Guajillo chile is a popular type of pepper in Mexican and American cuisine, with a sweet and fruity flavor and medium heat. It is often used in molé sauces and can be used in other dishes, such as stews and harissa paste. Guajillo chiles are available dried or powdered and are grown in hot climates in Mexico, the United States, and China.
Guajillo chile is a type of pepper grown and popularly used in Mexico, the United States, and some other countries. These peppers are close in heat to jalapenos, albeit with a sweeter, fruitier flavor, making them popular in molé sauces. They can also be used in sauces and stews and to make a paste called harissa. Guajillo chiles are long and pointed, with a reddish color when ripe. These peppers are often available dried or powdered.
Chili peppers, the classification of peppers to which Guajillos belong, are often used in American, South American and Asian cuisine. Spice levels range from an almost imperceptible level of heat, such as those found in cubanelle peppers, to what many consider an excruciating level of heat, such as that of bhut jolokia or “ghost chile”. Others are considered mild. Chile Guajillo has a fairly low heat level. Chili peppers offer some health benefits, such as the ability to boost metabolism and an abundance of vitamin A and other nutrients. Consuming too many chilies and other spicy foods, however, can be hard on the digestive system.
A typical chile guajillo has an elongated shape, often with a slight curve, and comes to a point. Individual peppers are usually 4 to 6 inches (10–15 cm) long, with a reddish or brownish color when fully ripe. The green, unripe Guajillos can also be harvested and used in cooking. When cooked, ripe peppers tend to give foods a yellowish color.
The Guajillo chile is closely related to the Anaheim chile, though it boasts a somewhat sweeter, hotter flavor. Guajillos rate between 2,500 and 5,000 units on the Scoville scale, which is approximately the same level of heat as a jalapeno. The Scoville scale measures the spiciness of peppers, measured by examining how many units of sugar water to the pepper mass it would take to remove the heat. Those cooking with guajillo chiles appreciate the slightly fruity, berry-like sweetness and medium spice of the peppers, along with tannic and piney undertones.
Because of this pepper’s sweetness-to-spice ratio, Guajillo chiles are often used in the Mexican salsa known as molé. This type of sauce often contains dark chocolate, raisins and many other ingredients. Ancho, Pasillo, and Guajillo chiles are popularly classified as the “peppers of the Holy Trinity” and are considered to be among the best for making authentic molé sauce.
Chile Guajillo also weaves into other cooking applications. It is often used in tamales, salsas, soups, stews, and other chili-based dishes. A popular non-Mexican application for guajillos is in a type of paste called harissa, which is used in Moroccan and Tunisian cuisines.
Guajillo chiles are sold whole or fresh or dried and sometimes as a powder or paste. Such pastes, however, can contain high levels of artificial colors and preservatives. Dried guajillos often require a longer soaking time than many other dried chiles. Fresh Guajillo chiles are recommended roasted or toasted before use.
Primarily grown in dry, hot climates, Guajillo chile is found in great abundance in northern Mexico. It is particularly widely produced in the states of Durango, Aguascalientes and San Luis Potosi. This pepper is also found in Peru, the United States of New Mexico and California, and in China.
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