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Hatch Red Chile
The other side of the Red or Green question, Hatch red chile is a huge part of New Mexican cuisine! Although most people think of Hatch red chile as only dried red chile pods, it also encompasses fresh red chile too. Without red chile, New Mexican cuisine, particularly in the colder months would be incomplete.
Red Chile Sauce
Unlike Hatch green chile, red chile is typically not used as a topping. Instead it’s almost always made into a sauce by boiling and blending. It’s quite simple to make, as it just takes a short boil time, then a long blend time. Many people often like to incorporate cloves of garlic along with other spices. For a very detailed breakdown on how to make a red chile sauce, including using red chile powder, be sure to read our recipe for red chile sauce.
Common Red Chile Dishes
Carne Adovada
Carne Adovada is a dish made with pork, most often pork shoulder and red chile sauce. Personally I like to make it in a slow cooker with chile pods that fall off of chile ristras. It’s a very simple recipe that just requires red chile sauce, pork, and time. I like to sear the pork with a cast iron pan before throwing it into the slow cooker, but fundamentally it just needs a slow cooker or Dutch oven, pork, and red chile sauce. Leave it on all day, and come back for a great red chile pork dinner.
Vegetarian Option
In my experience, you can also simmer jackfruit or firm tofu in a red chile sauce and have a similar option to carne adovada. It goes quite well in a burrito with some cheese and scrambled eggs!
Tamales
Another dish which most often involves pork and red chile, tamales are a great red chile based dish in New Mexico! Tamales are a dish most commonly eaten in colder months, and most households in New Mexico have a potful of them at Christmas for anyone to come and eat when they are feeling peckish. The recipe is not too different from carne adovada, except that you need to prepare masa first, then stuff your red chile and pork mixture into masa and wrap with corn husks.
Posole
Another wintertime food that most often includes red chile and pork, a bowl of posole is perhaps the best way to warm up after a cold day. I know I’ve had plenty of bowl of posole to defrost myself after coming home from my chile stand during the cold months of the year. Hatch red chile posole is probably my favorite New Mexican winter food!
Enchiladas
Hatch red chile sauce, corn tortillas, a protein, and cheese. What can go wrong? This common menu item at restaurants throughout New Mexico is one of the best ways to enjoy red chile. It’s also a dish that is popular year round. Personally I think enchiladas are one of the best New Mexican dishes to make for an event or family gathering, as you can make a full oven tray of stacked red chile enchiladas that can feed a large group.
Chile Ristras
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention chile ristras! Red chile ristras are one of the most common Southwestern decorations, but also serve a valuable purpose in safely drying red chile. I run a chile store, so I have plenty of red chile that falls of of chile ristras to use, but plenty of local people also cook with chile off their ristra too! They just pull them off rather than picking them up off the ground like me! A chile ristra is a great way to preserve Hatch red chile, but also a nice accent piece for an entryway, a garage, a kitchen, or wherever else you feel!
Hatch Red Chile Pods
By far the most common way that red chile is used for cooking in New Mexico comes from dried red chile pods. Coming in many different flavors, but primarily hot and extra hot, they form the base of red chile sauces in kitchens throughout the Land of Enchantment.
Hatch Red Chile Pods for sale online
We have red chile pods for sale of course, as we are a chile shop! Check them out below:
Hatch Red Chile Pods
$9.95
Hatch Red Chile Powder
Red chile powder is one of my favorite spices, as it is so convenient to use. Add a sprinkle here or there to add heat and flavor to any dish you can think of!
Hatch Red Chile Powder for sale online
Of course we also carry this! We have more flavors of this available too!
Hatch Red Chile Powder
$8.99 – $50.00
Fresh Red Chile
In recent years, more and more people have been buying fresh Hatch red chile in New Mexico. Part of the reason is that there has been a resurgence of hand tying ristras. Another reason is that roasted red chile has developed somewhat of a cult following. Roasted red chile is significantly sweeter than green chile, and has a really nice barbecue type of flavor. It’s a lot harder to roast, and many places don’t even handle it because it is easy to mess it up. We are professionals though, and know exactly how to roast Hatch red chile so it peels properly.
How to Grow Hatch Red chile?
Hatch chile specifically is only grown in the Hatch valley of New Mexico. That being said if you want to grow New Mexico chile varieties, check out our guide to growing chile! Chili plants are quite resilient and can grow in many conditions. Just make sure your soil has good drainage, a decent pH, and include plenty of calcium in your soil. This will prevent the majority of potential growing problems. For red chile, allow it a few extra weeks to ripen up and pick it when it is bright red! In case you are looking for New Mexico chile seeds to buy, we recommend Sandia Seed Company and the Chile Pepper Institute.