Chili Powder without Cumin


 
J

John Vale

TVWBB Fan
It took me a while to figure it out, but I just do not like the taste of cumin. Apparently, I am very sensitive to it's presence in rubs and sauces and I eliminate it from any recipe that I use.

I have been using rubs that include chili powder which I like because it adds at bit of heat. But the taste was off a bit and now I know why? All the commercial chili powders I have found include cumin.

So, is there a readily available chili powder out there that does not include cumin? Or, where can I find a good recipe for making my own chili powder?
 
To me, the taste of chili and chili powder comes from the cumin.

If you were adding chili powder just for heat, why not add some other hot pepper - chipotle powder perhaps.
 
Another idea is to buy a package of Wick Fowler's 2-Alarm Chili Mix -- Each ingredient comes in individual packets. You can just eliminate the cumin packet.

I find this mix to be pretty authentic, but their recommended amounts to add to make chili way too strong, so beware.

Seeing the individual packets is a good lesson in what ingredients are in good chili powder for you to experiment with to get it just the way you like it.
 
I just bought some bulk spices from my local grocery. The 'prepackaged' chili powders have cumin and garlic in them. If you get the Ancho chile or Chipotle chile, it's straight chile and no added ingredients. I like those flavors now in place of chili powder.

Check the little ingredient labels closely and you can avoid your cumin dislike.
 
If your grocery store has a hispanic section, or mexican spices in the spice section, (they usually come in clear plastic bags), then you can get powdered Chile, it is just the peppers.
 
I've seen the episode where Alton makes his AB's Chili Powder , You could give it a try without the cumin seeds.

Give it a bit and I'm sure Kevin Kruger will jump in with one of his recipes and insight
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I wholeheartedly agree with the original poster. I make my own simple rubs (brown sugar, salt, pepper, cayenne, red pepper, whatever else) and the absence of cumin makes them 10x better to me.

Cumin creates this weird musty aroma which i think BBQ is much better off without.
 
I just grilled some chicken breasts tonight with a homemade rub featuring cumin. Kind of Morrocan style with cumin, corriander, sea salt, black pepper, and lemon zest.
 
I can vouch for Alton's chili powder. It's one of the better, if not the best, formulas I've tried. Maybe Kevin can suggest a substitute for cumin instead of leaving it out so the balance of the mix will be maintained.
 
Make your own chili powder from powdered chiles. It's the only way to go. The little cellophane bags that Shiloh mentioned are the best and most inexpensive way to go.

I usually use a mixture of at least three chile powders, cumin, and garlic. If I make chili for those that don't like much heat I make sure to use Paprika. I also enjoy the Poblano chile and California chile powders.

Just remember, you can't ever have too many chile flavors hanging out in your kitchen.

As for substitutes for cumin, the first thing I would try would be the less common black cumin. It has a different character, a little sweeter than regular cumin. Aside from that, caraway seed and maybe a little coriander is probably your best bet. Don't go overboard on the coriander though, I find it extremely bitter.

Another uncommon spice in the US is fenugreek. It's a very distinct flavor, don't use too much. You may have to go to an Indian oriented shop for that.

Those are just suggestions of somewhat similar ingredients. I have no problem with cumin, so I haven't substituted for it in my cooking.
 
There are some very good suggestions posted here. I share John's dislike of cumin and usually avoid home-made taco dips, taco salads, etc. at parties and picnics and anything described as "southwestern" in restaurants because they typically have a strong taste of cumin. For years, I would not eat mexican food because (living in northern PA) I had only been exposed to the Taco Bell-type. When I finally ate in a true mexican restaurant in San Antonio, I was amazed by the difference. The typical "mexican" (cumin) taste was not there. Since then a number of restaurants owned and staffed by Mexican-Americans have opened up in my local area. Again, the dishes are not dominated by the taste of cumin.

I wonder if it's because they just don't use cumin, or is it blended with other spices in a way that it doesn't dominate?
 
Thanks for all the helpful information. I am going to buy some ground chili powders and experiment.

Recently I have been spending some time in San Diego and have come to appreciate and enjoy Mexican food there. I am sure that the two restaurants we like do use cumin in their food, but maybe in very small quantities, because I don't taste it.
 
John,

Welcome to America's Finest City. I am a born and raised San Diegan, if you need any suggestions on things to do, where to eat, etc. Just ask, I'm happy to help. I think if I was you I would be stocking up on some of the local foods and spices, I know I do that when I travel to other places. If you really want a taste of San Diego lifestyle you have to check out the over-the-line tournament. It is surely a site to be seen. All the info is on www.ombac.org
 
You can order pure ground chile online or if you live out west, you can get it in supermarkets and Wal Mart! You can order it from Penzey's Spices online and probably other places. I get my cousin in TX to buy me an 8 oz. bag and send it to me every so often. It's dirt cheap there. Ancho is dark and the kind most often used for chili. New Mexican is bright red and I use it most often for things other than chili. I used to garden and raised many kinds of chiles so I am familiar with all of them. To coat one all over with Chipotle would be awfully hot and a strong smoke taste but a little added to New Mex or ancho would be good.



<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by John Vale:
It took me a while to figure it out, but I just do not like the taste of cumin. Apparently, I am very sensitive to it's presence in rubs and sauces and I eliminate it from any recipe that I use.

I have been using rubs that include chili powder which I like because it adds at bit of heat. But the taste was off a bit and now I know why? All the commercial chili powders I have found include cumin.

So, is there a readily available chili powder out there that does not include cumin? Or, where can I find a good recipe for making my own chili powder? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
 
I guess that I've been doing things wrong for many years.

What I've been doing is going to a Mexican market and buying 15+ bags of different ground chilis and mixing them all together so that I have everything from mild to super-hot (ground habanero).

When a recipe calls for "chili powder" I just use that mixture. I take it from John Vale that "chili powder" one buys at the market is a mixture of chili and other spices?

Interesting. So what would you call the mixture that I put together?

Just curious - as usual.

Jim
 
It's always that one letter that causes so much confusion now and again. Chile is a pepper, chili is a stew, for lack of a better word. Chile powder is simply ground dried chile peppers; chili powder, responsible for the flavor we most often associate with chili, the dish, is a combo of various powdered chile peppers (hot and mild), cumin, garlic, oregano and salt, with the possible addition of other spices, in small quantities.

Perhaps you could call 15+ mixed chile powders "polvo mezclado de chiles".
 
I like to cook mexican food and have seen lots of recipes like Jims...but not with 15 different types.
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The ones I've seen have 3 or 4 and they always say to toast the peppers (chiles, whatever) then empty out the seeds, then pulverize to a powder in a spice grinder or similar.

At least in my neck of the woods, nearly all supermarkets have a *big* selections of whole dried chilis...usually in a plastic bag type thing. At the grocery store I used to work at they even had several in bulk bins (de arbol and mulattos I think).
 
Since I found this I rarely buy chili powder. This is awesome - just leave out the cumin (IMHO)

Garry's Chile Powder
________________________________________
Recipe By : Garry Howard
2 Ounces dried ancho chiles
4 Ounces dried red New Mexican chiles
1 Ounce dried chile de Arbol
6 Tablespoons cumin seeds -- toasted and ground
6 Tablespoons granulated garlic
4 Tablespoons Mexican oregano -- ground
4 Tablespoons hot Hungarian paprika
The chiles should be toasted before grinding. There are two ways to go about this. The method I use is to toast the chiles a few at a time on a hot cast iron griddle for about 1 minute, turning frequently until they soften and are lightly toasted. Be careful not to let the chiles burn, or they will have a bitter taste.
You can also toast the chiles in an oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Break off the stems and remove the seeds from the chiles and lay them on a baking sheet arranged in a single layer. Place the pan in the oven. Place the cumin seeds in a small pan and place them in the oven as well. Since the chile de arbol are small chiles, they will be toasted first. Remove them and the cumin seeds after 4 or 5 minutes. Toast the larger pods another 4 or 5 minutes. They should be well dried.
When the chiles are cool, break them into pieces and grind into a fine powder using a spice grinder or coffee mill. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Store in a jar.
Use this chili powder for making chile or as an ingredient in spice rubs for barbecuing. Add your own personalized touch by experimenting with different types of chiles. You'll never use that supermarket stuff again!
 
Thinking about a sub for cumin....I keep wanting to try, I know this sounds crazy but, sage.

OK I said it try sage. Anybody have other thoughts.
 
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