Cascabels are an essential item at any well-stocked Mexican or Latin grocery store. In areas catering to large Mexican populations, they may be found in well-stocked big-box grocery stores as well, though this is going to be hit-and-miss (chipotles and anchos tend to be much more common).

While cascabels are an important Mexican ingredient, they are not a particularly common in the “Mexican” section found in many grocery stores, which tends to lean towards pre-packaged Tex-Mex.

For the hardcore DIY fan with access to fresh bola chilies, cascabels can be made at home (it helps to have good knowledge of dehydrating food).

Crushed cascabels can be quite difficult to find with accurate labeling, but they can be made easily at home by stemming and pulverizing whole dried cascabels.

Cascabel chili peppers should be dry and firm, with a skin that gives just a little bit when pressed – extremely brittle and damaged peppers should be avoided if possible. Likewise, very soft peppers may have been exposed to moisture and should be avoided. It’s not uncommon to find broken or cracked cascabels; as long as they’re still supple, these are fine to use (though the broken ones will often spill seeds all over the place). The colour should be a medium-to-deep reddish colour, often with a purple or brownish tinge. Pale yellowish or orange patches sometimes form on the surface during the drying process – these do not affect the flavour of the pepper.

Cascabel peppers tend to be about the size of golf ball or a little larger (2.5-3.5 cm, or 1-1.5 inches), though they can vary somewhat in size. Variation in size does not particularly affect the flavour, quality, or heat of the peppers, though you may want to choose a consistent size if you plan to use recipes calling for a certain number (rather than weight) of peppers in order to achieve consistent results.

This section deals with uses for cascabel chilies – for information about preparing them, check the “Preparation and Storage” tab below.

Cascabels are primarily used to add a distinctively fruity flavour and relatively mild heat to sauces, soups, and other dishes. They are frequently pureed and added to soups and sauces. Ground cascabels may be used the same way, or as a condiment or late addition to dishes.

Dried cascabels can be soaked and pureed, then used in this format as a quick (and smooth) addition to sauces and soups. Likewise the flavourful liquid that results from soaking the peppers is often used as an ingredient itself, and will impart a milder version of the same hot-sweet flavour.

Dried and crushed or ground cascabels can be used virtually anywhere that you’d used a standard chili flake or powder, and are in fact ideally suited to this purpose.

Like most dried peppers, cascabels are a little tough on their own and are generally blended or otherwise incorporated into a dish. However, there are some dishes that call for whole (softened) peppers, often stuffed.

Preparation

Cascabels require a low-to-moderate amount of preparation, though the particular method(s) necessary will vary from recipe to recipe. As a general rule, the stems are removed and discarded. The pepper may be cut or cracked open to discard the seeds, though this is often optional depending on the desired heat of the final dish (the seeds and membranes are the spiciest part of the pepper).

Cascabels, likes many other dried chilies, are often toasted in a dry pan to accentuate their flavour. This is slightly trickier than with other chilies because of the round shape, so take care to toast the peppers evenly. Cascabels are also commonly rehydrated in warm water or stock, then used (plus or minus the flavourful soaking liquid) in a recipe. The particular method necessary are usually specified in a given recipe, but these basic principles can easily be used by the cook looking to create or adapt a recipe featuring cascabels.

Whole cascabels are easily pulverized in a spice grinder, food processor, or large mortar and pestle to create chili flakes. Discard the stems before crushing, and (if desired) remove the seeds for a milder end product.

Storage

Dried cascabels should be stored in an airtight container to prevent them from either absorbing or losing excess moisture. Store the peppers in a cool, dark cupboard to ensure that they retain their flavour.

Crushed chilies should be stored in a similar fashion.

Different cultivars of the bola chili are grown in Mexico, and these feature somewhat different flavour profiles. That being said, outside of the specific growing regions, cascabels will generally be sold under that name, and with no indication of different varieties.

Given the wealth of peppers both dried and fresh in Central and South American cuisine, it should come as little surprise that substitutes for cascabel chilies are simple to find in some ways, and rather difficult in others. There are many other dried peppers – some of these make appropriate replacements, while others are far too different to be used.

Guajillo chilies are probably the best substitute – they’re closest in terms of flavour and heat, though they will not duplicate the distinctive fruity taste of cascabels perfectly. Puya chilies are likewise somewhat similar in flavour, but are much hotter.

Arbol chilies are much sharper tasting, and hotter than cascabels.

Chipotles and other smoked peppers are vastly different in terms of flavour (though similar in heat) and do not make suitable replacements.

Crushed cascabels and whole cascabels can be used interchangeably (and whole cascabels can obviously be turned into crushed ones with minimal effort). If you are using crushed cascabels, try to ensure that they’re as fresh as possible – crushed chilies begin to lose their flavour after processing.