How To Make Red Chili Flakes

28 Sep

Red Chili Flakes

Cross off red chili flakes from your grocery shopping list. You can make red chili flakes in the comfort of your home, with your choice of chilies. If you want the chili flakes bright red and medium-hot, use Kashmiri red chilies. If hot is your preference, use Guntur red chilies. Or mix up the chili varieties as you like.

The method is simple, the ingredient only one.

You Need:

  • Dry whole red chilies – 5 to 6 chilies give you a teaspoon of chili flakes. Adjust the quantity depending on the volume of chili flakes needed.

How To Make Red Chili Flakes:

Dry-roast the chilies in a thick-bottomed pan on low flame, till they turn color and give off an aroma. (1-2 min).

Dry Red Chilies

Let the roasted dry red chilies cool to room temperature. Place the dry red chilies in a spice grinder.

Dry Red Chilies, Before Grinding

Grind for a 5 seconds to get coarse chili flakes, longer to make the chili flakes fine. I prefer them coarse.

This is how red chili flakes look after 5 seconds in my grinder.

Dry Red Chilies, Ground

Store in an airtight container. Use as you please. Stir into raitas, spice up fries and salads with a sprinkling. Add to curries as a substitute for red chili powder – since the chili flakes are roasted, they can be added towards the end of cooking: this gives a nice aromatic chili flavour to the curry.

Red Chili Flakes

Notes:

The only thing you need to be careful about in this process is in keeping your hands and eyes from stinging. Handle chilies carefully!

A few recipe ideas for using red chili flakes: sautéed pineapple with spices, tamarind jaggery chutney, red pumpkin bharta, dahi arbi, potato adzuki bean curry.

6 Responses to “How To Make Red Chili Flakes”

  1. Rhiannon Weir March 26, 2015 at 9:40 AM #

    This has got to be the simplest and quickest chilli flake method I have been able to find so far.

    • S March 26, 2015 at 12:59 PM #

      Thanks!

  2. Stephen Donnelly July 27, 2018 at 6:36 PM #

    Thanks for sharing, Could you tell me how long these keep please. Easy recipe that works well.

    • S July 28, 2018 at 4:30 AM #

      Thanks Stephen. These keep for months, but the flavor dulls with time. I generally use them up within 2-3 months.

  3. Rosa November 24, 2018 at 2:18 PM #

    Hey, do you have to dry roast the peppers after they’re dried? Or is dry roasting the method for drying the peppers here?

    • S November 24, 2018 at 10:51 PM #

      Hi Rosa, We start off with dried peppers (easily available in Indian grocery stores – standard tadka ingredient), and then dry roast them before making flakes.

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