
A chile's heat is concentrated in its seeds and inner veins or membranes so for milder results in your cooking, be sure to remove them.
Here's a list of the most commonly available chiles found in US grocery stores listed from most mild to most hot. If you are not use to cooking with chiles, begin with small amounts of the more mild chiles and experiment from there. Remember, you can always add more spice to suit your taste, but it's difficult if not impossible to subtract spiciness once it's added!
Common Chiles Listed from Mild to Hot
Anaheim - A long, thin pale green chile that is mild in flavor and turns red as it ripens. A good choice for chiles rellenos, Anaheims are available as canned green chiles in many markets.
Poblano - Medium to large triangular shaped, mild to medium hot, dark green chile that is delicious roasted and cut into strips or stuffed with meat and/or cheese for chiles rellenos.
Ancho - A dried poblano chile that is dark reddish brown and wrinkled with a mild, mellow sweet flavor. Often toasted, soaked and pureed for use in soup, stews, and sauces.
Chipotle - Dried smoked red jalapenos that are most often available canned in a sweet, sour, spicy tomato based sauce called adobo. Chipotle chiles are very spicy and often used in soups, sauces, marinades, and moles.
Jalapeno - The most popular chile in the US, jalapenos are bright green or red and about 3 inches long. They vary from medium hot to very hot and are available fresh, canned, and pickled.
Serrano - Smaller and hotter than the jalapeno, the serrano chile is skinny and about 2 inches long. Also used in Thai and Indian cooking, they change from dark green to orange and yellow as they ripen.
Habanero - A small lantern shaped green, yellow, or orange chile, also known as scotch bonnet, is the hottest chile available and can best be described as incendiary.
For the Chile Lover...
The Great Chile Book
by Mark MillerDave's 6 Pure Dried Chiles
