To be fair, “cayenne” actually describes a group of hot pepper varieties in the C. annuum species. Cayenne peppers range from long and curly, to short and straight, and many in between.

This homemade chili sauce recipe is a great combination of sweet and savory, perfect as a condiment, marinade, or all around flavor builder. So many uses!

How to Make Your Own Paprika

What Customers Say: “Intensely hot, sweet, and smokey. Love this sauce on barbecue, burgers, wings, fried chicken, grilled fish - it just works. This is a delicious, well-balanced, all-purpose sauce.”

Cayenne comes from the cayenne pepper. These peppers are also part of the Capsicum annuum family, but they’re much hotter than the peppers used to make paprika (from 35,000 Scoville heat units and up).

Where to Find Quality Spices

2. Classification of bell peppers

One of the key factors in producing quality dried chilli padi is the selection of the chillies themselves. The best manufacturers source their chillies from trusted suppliers who grow them in ideal conditions to ensure the peppers are of the highest quality. The chillies are then carefully inspected for any imperfections before being dried.

While bell peppers may not be spicy, it doesn't make them any less pleasing than hot chilies. In fact, many of you may already be eating bell peppers in their dried, ground form, or as paprika. Yes, that deep red spice in your cupboard called paprika is in fact made from red bell peppers. Use fresh bell peppers or paprika just like you would spicy chilies. A fantastic thing to do with bell peppers is to combine them with hot chilies, which will both tone down the heat and add a new layer of flavor. The possibilities are truly endless. 

Those who love Korean cuisine probably already know this next backup. Gochugaru powder is better known in the US as ground Korean chili powder. This famous Asian condiment is loved for its sweet and spicy taste with a subtle smoky note, making it a nice paprika alternative. It’s also prized for its color which adds a bright red hue to dishes like tteokbokki (Korean spicy rice cake) and yukgaejang (spicy beef soup).