Chile Paste, 8 Ways

Makes: About ½ cup

Time: 45 minutes, largely unattended

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Like spice blends and rubs, chile pastes are not exactly sauces, but cooking ingredients that are useful in dressings, sauces, and marinades and for smearing on foods before grilling or roasting.

The base ingredient here: dried chiles. You can use a relatively mild one like ancho; guajillo or chipotle will be much hotter. The best, though, is a combination that includes both heat and complexity (my favorite is mostly ancho with a hit of chipotle). The variations simply build additional flavors into the chile paste. Whichever kind you make, if fresh herbs or aromatics are involved, refrigerate and use within a day or so for maximum freshness and oomph. (Chile paste made with dried seasonings will last a couple of weeks.)

  1. Toast and clean the chiles (see page 226). For a hotter paste, set aside some of the seeds. Put the chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water and a small plate to keep them submerged. Soak for about 30 minutes, until soft.
  2. Drain the chiles, saving the soaking liquid. Put the chiles, any seeds you might be using, and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, adding a spoonful of soaking water at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.
  3. Put the oil in a small skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. When it’s hot, add the paste and cook, stirring constantly, until deeply colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Serve or cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Just before serving, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Thai-Style Chile Paste Quite complex: Use 2 or 3 dried Thai chiles along with the mild chiles. To the blender or processor, add 1 inch lemongrass, cleaned (see page 636) and chopped, and ¼ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro or basil leaves (preferably Thai).

Vietnamese-Style Chile Paste Use 2 or 3 dried Thai chiles along with the mild chiles. To the blender or processor, add 3 or 4 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons Fishless Fish Sauce (page 656), and ¼ cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves. After cooking, squeeze in the juice of a lime.

Indian-Style Chile Paste To the blender or processor, add 1 tablespoon garam masala.

Harissa Quite complex: To the blender or processor, add 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, and 1 to 3 cloves garlic. Use extra virgin olive oil.

Mexican-Style Chile Paste Use all guajillo chiles: To the blender or processor, add 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote, Mexican oregano, or regular oregano.

Chipotle Paste Hot. Hot. Hot: Use some or all chipotle chiles. Or skip Step 1 and use ⅓ cup canned chipotle chiles with adobo sauce.

Chile and Black Bean Paste To the blender or processor, add 2 tablespoons fermented black beans; taste the paste before adding any salt.

6 Ways to Use Chile Pastes

  1. Toss a spoonful or 2 of any chile paste with cooked vegetables, pasta, grains, or more complex dishes.
  2. To turn chile paste into a “real” sauce, heat a batch with ¼ cup or so oil, butter, cream, stock, tomato sauce, or even water.
  3. Stir chile paste into yogurt, sour cream, or mayonnaise for a quick chilled sauce or dip.
  4. Mix with extra virgin olive or good-quality vegetable oil and brush on vegetables as they come off the grill.
  5. Stir a little into nut pastes for a spicy spread for toasted bread.
  6. Smear on sandwiches (especially grilled cheese!).