7 Ways to Liven Up Dishes With Homemade Chile Paste
What you lose in the convenience of canned paste, you make up for in flavor
It’s tempting to reach for a can of chile paste when a recipe calls for it, but once you start making it on your own, you’ll realize that whatever you lose in convenience (little), you make up for in flavor.
Like spice blends and rubs, chile pastes aren’t exactly sauces, but are more commonly used as ingredients in dressings, sauces, and marinades and to smear on foods before grilling or roasting.
Dried chiles, reconstituted and puréed, make a terrific paste. A combination of chile types will deliver more interesting flavor and be less incendiary than a single variety. The variations build on the all-chile base. If fresh herbs or aromatics are involved, use within a day or so for maximum freshness and oomph. Chile paste made with only dried seasonings will last for a couple of weeks.
Not sure how to use them? Here are seven ideas, followed by the recipe and variations.
7 uses for chile pastes
- Rub paste directly onto fish, poultry, or meat before cooking — any kind of cooking, not just grilling.
- Toss a spoonful or two of any chile paste with simply cooked vegetables…
