Pequin Peppers : Chile Pequin : Whole Dried Chile Pepper Herb Spicy : Kosher (4oz.)

Description

This pretty little pepper only grows to about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch at the very most, yet can give a zesty, spicy kick to your food. These are some of the smallest of chilies, and the name pequin means “small.” They have a flavor that has a touch of smokiness to them with a slightly nutty and fruity note. They grow on compact plants and start out a beautiful green color before ripening into a deep red color. When dried, the fruit turns an earthy brown-red. The Pequin chili pepper is a spicy variety of Capsicum annuum and is a native to Mexico. The pepper sits fairly high on the Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) coming in at 40,000 to 60,000, which makes it about 12 times spicier than the popular jalapeño pepper. This spicy little pepper is the main ingredient in the very popular Cholula hot sauce. The pequin pepper gives the sauce its smoky nuance. Generally, pequin peppers are dried before use. Due to the intense heat, the seeds and ribs should be removed before using, as that is where most of the heat is concentrated. The most common use of this pepper is in the making of hot sauces, and it can be used in Latin American, Asian, and Indian cuisine. Fresh Green Peppers: Simply puncture the pepper several times with a fork, and immerse them whole into the soup broth. Dried Pequin Peppers: When the peppers are dried, they tend to develop more complex flavors with the smoky notes becoming accentuated. They can be dried at a low temperature in the oven, or in a dehydrator. The flakes are then ground and are used for making into a paste and sauces. The dried pepper flakes can also be mixed with salt and lemon and sprinkled on fresh fruit and are especially tasty when sprinkled over fresh pineapple. You can keep dried pequin chiles for nearly a year when stored in an airtight container.