Recipes: Mexican Cinnamon

Mole sauce is a rich chocolate sauce flavoured with chillies and spices and a whole host of other ingredients. This particular recipe is a famous traditional recipe from the Martinez family of Oaxaca City and is served every day at their wonderful restaurant Casa de la Abuela. It uses Ancho Poblano and Guajillo chillies. Mole is traditionally served with Turkey but can be used with Chicken or Pork. Mole sauces are thought to originate from the state of Puebla east of Mexico City. The exact origin of Mole Poblano is disputed but one of the more interesting stories is that it was served to Cortez and the invading Conquistadors by the Aztec King Moctezuma who thought they were Gods.

Used to marinate meats and fish Adobos can also be easily turned into sauces for dipping or adding to tacos, enchiliadas, flautas and burritos. This recipe features pasilla, cascabel and guajillo chillies so the flavour is diverse and delicious!

The cuisine of Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh, ranges for the Hyderabadi style, with its strong Islamic influence, to a pure Andhra hot and spicy style. THe cooking of Hyderabad is rich and aromatic and uses many exotic spices, as well as ghee, nuts, dried fruit and lamb. Hyderabad is also famous for its biryanis - rich dishes flavoured with meat or vegetables.

Pumpkins are a big part of Mexican cuisine and you will find them being used in many great Mexican recipes. Here we have a delicious soup which is perfect as a winter warmer with delicious flavours of Chipotle, Ancho Poblano and Mexican cinnamon. If you're looking for an extra chilli kick you can add some extra Chipotle and perhaps a few Habanero flakes.

Christmas just isn't Christmas without the spiced scent of mulled wine warming on the stove. Being a chilli company we decided that the more traditional version could be improved with the addition of some chillies and we selected Piquin chillies for the job for their rich flavour and superb appearance. We found that they added a nice level of chilli heat without overpowering the other flavours - of course you can always add more than specified in the recipe if you want your mulled wine to be hotter! Also in the mix is our delightful Mexican cinnamon for a sweeter, mellower cinnamon flavour.

Rice pudding is found in many cuisines from around the world. Variations to this warming and indulgent pudding tend to be around the flavourings added and our Mexican style rice pudding relies on mellow Mexican cinnamon, tequila soaked raisins and grated dark chocolate to finish.