Don't have chili powder but have dried chilis

[redmike]

I live in a Soviet part of Tel Aviv and the local supermarket doesn't stock chili powder. I found some dried chilis somewhere else but don't know if I can substitute them, or how.

I cooked some frozen pollock recently and it was tasteless and my idea for the next batch would be something like ..

3 pounds frozen pollock fillets
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 lime juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees (no. 4) and put fish on a lightly oiled roasting pan skin down.

Sprinkle them with the chili powder, the oregano and the salt (if you want salt).

Roast 5 to 7 minutes or until the fish flakes when tested with a fork.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over a medium-low heat until the butter begins to brown and then add the cumin and lime juice and heat and stir for another minute.

Remove the pollock from the oven and drizzle the cumin-lime butter over it.

Lime juice is also problematical; there are plenty of lemons but I'll have to check in a Mexican bar for the limes.

Any help would be appreciated,

Mike

[YT2095]

you can use the dried chilis crushed up, in my opinion freshly crushed dried chili is better than the powder anyway.

[redmike]

Originally Posted by YT2095

you can use the dried chilis crushed up, in my opinion freshly crushed dried chili is better than the powder anyway.

Thanks for the fast reply. I was getting hungry.

Will the amounts be approximately equal?

Sad that the world seems to be running out of cod due to finer mesh nets etc.

Many people are now having to switch to pollock.

Maybe sad for the pollock too.

Mike

[GB]

Well there is a difference between chile powder and chili powder. Chile powder is just ground up chili peppers and if that is what you are after then yes you can use what you have and grind them yourself. That would probably be as good or better than what you would buy.

Chili powder is different though. Chili powder is ground chilis with cumin, oregano, and other spices depending on who made it. You can make your own chili powder as well.

[Andy M.]

GB is right. Since you already have cumin and oregano in your recipe, you could grind the dry chiles and add them to the mix, approximating chili powder. Since this recipe appears to be your own creation, you can say you followed the recipe exactly!

[MexicoKaren]

Redmike, GB is right - you can certainly make your own chili powder. Here is how I make it:

Chili Powder
6 oz dried chiles (mild, hot or combination. Ancho or pasillo are the mildest and guajillo and chiles de arbol are a little hotter. I mix them up)
2 TBS ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika
4 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp onion salt
2 tsp dried cilantro (I used more)

Cut off stems of chiles and remove seeds. Toast lightly on a griddle or heavy frypan for just a few minutes each side (just until you can smell them.) Blend all ingredients with chiles in a food processor until powdery. Store in an air-tight glass jar. When you use this for seasoning, bear in mind that it already has salt in it and adjust your recipes accordingly, or just cut down on the salt in the chile powder.

[zzrdvark]

Alton Brown had a whole episode of his tv show about chili powder--his recipe.

[loser007]

Just grind it, and u will be good to go!