Where can I source Mexican chilies in the UK?

Question

I've traveled to Mexico and the US and seen different chilies available there, but at home in the UK (or even worse, in my fiancée's home of Finland) I find it very hard to find Ancho, Poblano and Chipotle chilies.

Oaxaca Restaurants lists a lot of interesting-sounding chilies, but I have no idea how to source them.

I have once found dried Chipotle chilies in a supermarket, but at that time I was not entirely sure of the right way to rehydrate them (and I'm still not).

Where should I look for North American type chilies? And if I only find dried, can I use them instead of fresh?

Sorry for not being specific enough :o) The questions were where to find these 'exotic' chillies in the UK, and how to rehydrate them properly when cooking with them. — dsample, Mar 04 '12 at 22:10
I'd also be interested if some of these varieties are readily available, but under different names, or equivalents with different names, like Habaneros being know as Scotch Bonnets over here (even if they're a slightly different variety). — dsample, Mar 04 '12 at 22:13
Habanero and Scotch Bonnet are *not* the same thing (although they are similar). Feel free to ask a different question about substituting/rehydrating dried peppers, but please only ask one question at a time. — Aaronut, Mar 05 '12 at 00:40
Dried and fresh chilies are used completely differently in Mexican cooking. Re-hydrating won't produce good results. I'd follow @TFD's suggestion, and grow your own. Even in the U.S., that's my preferred choice. Most commercially-available chilies available in the U.S. aren't as hot (spicy) as the ones available in Mexico (thanks to wimpy American taste buds!) — Flimzy, Mar 05 '12 at 04:57
I have grown my own before (unknown type, but pretty hot), but since I travel fairly regularly it's not as easy to maintain spice/herb plants. Although now I have a garden I may be able to do something that requires less maintenance. With this approach I'd still have the question of where to source the seeds to produce them, although I guess the chipotle would be fairly easy, since it's a Jalepeno. — dsample, Mar 05 '12 at 09:28
Yes, rehydrating won't produce the same thing as a fresh pepper, but for some applications, a rehydrated dried pod is preferable, because of its taste concentration and the changed flavor profile. So, it is an interesting ingredient on its own. — rumtscho, Mar 05 '12 at 11:45
btw, just a comment about spelling the edit by @Flimzy. In the UK we spell it 'chilli', the same with the other couple of spelling changes (see [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_spelling_differences)). I suppose if we're discussing the Mexican varieties I guess we should use the spelling 'chile'. I'm not sure whether there is a US language requirement on StackExchange, but if not, I would suggest using the spelling of the country in focus. — dsample, Mar 05 '12 at 14:13
@dsample: Oh, I didn't realize _that_ word varied across the pond... I figured we were all following the Spanish example. It's a common enough "misspelling" in the U.S., and wasn't even spelled consistently in the original post. If you prefer the double-l spelling, please by all means revert my change (but then I suggest making them all double-l :) — Flimzy, Mar 05 '12 at 19:37
it has become vogue in the States to use 'chile', but backup for UK using chilli is in [Oxford dictionary](http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/chilli?q=chilli) — zanlok, Mar 06 '12 at 20:20
@Flimzy: ime, regionally to the contrary. grocery chiles in NM, AZ, Southern CO, and parts of CA can be plenty hot, while growing with proper stress for spiciness can be a challenge. — zanlok, Mar 06 '12 at 20:29
@zanlok: That's probably true... those regions I expect have a higher average tolerance for spicy things. :) — Flimzy, Mar 06 '12 at 20:37

score 5 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 10 '12 at 21:54

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Mex Grocer has an excellent selection: http://www.mexgrocer.co.uk/. I've ordered chillies once from them in the past with success.

edited Mar 10 '12 at 21:54

apaderno

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answered Mar 07 '12 at 23:19

jcorcoran

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That site looks very promising, with free delivery with orders over £50... might have to stock up on some other mexican essentials too. – dsample Mar 08 '12 at 19:33

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 06 '12 at 13:44

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There are a bunch of places online (a bunch sell through amazon). Personally I've found Chinese supermarkets to be pretty good. They may not sell every variety but they have much better range than the mainstream ones.

You don't really rehydrate them to their original form but soak them in warm water for about 20-30 minutes to get the flavour out and then just use them like regular fresh chilis.

edited Mar 06 '12 at 13:44

Flimzy

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answered Mar 05 '12 at 16:19

Inverted Llama

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I've been able to find the chillies for the Thai food I cook from asian/oriental supermarkets, but I guess I'll have to have a harder look next time for other varieties. – dsample Mar 05 '12 at 18:26

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 10 '12 at 22:16

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The Chilli Company in Suffolk (just up the road from me :-) ) certainly have chipotle chillies as they sell chipotle sauce; although they don't list chillies for sale on their website it might be worth giving them a ring.

answered Mar 10 '12 at 22:16

PhilPursglove

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I actually have the [Cambridge Chilli Farm](http://www.cambridgechillifarm.co.uk) about 2 miles away from my home too, but having spoken to them in the past at a craft fair they didn't sell chillies on their own. Now they list chipotles for sale though, so I might give them another try. – dsample Mar 11 '12 at 22:18

score 0 · Answer 4 · edited May 12 '16 at 19:09

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If you want traditional Mexican chillies then I recommend getting them from mexika.co.uk they seem to have a good variety, the chilli section is here here.

edited May 12 '16 at 19:09

Catija

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answered May 12 '16 at 18:19

Adiel Khan

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score 0 · Answer 5 · answered Mar 27 '18 at 14:31

The best place I know of to get chiles in the UK is from Lupe Pinto's in Scotland. They've got two stores and until recently had an online store. They carry stuff from North & South America. I think you can also get a tortilla press and masa for making corn tortillas (which is on my wishlist, being a Texan in the UK)

Where can I source Mexican chilies in the UK?

5 Answers5