Feel free to add as many chiltepins as you like to highlight the herb up or down. They are one of our newest products and we couldn’t be more excited to share these hard-to-find peppers with you! Our wild Chiltepins are harvested by hand and come from the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains in Sonora, Mexico.
Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes are fully cooked and soft and begin to peel off their skin. Transfer to a blender together with the garlic and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Add apple, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, cider vinegar, salt and chiltepin peppers and puree until completely smooth. Unlike the fresh, dried chili peppers that are more commonly used in the store, chiltepín offers the convenience of a condiment such as hot sauce or chili flakes. Wearing a small chiltepin mill with you can lend you for an easy and quick hit of herbs on the road.
I’ve found fresh chili pekings at Mexican markets in Brownsville, Texas, for example. You can also buy chiltepin peppers through Gourmet Sleuth. Apparently, when the harvest starts, the locals stop what they do to pick the little chili peppers because they bring in such a high price, up to $30 per pound in some years. You can look for them in southern Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and reportedly live in South Florida as well.
The closest store-bought equivalent I can think of in terms of flavor is Cholula hot sauce, which is another one of my favorites. Chiltepin peppers hit you early, but then disappear: it’s the opposite of a red jalapeño, the heat of which can creep in a few minutes later. Although I use wild chiltepin peppers in this recipe, you can use any small, red, hot chili. Thai and cayenne pepper are good substitutes. Smoked salt is not strictly necessary, but it adds a lot of flavor.
This ingredient is unique in taste, incredibly spicy and modest in size. Whole, these small dried chili peppers can be rehydrated for use in Mexican foods or simply ground into a delicious alternative to traditional red pepper flakes. You won’t often find these peppers in a grocery store outside the southwestern United States, that’s for sure. And even specialty stores are not allowed to wear them.
Add to a chicken or fish marinade for a complex taste with a hint of warmth. There is a smoky, earthy taste around chiltepin pepper. And that only intensifies when they are collected dried in the sun of the vine. It is a common way to eat these chili peppers, as they are native to the southwestern United States.
Both are very popular and are eaten fresh or dried. The heat takes time to have an effect, but it stays with you for a long time. Chile chiltepin Younger chili peppers are green in color and, as they ripen, turn orange-red. The hottest parts of chili are the ribs and seeds.