Dried Pasilla Negro Chiles

Pasilla is a dried chilaca, and the name means "little raisin" – as much for the wrinkled black skin as the flavor. It's the least sweet of the mild Mexican chiles: cocoa and tea, dried berry, a herbaceous edge, and a trace of pleasant bitterness. Where ancho brings sweetness, this brings depth.

Worth knowing that US groceries often label fresh poblanos as pasillas. The dried chile is a different pepper altogether. Use it in mole negro and salsa borracha, in adobos, and with black beans – usually as one of three, alongside ancho and guajillo.