Taco Party Rojo - Spice Blend

Measure the necessary ingredients according to any of the calculating options. Take the whole dried chilies, breaking into pieces if necessary, and toast in a moderately hot frying pan. Keep these pieces moving until just fragrant, before removing. Next toast any of the hard spices that are also whole, such as the peppercorns. Grind everything together with whatever equipment you see fit, to your preferred level of coarse/fine. Unless using within a few weeks, keep stored in an airtight container, and ideally in the freezer.

This mixture is intentionally mild and fruity. If you prefer a mixture with more heat, it’s recommended to replace the variety of dried chili instead of changing the proportion. You can also substitute a small amount of the dried chili with a very hot chili flake/powder. Another potential substitute in the recipe is replacing the sumac with dried hibiscus.