Easy Salsa Roja Recipe (Roja Sauce)

Step 1

Rehydrate the dried chili peppers. First, cut off the stems and remove the seeds from the peppers. Then add them to a bowl of hot vegetable stock (for better flavor) or lightly salted boiling water. Simply toss them into the liquid and allow them to steep for 20-30 minutes.Alternatively, for more depth of flavor, first, dry roast the peppers in a skillet for just 40-60 seconds per side, then rehydrate them for 15-30 minutes (based on the pepper thickness).Save the liquid as you can use a little to help blend the salsa Roja.

Step 2

There are two methods for doing this; You can ‘prep’ the veg pre-roast or post. To prep them, remove all stems from the tomatoes and chilies and remove the chili seeds (if you want the salsa to be less hot). Also, remove the peel from the onion and garlic.I tend to do this after roasting – including with the garlic/onion skin, but feel free to remove it first, so you don’t have to do this while they’re hot.

Step 3

Then roast the ingredients on a parchment-lined tray for 15-20 minutes at 355ºF/180ºC, until soft.

Step 4

Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool until you can handle them.

Step 5

Add all the roasted vegetables, rehydrated chilies, and the cilantro and lime juice to the blender with a splash of the broth and blend. Adjust the amount of soaking liquid to your liking.If this is your first time following this recipe, I suggest using chilies at your preferred heat level and adding them bit by bit to the blended, blending well in-between until you find your desired heat level.

Step 6

Blend the Roja sauce to your preferred texture, then give it a taste. Finally, give it a taste and add a little salt and pepper to taste (sometimes you don’t need any salt at all!)(Optional) At this point, you can enjoy the salsa Roja as is. Alternatively, to further add depth to the salsa, transfer it to a small pot on the stovetop with a spoonful of cooking oil and allow it to simmer and reduce for 15-30 minutes. Add a splash or two more of the soaking liquid if it’s too thick.

Step 7

Once prepared, this salsa Roja recipe will last between 7-10 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can further enhance the shelf life with a splash of extra lime juice or vinegar to increase the acidity.