by Jeannie Trudell

Created on: January 05, 2008

Rehydrating red chile is very easy. The rehydrated chiles can be used in tamales or the Mexican favorite chile caribe. I will share the secret and recipe for chile caribe.

The chiles you will be rehydrating are the large chili rojo chile pods. These are sold in large bags usually in the produce section of your grocery store. They are red in color and come in hot or mild varieties. Select which ever one suits your palate.

Remove stems from top of dried chiles. Shake loose as many seeds as possible. Place the dried chili pods into large pot and cover with water. Bring water to a boil and simmer the pods until they are soft. This takes usually 20 to 30 minutes. When chiles are softened remove from heat and let cool, in liquid for 20-30 minutes.

Recipe for chile caribe

Place half the rehydrated chiles into a blender. If liquid is still warm leave center of the top of blender off and cover with towel when blending. To the chiles add 1/2 a yellow onion, quartered, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tbl garlic powder, and 1 tbl cumin. To this add 1 cup cooking liquid and blend. Gradually add 3 more cups of the cooking liquid and puree until blended into a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce into a large storage container until ready to use. Repeat this process with the remaining chiles.

In a large sauce pan brown 2 lbs diced pork. When pork is browned pour half the sauce over the pork. Heat to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce becomes too thick add water until desired consistency is met. This is excellent served with spanish rice, refried beans, and fresh tortillas.

You can freeze the remaining sauce in a freezer bag for a few months until you are ready to use it. You should really try this recipe. It is absolutely the best pork red chile I have ever tried.

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