Ask Zarela: Dried chiles and achiote

There were two good questions yesterday and I love it that they both involve either a very traditional technique or ingredient,  The first is:

Where can I find achiote paste in NYC?

Practically any bodega or Latin American market will have achiote paste but if you want some place that is centrally located you can go to Kalustyan’s, 123 Lexington (between 27 and 28) , www.kalustyans.com.

If you live downtown, one of the stands  at the Essex Street Market is sure to have it.

For those who don’t know what achiote is:

Achiote (Annatto seeds) is really the small, dark red seeds of the annatto tree (Bixa orellana), used as a yellow-orange coloring and flavoring agent. You’ve probably eaten it if you’ve eaten yellow cheddar cheese. In Mexican cooking it is usually encountered only in certain mixtures of seasonings and spices, either the recados, the spice pastes of Yucatan primarily, or the commercial achiote paste (adobo de achiote) sold in four-ounce boxes at Mexican markets. The basic ingredients of achiote paste are usually annatto seeds, garlic, cumin and sometimes other spices, Mexican oregano, and (often) some kind of citrus juice.

I have a funny association with this ingredient. When I worked at Cafe Marimba in in the early eighties we featured a rotisserie-roasted poisson marinated in achiote and orange juice, a flavor marriage made in heaven. When a customer asked me to describe the flavor I said it had an earthy taste. They ordered and loved it and when I went by their table to inquire if they had enjoyed the dish, they said: “Oh! We loved it! It tasted just like dirt just like you said it would.” Something in the earthy, distinctive flavor of achiote brings back that memory, though I hasten to reassure you that it definitely does not taste like mud!

We use an achiote marinade to make our popular cochinita pibil, slow -roasted pork shoulder but it is also great with chicken and fish.

How should I prepare dried chiles?  I burned one and my entire mole became bitter

PREPARING DRIED CHILES

For years this simple procedure was the prelude to using dried chiles for my recipes but now when making a mole or a sauce that requires a lot of chiles, I toast them in a slow oven (250 degrees) until dry and brittle. I then let them cool and grind to a powder in a food processor.  Very tiny chiles are toasted or blanched whole before cooking, and I have seen Oaxacan cooks fry larger chiles before soaking them, but the following method is the one I find best for chiles to be used in sauces.

Griddle-Drying. Unless otherwise directed in a recipe, remove and discard the tops and seeds of the chiles.  I leave in the veins (the hottest part) but you can cut them away if you want to tone down the heat.  Rinse the chiles under cold running water and shake off the excess moisture, but do not dry them.  Heat a griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact.  A few at a time, place the chiles on the griddle and let them heat, turning occasionally with tongs, just until any clinging moisture is evaporated and the aroma is released.  Allow between 30 to 45 seconds in all per chiles of most kinds., slightly less for guajillos (which are very thin-skinned).  The chiles should just become dry, hot, and fragrant; do not allow them to start really roasting or they will have a terrible scorched flavor.  Remove from the griddle as they are done.  Most recipes will call for placing them in a deep bowl, covering generously with boiling water, and letting stand for about 15 – 20 minutes, then draining well.