Pasilla Negro

Ground pasilla negro is the dark, brooding base of Oaxacan black mole (mole negro), milled fine so it stirs straight into a sauce with no toasting or soaking. It carries dried-fruit richness, a note of cocoa and dried cherry, gentle earthy warmth, and mild heat rather than fire. Whisk it into mole, red chile sauces, adobos, and braises for pork and beef, or stir a spoonful into a pot of pozole for instant depth and color.

Grinding the pods releases their flavor all at once, which is why a little pasilla powder colors and deepens a whole pot. To wake it up, bloom the powder in a little warm oil for a few seconds before you build the sauce, and keep the heat moderate so the chile turns fragrant rather than scorched, since a burnt chile turns the whole sauce bitter. We stone-grind ours fresh in small batches in Portland. For the two chiles that round out this trio, reach for our ancho and guajillo.

Single ingredient: ground pasilla pepper. No salt, no sugar, no preservatives. Naturally gluten-free and vegan.

How do I keep pasilla from turning my sauce bitter?
Keep the heat moderate. If you bloom the powder in warm oil, give it only a few seconds until it smells fragrant, then add your liquid, since chile scorched in a hot dry pan is what makes mole and chile sauces taste harsh. Ground pasilla needs no long cooking to release its flavor, so stir it in and let the sauce simmer gently.

How is pasilla different from ancho or guajillo?
The three form the backbone of Mexican chile cooking and lean different ways. Ancho is the sweetest, all raisin and cocoa. Guajillo is brighter and more tart. Pasilla sits in between, darker and more herbal, with dried-fruit depth and mild heat, which is why mole negro relies on it.

How do I use ground pasilla?
Treat it like a deep, fruity chile seasoning. Whisk it into mole, enchilada and adobo sauces, chili, and braises, or bloom a spoonful in oil to start a pot of beans or pozole. It also works dry, rubbed onto pork, beef, and chicken before roasting or grilling. Start with a teaspoon and build, tasting as the flavor opens up.

How hot are pasilla chiles?
Mild. They bring far more flavor than fire, closer to a warm background heat than a sharp bite, which is why they anchor rich, layered sauces rather than dishes meant to burn.