Mexican Red Chile Sauce
Serves 1
Directions
- 1Remove stems and seeds from the dried chiles, trying to keep the veins to retain heat.
- 2Rinse the chiles.
- 3Place the cleaned chiles, onion, and garlic in a pan, cover with water, and simmer.
- 4Transfer the softened chiles, onion, garlic, and some of the cooking water to a blender; add salt and pulse to break down before blending until smooth.
- 5Check consistency and add more water if needed, then blend again.
- 6Strain the sauce to remove pulp and pepper flakes for a smooth texture.
Ingredients
- 15 cascabel chile
- 2 ancho chile
- 4-5 chile de arbol
- 1 whole white onion
- 6 clove garlic
- 2 tsp table salt
Equipment
blenderpanstrainermortar and pestle
Tips
- You can use guajillo chiles or a mix of cascabel and guajillo.
- Ancho chiles make the sauce darker than using only guajillo chiles.
- You can freeze the sauce in Ziploc bags for short-term or vacuum-sealed mason jars for up to a year.
- Use a mortar and pestle to weigh down the chiles in the water while simmering to keep them submerged.
- Adjust the amount of onion used in the blender to balance the flavor; do not use the full onion if it's very large.
- Alternative to regular salt: use seasoned salt (such as OG brand) for garlic and pepper flavor, adjusting quantity as needed.
