Chili Paste Recipe

The basis of any great chilli recipe is an authentic chilli paste. If you only use fresh chilli or chilli powder in your recipes, you’ll get heat, but you won’t get the depth of flavour that is the standout of all great Mexican recipes.

I’m going to share my own special chilli paste recipe which I developed over a several months. Every weekend I would batch cook a big pot of beef chilli to keep me going throughout the following week. I would gradually tweak the recipe each time until I arrived at the perfect combination. You can find the full beef chilli recipe here, but today we’re just focusing on the chilli paste. 

While I originally developed this as a base for making beef chilli with, it works just as well for vegetarian or vegan chilli recipes too. It also works brilliantly as a rub to put on meat before grilling it. I’ve tried it as a marinade on chicken wings and pork steaks and it’s just as delicious. 

If you love this recipe and you want to try another Mexican favourite, check out our hot sauce recipe. 

Where To Find The Ingredients? 

If you have a local Mexican grocer, they should stock all the dried chilies you need for this recipe. I got mine from Casa Azul in Brighton. Alternatively, you can order them online from somewhere like mexgrocer.co.uk. If you’re missing one or two of the ones listed here, don’t worry – your chilli paste will still taste great! 

Why Should You Use Dried Chillies In Chilli Paste? 

For chilli paste you should always use dried chillies. You can also add fresh chilli to your recipe if you like but dried chillies have their own distinctive flavours which are very different to the “bite” that fresh chillies have. Dried chillies can have completely different flavour profiles to their fresh counterparts. For example, a jalapeno, when fully ripe and smoke dried, becomes a chipotle – which tastes completely different. 

You’ll also notice that there is fig and red wine vinegar in this recipe, I find that these add a sticky sweetness to the paste without having to add any refined sugar or syrup. The vinegar also helps preserve the paste if you are storing it for later use. 

Why Should You Use Different Chilli Peppers In Your Chilli Paste? 

Different chilies serve different purposes and bring a different flavour profile to the final dish. Many people think chillies are just for “heat” but there are far more complex elements to their flavour. Over time you’ll get to appreciate each different chilli variety for its own unique qualities, just like a wine expert knows which wine to pair with different dishes. For example, in this recipe the chillies bring the following flavours… 

– The Chipotle chilli adds smokiness 
– The Guajillo chilli adds fruitiness and a rich red colour 
– The Ancho chilli adds chocolatey and tobacco-like notes 
– The Habanero chilli adds heat 
– The Pasilla chilli adds a raisin-like sweetness 

There are of course dozens other chillies you can use is your chilli paste, and I encourage you to experiment and find the combination that suits you. My only advice would be to try and match the type of chillies you are using to the cuisine you are cooking. For example, I wouldn’t use Bird’s Eye Chillies in a Mexican Tinga recipe, nor would I use an Ancho chilli in a Thai curry. 

Why Should You Steep Your Dry Chillies In Water Before Blending Them?

Dry chillies are…well, dry. If you try and blend them straight away, they will just turn to dust and create chilli powder – a great ingredient in its own right, but not a chilli paste. Steeping (soaking) your chillies in water for 20 minutes first will rehydrate them and make it easier to tear them apart and remove the seeds. 

Recipe: 

This recipe makes about 1.5-2 tablespoons of chilli paste, which is about what I would use for one chilli. I will often make 4 or 5 times this amount and put it in a jar to use later. Thanks to the vinegar in the recipe, the paste will last about a month in the fridge if its stored in an airtight container.