This process for making red chile powder requires a dry, sunny climate, gloves, and a spice grinder.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information.
Wash the peppers and dry thoroughly.
Using gloves, cut the stem top off of each pepper. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds.
If you want to reduce the heat level of the chile powder, remove some of the lighter colored veins on the inside of the peppers as well. That's where most of the pepper's heat stored.
Place the peppers cut side up on a tray. Don't crowd them so that air can circulate around the pieces.
Place the tray(s) outside in a sunny, safe* spot until they are shriveled and dry*.
Transfer the dried peppers to a spice grinder. Again, don't crowd the grinder. It's best to fill the grinder to only half full of loosely packed peppers.
Wear a face mask or scarf over the nose and mouth to keep from breathing in the spicy fumes. Grind the dried peppers into a powder. You might have to shake the grinder a few times to get a thorough grind.
Before opening the grinder, let it rest for a few minutes to let the powder settle. Transfer powder to a wide bowl and let it set out overnight to get rid of any lingering moisture.
Transfer the powder to a jar, put the lid on the jar, and place it in spice cabinet.
After a couple of days check to see if the powder is clumping. If the powder is clumpy, then it still has a bit of moisture. Remove the lid, break up the powder with a toothpick or chopstick and leave open until completely dry.
Fresh hot peppers - Chile powder can be made from any type of chile pepper - mild to hot to dynamite. Just be sure to label the finish product so that you know what is what. :)
Drying in a safe spot - Criteria for a "safe" spot.
What you'll see - Once you set the peppers out in the sun, they will start to curl up along the edges as they dry. That's what mine do. Just continue to dry them until they feel brittle.
How long does it take to dry? - The factors affecting the drying time are the amount of sun, temperature and humidity. The sunnier and drier it is (a low humidity), the faster the peppers dry. Mine have taken any where from 3 days to a week.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen