New favorite chili paste

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JOhnH

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And you can't buy it.

This used to be my favorite, but lately I can't find it anywhere. I bought some online once, but the jar was practically expired when I got it, and it just didn't taste the same:
250563-600x600-A.jpg

Since I couldn't find this stuff anywhere for the past few weeks, I was getting desperate.

So I mixed up:
Chipotle powder (it's just the right heat for me. Hotter than cayenne but not a hot as Habanero.
Red pepper flakes (more for the texture than the heat)
Apple cider vinegar
Light olive oil
Garlic power
Touch of salt.

Boy was it good in my chicken salad.
chili paste.jpg
 
JOhnH said:
And you can't buy it.

This used to be my favorite, but lately I can't find it anywhere. I bought some online once, but the jar was practically expired when I got it, and it just didn't taste the same:
250563-600x600-A.jpg

Since I couldn't find this stuff anywhere for the past few weeks, I was getting desperate.

So I mixed up:
Chipotle powder (it's just the right heat for me. Hotter than cayenne but not a hot as Habanero.
Red pepper flakes (more for the texture than the heat)
Apple cider vinegar
Light olive oil
Garlic power
Touch of salt.

Boy was it good in my chicken salad.
View attachment 116507
Click to expand...
Give us some numbers
 
luvflyin said:
Give us some numbers
Click to expand...
If by numbers, you mean quantities, that would be hard.
I started with about 2 tablespoons Chipotle,
Then added a little olive oil until it made a paste (I used light because EVOO would overpower it).
Then I added pepper flakes till it looked right.
Then I added garlic powder and a pinch of salt until it thickened up a little.
Then it was too thick so I added some vinegar,
Then it needed more pepper flakes.
Then I tasted it and added a little more chipotle.

I couldn't really begin to tell you quantities. I just kept adding stuff till it tasted right.

Perhaps I'll make some more when I finish this batch and try to keep track.
 
Last edited:
Hmmm… first thanks. I’m gonna try your recipe.

Have you noticed “chili crisp” on the grocery shelves lately? It’s precariously close to what you’ve concocted there, and it becoming popular quite rapidly here in the states. It’s also of Asian lineage.

Also look up “salsa macha”, a South American recipe that seems quite close.
 
JOhnH said:
And you can't buy it.

This used to be my favorite, but lately I can't find it anywhere. I bought some online once, but the jar was practically expired when I got it, and it just didn't taste the same:
250563-600x600-A.jpg

Since I couldn't find this stuff anywhere for the past few weeks, I was getting desperate.

So I mixed up:
Chipotle powder (it's just the right heat for me. Hotter than cayenne but not a hot as Habanero.
Red pepper flakes (more for the texture than the heat)
Apple cider vinegar
Light olive oil
Garlic power
Touch of salt.

Boy was it good in my chicken salad.
View attachment 116507
Click to expand...
Chipotle are just smoked jalapenos and much milder on average than cayennes. If your chipotle powder is really hotter than your cayenne powder, there's something wrong with the cayennes. But they do have different flavors, which is important to perception of heat.
 
Tangentially related but with an aviation connection. The "Ass-Kickin'" sauces are from a company in Goodyear AZ, owned by a guy named Jeff Jacobs, who bases his airplane at GYR ... but it's not me. The other guy has a really cool-looking King Air C90. I don't. :p When I call the FBO to summon the fuel truck I have to specify it's not for "the King Air Jeff Jacobs."
 
So the stuff in the original photo I'm still able to find locally and I absolutely swear by it if you want another one it's Japanese not Chinese but it's a thicker paste and it's called gochujang. It's fantastic and from what I can tell it's becoming more popular I'm seeing it in more normal grocery stores.

For whatever reason Sriracha seems to be the most popular but I feel like that just tastes like spicy garlic.
 
Lindberg said:
Chipotle are just smoked jalapenos and much milder on average than cayennes. If your chipotle powder is really hotter than your cayenne powder, there's something wrong with the cayennes. But they do have different flavors, which is important to perception of heat.
Click to expand...
That's what I always understood too, but the chipotle I buy is HOT. Or possibly, it seems hotter because I like the taste better so I layer it on heavier. Never really investigated that aspect. I just know the dishes I make with chipotle are hot. If I make a dish the way I like it, I get to eat all of it because nobody else will touch it without a fire extinguisher near by. You know, ice cream or frozen yogurt.
 
JOhnH said:
That's what I always understood too, but the chipotle I buy is HOT. Or possibly, it seems hotter because I like the taste better so I layer it on heavier. Never really investigated that aspect. I just know the dishes I make with chipotle are hot. If I make a dish the way I like it, I get to eat all of it because nobody else will touch it without a fire extinguisher near by. You know, ice cream or frozen yogurt.
Click to expand...

Do you buy the raw peppers or canned chipotles in sauce?
 
Our grocery store in Ensenada had plenty on the shelves last week. They also have plenty of Sriracha.

We’re back in the States now. had I known……. I would’ve grabbed a few for you. I keep ourselves stocked up.
 
Rgbeard said:
Our grocery store in Ensenada had plenty on the shelves last week. They also have plenty of Sriracha.
Click to expand...
I can find off-brand sriracha. It's the original Huy Fong sriracha that I cannot find (look for the rooster and the green cap).
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
So the stuff in the original photo I'm still able to find locally and I absolutely swear by it if you want another one it's Japanese not Chinese but it's a thicker paste and it's called gochujang. It's fantastic and from what I can tell it's becoming more popular I'm seeing it in more normal grocery stores.

For whatever reason Sriracha seems to be the most popular but I feel like that just tastes like spicy garlic.
Click to expand...

Gochujang is Korean. It is a fermented paste of Gochugaru (a pepper you can also buy).


The Huy Fong company made a boo-boo by burning their supplier of jalapeños a few years ago and has had supply problems ever since. The farm that used to supply Huy Fong now sells their own version which is quite spicy and very tasty.

News story: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-...ed-pay-millions-damages-chili-pepper-n1027616

The farm: https://underwoodranches.com/
 
Clip4 said:
It’s on Amazon
Click to expand...

Yep. I was forced to buy two bottles there.

By "forced," I mean my Korean wife didn't believe me when I said the stuff is not available in stores and she was moments away from violent withdrawal...
 
Seanaldinho said:
Gochujang is Korean. It is a fermented paste of Gochugaru (a pepper you can also buy).
...
Click to expand...
Yes. The "Gochu" is the pepper. It is a Korean grown Cayenne variant. Very Similar, a little hotter. They dry them and grind them into a powder, the -garu suffix. It is readily available in most asian stores. Adding a bit of it to a chili recipe is highly recommended. It's also available as a paste, the -jang suffix.

I like the sambal oelek and sriracha as dips or mixers, but Gochu as an ingredient. Sambal oelek and sriracha are fortunately still available around here with the proliferation of asian stores.
 
We have this stuff here:

Texified.jpg

It tastes very different from the good stuff and is slightly sweeter, but even it is out of stock now at H.E.B.
 
Seanaldinho said:
Gochujang is Korean. It is a fermented paste of Gochugaru (a pepper you can also buy).
Click to expand...

Almost. Gochujang is not necessarily fermented, merely crushed peppers in a paste. The commercial stuff is mixed with doenjang and rice starch to add flavor.

Doenjang, on the other hand, is fermented Soybean paste and it takes some getting used to for those timid folks who cannot handle stinky foods. :D

The really good stuff is Samjang, which is the combination of these two. I put it on hamburgers or Samgyupssal (Pork belly) and it is yummy!
 
I buy Sambal Oelek in 132 ounce containers from a commercial restaurant supply. Haven't had any shortage issues in the last three years.

6901.1.jpg
 
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