Dried Chiles

In Burma cooks can buy a wide variety of dried red chile products, from dried red cayenne chiles (ngayoke thi chauk) to dried Thai chiles (much hotter) and dried round red chiles (mild and sweet). Dried red cayennes are the ones I use and the most commonly used in Burma: They’re shiny, dark red, and 3 to 5 inches long, usually labeled “Product of Thailand” or “Product of India.” They can be hot to very hot, depending on where they were grown. Dried chiles can be used whole, or soaked and pounded to a paste, or ground to a powder that is then used as a flavoring. See also Red Chile Powder.