Q: I got some lovely dried whole hot chilies for Christmas. Not something I've ever cooked with. What do you guys use dried hot peppers for?
Sent by Hanna
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Related: What Can I Do With All These Very Hot Chile Peppers?
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Elizabeth Apron fro...

Mix in a blender or food processor with good olive oil. It's lovely drizzled on top of pizza, pasta, or anything else you want to add a kick to.
Maybe you could make a homemade hot pepper sauce and freeze it?
Everything! Depends on what kind they are. Small ones I will usually crush and throw a little bit in tomato sauce, chili, etc. (like you would with crushed red pepper flakes.) If they're big, I will sometimes rehydrate them by pouring a little boiling water over them and letting them sit a few minutes before chopping them up. If I'm braising a pork shoulder I'll throw a couple in the pot whole (or broken in a few big pieces.)
Use in General Tso's Chicken in place of dried pepper flakes.
Throw in some vinegar to infuse. Use like a hot sauce.
Heat (gently) in some oil for hot chili oil for everything from stir-fries to soups.
i throw some in the pot when I'm making curries
You can use them to make your own chili powder for the best chili you've ever eaten. Toast for five minutes in a hot oven, puree, add to ground beef. Yum!
Depending on the pepper, I love to soak them in hot water (almost boiling) for about 20 minutes, and then puree them with my immersion blender to get a lovely hot pepper paste that can be used on practically everything.
You could use them, instead of the fresh called for, in Jamie Oliver's Cheeky Chilli-Pepper Chutney Recipe:
http://tinyurl.com/ybocbf8
Just soften them by warming them in the oil. I make empanadas with a bit of that chutney, veggies, and cheese.
I recently used dried cayenne peppers to make a version of togarashi:
http://homemadetrade.blogspot.com/2011/12/guest-blog-post-swapper-vanessa-spices.html
For marinades: If I want a light touch of heat (and this depends on the type of pepper they are, of course) crack them gently (if they were fresh it'd be a bruising) so they don't release the seeds, and throw it in whole. If I want it spicier, I'll break them up a bit.
If I'm making stock for chili, I'll throw a few into the pot while it's reducing and it takes the final product from awesome to AMAZING.
This is a great recipe for a spicy chinese style potato dish using frozen chips and dried chillis. It only recommends using 2, but if they are mild you could use quite a few. I made it for dinner last night and my partner thought it was yummy.
http://tadkapasta.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/pow-wow-kung-pao-potatoes/
I have no idea if these are the right kinds of peppers for this, but you could make this (which I made for my birthday last year, and while it's a little bit of a fussy recipe, it's definitely worth it!): http://www.crumblycookie.net/2009/11/18/carne-adovada/
I make vinegary hot sauce- it's fabulous!
http://mollied.blogspot.com/2011/12/hot-vinegar-with-chilis-from-garden.html