Chili Paste
Chile paste is a core ingredient in Texas Chili, however, it can also be used is many other recipes and as a condiment. Just like other homemade condiments, the cook gets to control the ingredients, and hence the health properties of the final product. The amounts of sodium, potassium, and sugar in many chile pastes can be an issue for CKD patients.
This recipe uses tomato paste rather than tomatoes and has very little potassium. Controlled amounts of salt for the sodium levels, and no added sugars. You can add a sweetener if you like, but it isn’t necessary for a very good end product. I have used it in my BBQ sauce recipe as well as chili, rice dishes, and anything that may call for cayenne pepper.
Chile paste is made from dried chiles, stock or water, and a few aromatics. Dried chiles come in many varieties and by combining the different flavor profiles of each, you can tailor the paste to your liking.
The primary flavor profiles can be categorized as fruity, smokey, spicy, sweetness, and acidic. Each type of pepper will have a degree of some if not all of theses flavors.
Arbol, Pequin, Morita are examples of spicier peppers. Guajillo, Cascabel, Passilla, and Ancho are fruitier. Chipotle, Mulato,and Morita (again) have a more smokey flavor. You can see that some of these will overlap as they have complex flavors similar to grapes for wine.
Health Note
Capsaicin again. Yes, we are going to talk about more of the properties of this compound. One of the more recent developments in the CKD medical community and overall health is inflammation. At one point in was considered only a symptom of certain medical issues but now it also considered a cause. Finding ways to reduce inflammation in the body can be very beneficial for CKD patients.
That’s where peppers come in. Hot peppers and chiles (not sweet peppers) have high levels of capsaicin and this is believed to decrease swelling and inflammation in the body. Ketchup and mustard, with all the sodium, do quite the reverse.
Ingredients:
- 2 oz. Dried Chiles
- 3 Hot (Arbol, Pequin, or Mortia)
- 3 Fruity (Guajillo, Pasilla, Ancho, or Cascabel)
- 3 sweeter (Costeno, New Mexico
- 2 Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
- 2 Tbsp of the Adobo sauce
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced.
- 1/4 cup stock (chicken, veggie, beef) or Water
- 1/4 cup of the reserved water from the pepper soak - if needed
- 2 Tbsp of fresh lime juice
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Tomato paste (very optional)
Total time: 30 min. Yield: 1 1/2 cups Portion size: 2 Tbsp Portions: 12
I like to bring out more of the pepper flavor by toasting the peppers first in a medium hot cast iron skillet. Then I rehydrate the peppers to make them easier to turn into a paste.
Heat 2 cups of water on medium heat. In addition place a heavy bottom pan on medium. Place all the peppers in the pan, and watch carefully. It only takes a few minutes for the peppers to toast. Flip them over, and toast the other side. Don’t let the pan smoke or you will burn the peppers and have to start with new ones.
When the peppers are toasted, remove the stems and the seeds and place the remaining parts in the hot water and turn off the heat on the water. Let sit for 15 to 30 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid. It should be a nice red color.
While the peppers soak, heat the pan you toasted the peppers on medium heat to sweat the onions and garlic in the oil. Start with the onions as they will take longer (3-5 minutes). Add the garlic and sweat for another minute. Remove from heat and set aside. This step in one of choice. You could certainly use the onion and garlic in their raw states as well.
Next, in a blender or food processor, combine the peppers, garlic/onion mixture, chipotle, adobo, and lime juice. Add the sugar and tomato paste if using as well.
Add a little of the stock (or water) and the reserved red pepper water at a time, and blend. At this point you should have a thick paste, and you can keep adding liquid until you get a consistency of your choice.
A thick paste has greater options as it can be mixed with other liquids without watering down a recipe. A medium thickness is good to add directly to food, or in a recipe. I stay away from adding too much liquid because I don’t want to water down the flavor.
Place in a mason jar, cover and refrigerate. This will stay for up to 3 weeks.
Homemade Chili Paste
Nutritional Information
Nutritional Information
Total Fat (g)
|
Sat. Fat (g)
|
Phos (mg)
|
Pot (mg)
|
Sodium (mg)
|
Calories
|
Carbs (g)
|
Vit A (iu)
|
Vit C (mg)
|
Vit K (Mcg)
|
Vit E (mg) AT
|
Vit B6 (mg)
|
Riboflavin (mg)
|
Niacin - B3 (mg)
|
|||
| RDI |
65
|
22
|
700
|
3300
|
2300
|
2000
|
275
|
5000
|
60
|
120
|
20
|
2
|
1.2
|
20
|
||
| Ingredients | Amt | |||||||||||||||
| Dried Chilis | ||||||||||||||||
| Pasilla Chili | 3 each | |||||||||||||||
| Guajillo | 3 each | |||||||||||||||
| Arbol | 3 each | |||||||||||||||
| Total of 2 oz | y |
2
|
0
|
89
|
1048
|
51
|
182
|
40
|
14834
|
17.6
|
60.6
|
1.8
|
0.4
|
0.6
|
4.8
|
|
3.08%
|
0.00%
|
12.71%
|
31.76%
|
2.22%
|
9.10%
|
14.55%
|
296.68%
|
29.33%
|
50.50%
|
9.00%
|
20.00%
|
50.00%
|
24.00%
|
|||
| Chicken/Beef Stock | 1/2 cup |
0
|
0
|
37.30
|
222.00
|
237.50
|
15.50
|
1.50
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.10
|
0.00
|
0.05
|
0.10
|
1.05
|
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
5.33%
|
6.73%
|
10.33%
|
0.78%
|
0.55%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.08%
|
0.00%
|
2.50%
|
8.33%
|
5.25%
|
|||
| Onion | 1/2 cup |
0
|
0
|
23.2
|
117
|
3.2
|
32
|
0
|
1.6
|
5.9
|
0.3
|
0
|
0.1
|
0
|
0.1
|
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
3.31%
|
3.55%
|
0.14%
|
1.60%
|
0.00%
|
0.03%
|
9.83%
|
0.25%
|
0.00%
|
5.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.50%
|
|||
| Chipotle Pepper in adobe sauce | 2 plus liquid |
0
|
0
|
8
|
85
|
736
|
12
|
2
|
748
|
4.4
|
5.8
|
0.4
|
0
|
0.2
|
||
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
1.14%
|
2.58%
|
32.00%
|
0.60%
|
0.73%
|
14.96%
|
7.33%
|
4.83%
|
2.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
1.00%
|
|||
| Garlic - Fresh | 3 Cloves |
0
|
0
|
13.8
|
36.1
|
1.5
|
13
|
3
|
0.8
|
2.8
|
0.2
|
0
|
0.1
|
0
|
0.1
|
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
1.97%
|
1.09%
|
0.07%
|
0.65%
|
1.09%
|
0.02%
|
4.67%
|
0.17%
|
0.00%
|
5.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.50%
|
|||
| Brown Sugar | 1 Tbsp |
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
48.38
|
12.50
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
2.42%
|
4.55%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
|||
| Veg. oil | 2 Tbsp |
27.25
|
2.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
240.88
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
19.38
|
4.76
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
|
41.92%
|
9.09%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
12.04%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
16.15%
|
23.81%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
|||
| Lime juice | 2 Tbps. |
0.00
|
0.00
|
3.99
|
32.80
|
0.60
|
7.00
|
2.00
|
14.00
|
60.00
|
0.20
|
0.10
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.57%
|
0.99%
|
0.03%
|
0.35%
|
0.73%
|
0.28%
|
100.00%
|
0.17%
|
0.50%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
0.00%
|
|||
| Cumin | 1 Tbsp |
1
|
0
|
29.9
|
107
|
10.10
|
22
|
3
|
76.2
|
0.5
|
0.3
|
0.2
|
2
|
1.6
|
0.3
|
|
1.54%
|
0.00%
|
4.27%
|
3.24%
|
0.44%
|
1.10%
|
1.09%
|
1.52%
|
0.83%
|
0.25%
|
1.00%
|
100.00%
|
133.33%
|
1.50%
|
|||
| Salt (Pinch) | 1/8 tsp |
0
|
287.50
|
|||||||||||||
12.50%
|
||||||||||||||||
| Pepper | 1 Tbsp. |
0
|
||||||||||||||
| Total for Dish |
30.25
|
2.00
|
205.19
|
1647.9
|
1327.40
|
572.75
|
64
|
15674.6
|
91.2
|
86.875
|
7.2625
|
2.65
|
2.3
|
6.55
|
||
| 1 1/2 cups |
46.54%
|
9.09%
|
29.31%
|
49.94%
|
57.71%
|
28.64%
|
23.27%
|
313.49%
|
152.00%
|
72.40%
|
36.31%
|
132.50%
|
191.67%
|
32.75%
|
||
| # of Servings |
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
12
|
||
| Totals per serving |
2.52
|
0.17
|
17.10
|
137.33
|
110.62
|
47.73
|
5.33
|
1306.22
|
7.60
|
7.24
|
0.61
|
0.22
|
0.19
|
0.55
|
||
| Yield |
1
|
3.88%
|
0.76%
|
2.44%
|
4.16%
|
4.81%
|
2.39%
|
1.94%
|
26.12%
|
12.67%
|
6.03%
|
3.03%
|
11.04%
|
15.97%
|
2.73%
|
Essential Amino Acids - Homemade Chili Paste
| Mg/ gram protein needed | Pepper, Dried Chili | Recipe 6 g | Beef Stock | Onion, Fresh Chopped | REcipe .9 g | Oil, veggie | Recipe 0 g | Flour, Corn - Masa | Recipe .2 ag | Peppers, jalapeño Canned | Recipe .4 g | Total Grams | Total Amino Acid | Total Protein/g | ||
| Essential Amino Acids | Protein/g | Recipe | Protein/g | Recipe | Protein/g | Recipe | Protein/g | Recipe | ||||||||
| Histidine |
18
|
20.70
|
124.20
|
12.44
|
11.20
|
0.00
|
27.47
|
5.49
|
20.00
|
8.00
|
9.85
|
148.89
|
15.12
|
|||
| Isoleuciine |
25
|
31.93
|
191.58
|
11.79
|
10.61
|
0.00
|
61.05
|
12.21
|
33.00
|
13.20
|
227.60
|
23.11
|
||||
| Methionine |
25
|
11.87
|
71.22
|
1.68
|
1.52
|
0.00
|
25.11
|
5.02
|
13.00
|
5.20
|
82.96
|
8.42
|
||||
| Leucine |
55
|
51.67
|
310.02
|
21.05
|
18.95
|
0.00
|
98.95
|
19.79
|
53.00
|
21.20
|
369.96
|
37.56
|
||||
| Lysine |
51
|
44.00
|
264.00
|
32.84
|
29.56
|
0.00
|
80.00
|
16.00
|
46.00
|
18.40
|
327.96
|
33.30
|
||||
| Phenylalanine |
47
|
30.53
|
183.18
|
22.22
|
20.00
|
0.00
|
49.00
|
9.80
|
32.00
|
12.80
|
225.78
|
22.92
|
||||
| Threonine |
27
|
36.33
|
217.98
|
17.68
|
15.92
|
0.00
|
45.42
|
9.08
|
36.50
|
14.60
|
257.58
|
26.15
|
||||
| Tryptophan |
7
|
12.60
|
75.60
|
12.44
|
11.20
|
0.00
|
14.32
|
2.86
|
13.00
|
5.20
|
94.86
|
9.63
|
||||
| Valine |
32
|
41.67
|
250.02
|
18.67
|
16.80
|
0.00
|
67.89
|
13.58
|
43.00
|
17.20
|
297.60
|
30.21
|
||||
0.00
|
||||||||||||||||
| Amount per recipe | 2 oz. | 1/2 cup | 1/2 cup | 2 Tbsp | 2 tbsp | 2 oz. | ||||||||||
| Protein per recipe (g) |
6
|
2.35
|
0.9
|
0
|
0.2
|
0.4
|
||||||||||
| Total recipe Protein (g) |
9.85
|
|||||||||||||||
| # of servings |
8
|
|||||||||||||||
| Protein / serving (g) |
1.23
|
|||||||||||||||
| Not a Complete Protein |