Description
I like guajillo chiles for this sauce as they are nicely balanced with just enough heat. Feel free to mix and match or try other dried chiles to unlock a wide variety of flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 gaujillo chiles
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of light olive oil
- kosher or sea salt to taste
- water as needed (for rehydrating the chiles and also for processing)
Instructions
- Prepare your dried chiles by removing stems, seeds, and membranes from inside the chiles. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chiles for about 1 minute.
- Place the chiles into a heat-safe bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 20-30 minutes, or until soft. Drain (you may reserve the soaking water to use when you blend the sauce if you like–taste first to check for bitterness).
- While the chiles soak, in the preheated skillet heat the olive oil then add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute. Remove and add to food processor or blender along with rehydrated chiles.
- Process/blend the chiles, onion and garlic until smooth, adding water (about 1/2 cup to start) as needed to achieve desired consistency. Taste and add salt as needed. Serve!
Notes
- Sauce will keep in a closed container in the refrigerator for 4 or 5 days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 6 months.
- If you find the reserved soaking water to be too bitter, use plain water instead when blending the sauce.