Guajillo Chile

A guajillo chili or guajillo chile (chile guajillo in Spanish, meaning big pod) is the dried form of mirasol chili, a landrace variety of chile pepper of the species Capsicum annum, and is the second-most commonly used dried chili in Mexican cuisine after poblanos (ancho). The  Mexican state of Zacatecas is one of the main producers of guajillo chilies. There are two main varieties that are distinguished by their size and heat factors. The guajillo puya is the smaller and hotter of the two (puyar, in Spanish, is to prick or poke). In contrast, the longer and wider guajillo has a more pronounced, richer flavor and is somewhat less spicy.

Its heat (rating 2,500 to 5,000 on the Scoville scale) is considered mild to medium. Guajillo chilies have many applications and are used in a variety of Mexican preparations. For instance, they are sometimes used to make a salsa for tamales; the dried fruits (chilies) are seeded, soaked, or simmered, then pulverized or mashed/pureed into a paste, then cooked with several other ingredients to produce a flavorful sauce.

Guajillo chilies are used in marinades, salsas, pastes, butter, or adobos (spice rubs) to flavor meats and fat or oil with other ingredients. The guajillo chili, with its leaner flavor profile, is used with fish and chicken or added to salsa as a side dish. Guajillo chilies are also used in a Salvadoran spice mix called Relajo. In El Salvador, guajillo chilies are known as chile guaco.

Some Mexican dishes where chile guajillo is the main ingredient are:

• Chile or mole de olla
• Pambazos
• Consomés
• Carne adobada