Mexican Chili Peppers: A Guide

How can you tell whether a restaurant is serving real Mexican food? Checking the ingredient list for meals like pico de gallo, rellenos, adobo, and mole is the easiest method to find out. You are not eating the real stuff if chili peppers, or chiles are not in Mexican restaurant menu list. However, if you are living in Hong Kong, you can have the Mexican flavorful food from the La Vista, a Mexican Restaurant & Bar. 

Chili peppers are fruits of different capsicum plant species, and originally cultivated in Mexico. They continue to be crucial to Mexican cuisine today.  

Mexican chili peppers come in a wide variety of tastes, colors, and levels of intensity. A dull meal may become fascinating and make you want to eat it again with the proper one.  

You will benefit from reading up on the many kinds of Mexican chilis frequently used in meals, whether you are e a chef, a home cook, or just someone who wants to learn more about Mexican cuisine.  

The Seven Best Mexican Chilies  

1. Jalapeño  

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Jalapenos, one of the most well-known Mexican peppers, with a unique flavor and a little heat. Because of this, everything from margaritas to potato chips uses it as a flavoring. Many different Mexican dishes, such as rellenos and chiles en Nogada, contain jalapenos. 

These fresh Mexican peppers taste similar to bell peppers with a dash of sweetness and zing when they are still green. However, when jalapenos mature and grow red, the quantity of capsaicin—the pepper ingredient that gives them their burning sensation—increases, making them somewhat hotter. Jalapenos range from 2,000 to 8,000 Scoville Heat Units on the Scoville scale, which measures the quantity of capsaicin in peppers (SHUs).  

2. Chipotle  

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To distinguish them from their fresh counterparts, processed Mexican chilis have new names. For instance, chipotle peppers are really ripe, smoked jalapenos. Chipotle peppers are pleasantly spicy, sweet, and smoky. They make up the majority of chipotles en adobo's ingredients. For this dish, dried chipotles, you first have to soak in an adobo sauce made of tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, and spices. Furthermore, A rich, sweet, sour, and acidic sauce is the result, which you may consume on its own or as a stew base. These delicious Mexican chilis you may also use to soups, salad dressings, and seasonings. The SHU range for chipotle peppers is between 2,500 and 8,000.  

3. Poblano  

Poblanos have a dark purple green hue when they are first picked off the vine and get darker as they age. Poblano peppers only range from 1,000 to 1,5000 on the Scoville scale, making them less spicily than jalapenos. They are ideal for stuffed pepper recipes due to their thickness, length, and relatively moderate heat. Guacamole, salsa, and stews all benefit from the taste and fire of poblanos. Ancho peppers has the name of early-harvested poblanos. This name keeps after drying, roasting, and peeling. The ancho pepper contains chocolate and raisins as flavour accents. One of the "Holy Trinity" of Mexican chilis, along with the mulato and pasilla chilis, you will get it in Mexican food. 

 

4. Mulato

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Poblano peppers known as mulatos have spent more time on the vine than anchos. When completely mature and a deep brown colour, poblano peppers will cut and leave to dry. Then they are promoted and offered for sale as mulato peppers.They taste unlike fresh poblanos and ancho chiles in flavour. They taste like licorice and tobacco and are sweeter and smokier. Moreover, you will get Mulato peppers in moles, soups, stews, tamales, and marinades and sauces for chili. You may use it as a dry rub or spice for meats after pounding into a powder. Mulato peppers vary from 500 to 2,500 SHU on the Scoville scale.  

5. Habanero 

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Habaneros are plump, tiny, and lantern-shaped peppers that are initially green in color before maturing to yellow, orange, and finally red. They have a Scoville value between 100,000 and 350,000. They are highly hot.  

Additionally, the heat from these peppers can linger for up to 30 minutes. For up to 24 hours after unintentionally touching habanero juice, the afflicted area may feel scorching. Cochinita pibil, a Yucatán-derived dish of slow-roasted pig, is frequently served with chopped habaneros as a side dish. Due to their delicious, citrus flavour and heat, these hot Mexican peppers are also a well-liked component of salsas and sauces.  

6. Serrano  

Serrano peppers are perfect for salsas and salads because of their crisp exterior and fresh flavour. Although they have a moderate heat level of 10,000 to 25,000 SHUs, their "delayed-release" spiciness may prevent you from experiencing immediate mouth burn. As with other peppers, Serranos tend to be hotter the smaller they are. Although serrano peppers are frequently consumed fresh, you can also cook them in soups, stews, and chili. Additionally, they taste great pickled, especially when diced and used to taco filling. 

 

7. Chile de Árbol 

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This little chili, measuring just two to three inches long, delivers a powerful punch, measuring between 15,000 and 30,000 SHUs on the Scoville scale. The hue of unripe chiles de árbol changes from pale green to vivid red as they mature. To be rehydrated before cooking, these Mexican peppers are frequently offered dry. Chilies de árbol are used to make ristras, ornamental wreaths formed of edible materials, because they do not turn brown after drying and preserve their vibrant crimson color. But you can also eat them raw or grind them into a powder to use as a spice. Mexican classics like huevos rancheros, burritos, and tacos al pastor are improved by the quick heat that chiles de árbol bring to any sauce, salsa, or meal.  

La Vista offers a Spice World Tour  

You do not have to take a plane to Mexico to eat true Mexican food made with Mexican chilis. Many different foods are served at La Vista, Mexican Restaurant & Bar in Hong Kong.