Homemade Mexican Chili Powder

Also: Chile Powder

Never, I repeat, NEVER use store-bought chili powder. It is bland, flavorless, and will not provide any of the chile flavor for which Mexican cuisine is so famous. Try to use the homemade powder as soon as possible - the longer it sits, the more of its flavor and potency it loses. If you cannot find all of these chiles, simply use a 50/50 mix of ancho and either California or New Mexico chiles (same number as below). Also, while I'm a fan of making my food very spicy, I tend not to make my chili powder spicy - that way, when cooking for a group, I can make several small pots of chili, making some spicy and some not. If you are not using the dried chipotles, substitute 2 tsp. smoked paprika to retain the necessary smoky flavor.

3 ancho chiles
3 mulato chiles
3 New Mexico chiles
3 California chiles
1 cascabel chile
1 pasilla chile
2 mora seca (dried chipotle) chiles
1/4 cup cumin seeds
1/4 cup granulated garlic
2 TB Mexican oregano
1 tsp. sea salt

Remove seeds and stems from all chiles. Using a pair of kitchen shears or scissors, cut the chiles into 1/2" wide strips. Heat a pan over medium heat (dry, no oil) and very lightly toast chile strips, tossing quite frequently, until they begin to brown slightly and curl. You want to dehydrate and toast the chiles, but not burn them. Remove from pan and set aside to cool, at least 1/2 hour - they should be brittle and easy to crumble. If not, repeat process. Add cumin seeds to pan and lightly toast until slightly brown and aromatic, again taking care not to burn the seeds. Place toasted chile strips, toasted cumin seeds, garlic, oregano, salt, and paprika (if you didn't use the chipotles) into a spice grinder or coffee mill. Grind to a fine powder and seal in a glass jar. Keep in the refrigerator.

Makes about 1.5-2 cups