The puya chile is a Mexican pepper similar to the guajillo, but smaller and hotter. It is often used more for its fruity flavor, rather than its flesh, which means it is great pureed, mashed or diced, and then made into a sauce. It may be soaked in water to pull out the flavor, and then the water can be used in your dish. The Puya may be used as a pizza topping, or with meat dishes, such as pork, veal, fish and chicken.
Puya Chile Description
The pods of puya chiles are long, flat, and tapering and somewhat curved. They usually grow 3 to 4 inches long. The skins are a deep crimson red and can grow even darker. They look quite a bit like guajillo peppers, and are often confused for them, though in general they are typically smaller than guajillos. Some consider the heat to be a rather intense heat, but those spicy food lovers accustomed to higher heat chilies, the puya chile might be considered a milder pepper, or at least one with some pleasant heat.
Cooking with Puya Peppers
Puya chile peppers are a favorite in Mexican cuisine for making salsas but also for making sauces, particularly mole sauces, to flavor beef and pork, various seafood dishes, vegetables, and for use as ground chili flakes. They are used for seasoning soups and stews, breakfasts and dinners and anything in between. As they are dried peppers, they should be rehydrated in warm water to soften them for pureeing. Most cooks use the flavorful soaking water in their dishes as well. If you are unable to find puya peppers for cooking, you can use guajillo chili peppers instead as a substitute.
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