The chipotle seasoning on GYG’s chips, rebuilt at home. The exact blend is proprietary, so this is an approximation to adjust over time — but it starts from what Guzman y Gomez publish. Their ingredient guide lists the seasoning, in order, as salt; spices (chipotle, paprika, chilli); sugar; natural flavours; vegetable powders (garlic, onion); vinegar powder; citric acid; plant fibre; smoke flavour. No cumin and no oregano, which is where most copycat recipes go wrong: they make a taco rub. This is a salty snack dust, not a spice rub with a pinch of salt.
So the order here follows the label: salt first, then the chillies, then sugar, with garlic and onion in the background and two kinds of tang — vinegar and citric acid — to cut the fat on a hot chip. The smoked paprika stands in for the smoke flavour and the cornflour for the plant fibre, to keep it flowing. Weigh it: spoons of powder vary too much between brands.
Shopping: chipotle chilli powder is in the spice aisle at Coles and Woolworths, or from a Latin grocer. Citric acid is in the baking aisle. Vinegar powder is the hard one — a spice specialist or barbecue supplier, or online. No vinegar powder? Leave it out and use 4 g citric acid, or do the Next Level below, which makes its own.
Even better than the original: drop the salt to 34 g and add 5 g MSG (Ajinomoto, from an Asian grocer or Coles). GYG’s label has none; it is the savoury finish theirs doesn’t have.
Other uses: a teaspoon through a quarter cup of mayonnaise; over hot buttered corn or popcorn; 12 g per kilo on chicken wings before roasting.
