Pasilla de Oaxaca

Origin: Mexico

Heat: 7/10

Info: This chilli from the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico is less well-known than the chipotle but is highly regarded in those parts where it is made into a paste with  onion, garlic, and tomato and eaten by pilgrims during their pilgrimages to Nicaragua to remind them of home.  It is delicious used in Oaxacan rellenos with its smoked fruity flavour and sharp lingering heat but can replace chipotle in any recipe.  Pasilla de Oaxaca needs to be rehydrated in hot water for no longer than 20 minutes and, like many of the larger dried chillies, can be dry roasted first to release more of the flavour.