Homemade Chili Powder

Instructions

Remove the stems and seeds from the anchos and spread the peppers out flat. Reserve the seeds. Place the chiles flat on a comal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the ancho chiles until they're brittle, being careful not to burn them. Place the chiles on a plate and let them cool.

Toast the cumin on the hot comal or skillet, still over medium heat, stirring and shaking until fragrant. Transfer to a separate plate. If a hotter chili powder is desired, toss some of the chile seeds onto the hot surface and toast them, too.

Cut the chiles into small strips with scissors. In a clean coffee grinder, coarsely grind the strips in several batches until powdered. Coarsely grind the cumin and chile seeds, if using, in the coffee grinder. Combine the powdered chile, cumin, ground seeds, Mexican oregano, and garlic powder in a bowl and then grind this coarse powder in the coffee grinder in batches until finely ground, about 2 minutes. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Mains