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Easy Red Chile Sauce

  • Author: Roger

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
  4. 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.