Chipotle chiles have been coming on strong in the last few years. You can now get lots of different chipotle sauces in the store, and the flavour is showing up in restaurants everywhere. And it’s no wonder – chipotle chiles have a distinctive smoky flavour and a moderate heat that are delicious in a huge range of dishes, from scrambled eggs to barbequed steaks. Here’s the little-known fact: chipotles are smoke-dried extra-ripe jalapeños. There are two types: morita (purple-brown and grown in northern Mexico) and brown (greyish-tan from the south). Their flavours are very similar, but moritas are a little hotter, a little fruitier and a little more flavourful. In general, moritas are exported for foreign markets, while brown chipotles are eaten at home in Mexico. We offer both varieties, as well as morita powder and brown chipotles canned in a delicious, spicy adobo sauce. Some recipes call for these specifically, and they are great blended up as the base for a spicy, smoky barbeque sauce. Heat level: 5–6 out of 10
