Central & South America

Chile de Árbol

Capsicum annuum.

Fruit.

Part Used

Dried, whole or ground.

Form

Chile de árbol ('tree chile', Spanish).

Mexico.

Sharp, clean heat with a slightly smoky, nutty undertone; notably hotter than most other chiles used in mole.

A heat-forward chile used both whole (for infusing oils and salsas) and ground.

Salsa de chile de árbol; used for heat balance in various mole recipes.

Garlic, tomato, lime.

Toast briefly in a dry skillet before rehydrating and blending into salsa, taking care not to scorch, which turns the chile bitter.

Whole dried pods keep well over a year sealed and dark.

Cayenne or Thai bird's-eye chile for a similar clean, sharp heat.

Salsa de chile de árbol; some mole recipes' heat component.