Chili Powder (HCE)

Reading How to Cook Everything (one of my earliest experiences being brainwashed by this whole food thing) instilled in me a strong distrust in store-bought spice blends. Unless a substance is truly hard to find (lavender in Herbes de Provence or sumac in Za'atar), it's always about a million times better to toast and grind your own spice blends. Especially when it comes to the usually sodium-laden store-bought Chili Powders. Yuck, and other preservatives and anti-caking agents as well.
Mark Bittman would probably have me grind whole spices every time I cooked and toss open spices after a year... But I have my limits.

• 2 tablespoons ground ancho, New Mexico, or other mild dried chile [I used Chile de Arbol since I have a big cheap bag of them. To counter this, I omitted the next ingredient.]
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste [I can always dose whatever dish I'm cooking with this.]
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

Toast over medium heat until fragrant.





Grind in a spice grinder.