Mexican Spices 101

• Keep in mind the heat of a chili pepper (figure A) before using it in your food.

• Use masa harina* to dust your foods and add a corn-like smoky flavor.

• When working with dried chilies, you must rehydrate them (figure B) unless you are grinding them up to use as seasoning.
  
  
• Jicama is another great ingredient. It has a radish-like consistency and is wonderful in salads and other side dishes.

• A great way to roast peppers (figure C) is to skewer them in a crisscross pattern and hold them over a flame until they are crispy on the outside.

• Chipotle peppers make a wonderful addition to a marinade like this one: Add one chili and some orange juice to annatto paste (figure D). Whisk in a teaspoon of cumin and that's it.

• Tomatillo is yet another ingredient that is worth mentioning. It can be blended up to make a delicious green salsa.

• Fill a dried corn husk with all sorts of ingredients and cook them.

* masa harina [MAH-sah ah-REE-nah]--The Spanish word for "dough," masa is the traditional dough used to make corn tortillas. It's made with sun- or fire-dried corn kernels that have been cooked in limewater (water mixed with calcium oxide). After having been cooked, then soaked in the limewater overnight, the wet corn is ground into masa. Masa harina (literally "dough flour") is flour made from dried masa.