Chili can be made with a wide variety of mild to hot spices.
Chili recipes are as varied as the people who make and eat them. The hearty soup can be meatless, contain one or more meat or poultry ingredients either ground or in chunks, have a variety of vegetables, and be served alone or with toppings. Chili spices are just as diverse and range from mild to fiery hot.
Common Chili Spices
Most chili recipes have tomatoes, tomato paste or tomato sauce in them. The flavor of tomatoes is enhanced by spices such as oregano, cumin, paprika, cayenne, coriander, garlic powder and salt. Oregano is a mild, fragrant spice that adds depth to the mixture. Cumin provides a nutty, peppery taste, coriander adds an earthy balance, paprika imparts a hot-sweet taste and cayenne adds pure heat. Ground dried chiles such as jalapeno, habanero, pasillo and ancho are available and add a considerable hotness to the dish.
Fragrant Spices
Some chili recipes call for cinnamon, cloves or allspice, all of which are usually associated with sweet baked goods or desserts. Adding a cinnamon stick or a scant amount of ground cinnamon cloves or allspice adds a complexity to the dish and makes the savory spices more distinguishable. These additions also add an interesting fragrance to the chili.
Chili Powder
A simple way to flavor chili is to use a premixed chili powder. These convenient mixtures typically contain one or two kinds of dried, ground red chiles along with all or some of the common chili spices noted above. When chili powder is listed as a recipe ingredient, use a spice combination unless the instructions specify a particular type such as ancho or pasilla.
Homemade Chili Powder
To guarantee you are getting the full flavor and hotness of pure chili powder, make it at home. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and roast your choice of dried, stemmed chiles for 20 minutes. Cool completely and pulverize them in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or in a blender, being careful not to breathe in the fumes. Ground chiles will retain their strength and flavor for up to six months frozen in a well-sealed freezer bag.
Other Flavor Enhancers
In addition to spices, you can add flavor to chili with herbs and vegetables. Chopped fresh cilantro is a colorful, fragrant citrusy herb whose dried seeds are used to make the chili spice coriander. Add it to chili right before serving. Freshly chopped scallions add visual appeal, flavor and freshness to the bowl. Serve chili with a shaker of hot red pepper flakes or a dish of hot pepper sauce for diners who desire extra hotness.
Tags: chili powder, chili recipes, Chili Spices, chili with, cinnamon cloves, cinnamon cloves allspice
