dried New Mexico chile
A long, dark red dried chile pod from New Mexico, mild to medium hot, with an earthy, slightly sweet and fruity flavour.
The New Mexico chile is a long, slender pod that is harvested ripe and red and then dried, often hung in strings. It is mild to medium hot and tastes earthy, slightly sweet and fruity, with a hint of dried cherry. Because the heat is restrained, you can use a lot of pods, and that is exactly what gives red chile sauces their colour, body and smooth texture. Before use, the stem and seeds are removed and the pods are briefly toasted in a dry pan and soaked before blending. They are sold in Latin American shops, by well-stocked spice merchants and widely by mail order, sometimes also as ground powder; in the United States many supermarkets carry them.
Substitute:
Guajillo chiles are the closest match, though slightly tangier and usually a touch hotter. Ancho chiles also work but make the sauce darker and sweeter, with more of a raisin note. Sweet paprika with a pinch of chile powder only matches the colour and mild heat, not the depth and body that soaked pods give.