I am trying to adjust the level of spiciness. Loved this but some in my family would like it a little milder. As I have seeded the chiles and th...

Question

...e amount of chile powder and cayenne are relatively modest, not sure where to make the adjustment.  I know chiles especially poblanos can have very different levels of heat.  I want to retain all the flavor just lose a little spice. Advice please.

scruz · Answer

Ok, don't hate me, but there have been times that I have just opened a can of Hatch green chile sauce for chile verde.  I have noticed that the heat level can diminish overnight in the fridge.  Lastly, I have been known to throw a small potato in and mash it in sauce or whizz it with stick blender and add more llquid.  I really do love make moles of all sorts from scratch though and try to make enough to freeze.

Kenneth · Answer

Roast or grill the peppers to keep the flavors. This should help you. I would also suggest that you build up your tolerance for different types of spicy peppers. You are at the bottom of the heat scale, your missing out on so much wonderful fruity spicy tastes, I'm crossing a Carolina Reaper with a Thai Pepper and they are going to be amusingly Hot! Lol

Susan W. · Answer

I agree with Valhalla regarding Poblanos. Some are mild and some are recipe ruining hot. I'm not sure why the wild variations. I made a pork stew using some Poblanos and some Hatch. You won't find any fresh Hatch now, but I've used the fire roasted canned and they're good. This summer, I blistered a bunch of fresh Hatch on my grill and froze them. I've decided they are only slightly better than the good canned ones.

Smaug · Answer

It's contributing a good deal more than the Poblanos or the chili powder.  The heat of Poblasnos (or other peppers) can be judged pretty accurately by smell, and you can always try a small piece, though a mildly hot pepper will be quite hot eaten raw and alone.  Poblanos just don't get that hot; the cayenne will be much more of a factor.

Valhalla · Answer

I agree that poblanos are vital to this dish, but spice is subjective--I have found poblanos to be wildly variable. In fact, I make a casserole with them and sometimes it is great, other times far too spicy. It is tough to judge or test this, so subbing some green peppers is what I would try. I doubt a 1/4 tsp of cayenne is contributing much to the the spice level.

Sauertea · Answer

Thanks will tweak the chile powder and the cayenne portions. I agree that poblano are a must!

Smaug · Answer

The flavor of Poblanos is very distinctive, and is really central to this dish.

Liz D. · Answer

You could also sub green bell peppers for some of the other green chilis--

Smaug · Answer

Poblanos vary some, but at the hottest they're pretty mild.  I'd skip the Cayenne and the chile powder, and sub in a mild powdered chile, such as Ancho or Negro, and maybe a touch of cinnamon and oregano.  Chile powders vary widely, but are mostly powdered chiles, cumin and oregano with ofttimes a lot of powdered onion and maybe a bit of sweet spice- ingredients that are usually either redundant or not really desirable in a composed dish such as this.

I am trying to adjust the level of spiciness. Loved this but some in my family would like it a little milder. As I have seeded the chiles and th...

9 Comments

Popular on Food52