dried chili salsa

The heat of this salsa is entirely dependent on the kind of chiles you use. Mulato chiles yield a brick red, earthy salsa, while Espelette salsa is the color of fresh cherries, hot yet fruity. Yahualica chiles de arbol yield a bright orange salsa that is fiercely spicy. Use milder salsas as a sauce for enchiladas and sprinkle hotter ones on finished dishes as a hot sauce. Try a mix of chiles to get rich flavors (Ancho, Mulato, Espelette, Red Serrano) with a touch of heat (Cascabel &amp;amp; Yahualica). 

Dried Chile Salsa Recipe

(30 grams) whole dried chiles, any variety

(10 grams) garlic

(90 grams) yellow onion, peeled

water

lime juice

avocado oil

salt

Using kitchen shears, snip stems from dried chiles and empty of any loose seeds. Don’t worry about removing every single seed, but removing some will reduce the chance of bitterness in your finished salsa. Snip chilies in half.

In a dry skillet over medium-high heat, toast chile halves for a few moments per side, just until fragrant. Do not burn.

In a small saucepan, combine onion, chiles, garlic and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 10 minutes.

Using tongs, fish chiles and onion out of saucepan and place them into the jar of a blender or immersion blender. Do the same for cloves of garlic, pausing to peel them out of their papery skins. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Add half of the reserved cooking water to blender and puree. Add lime juice, oil, and salt and blend to combine, thinning with more cooking water as needed. Add more salt and lime juice if necessary.

Store salsa in the refrigerator and eat within a week.

Nothing finishes a good Mexican recipe like a really great salsa.  While cooked and fresh salsas are wonderful, it's hard to beat the simplicity and impact of k'uut bi ik - a Yucatecan salsa made from dried chilies and Seville orange juice. This variation incorporates garlic and smoky morita chipotle to give it a deeper and more rounded-out flavour.

Smoky Dried Chili Salsa (K'uut Bi Ik)

g morita chilies ((~5 chilies))

g arbol chilies ((~15 chilies))

garlic (unpeeled (optional))

seville orange juice (or 1/4 cup each orange, lime, and grapefruit juice)

tbsp white vinegar ((see note))

salt (to taste)

water (or as needed for final consistency)

(Optional - skip if omitting garlic) Thread the cloves of garlic onto a metal skewer, then carefully roast/blacken them over an open flame (I use a gas stove, but you could use a barbecue too).  If you don't have a flame source, you can blacken the cloves in a very hot cast iron pan instead.  The idea is to thoroughly char the cloves, but not to roast them all the way through.  Set the charred garlic aside to cool.

Remove the stems, seeds, and membranes from the dried chilies.  You may find it easier to do this after toasting; I personally shake out the seeds before and after to remove as many as possible.

Toast the chilies by either adding them to a hot frying pan for about 2 minutes (turning occasionally), or by microwaving them for 20-30 seconds.  The toasted chilies should be pliable and very fragrant.

Place the toasted chilies in a small bowl along with the Seville orange juice (or citrus substitute), vinegar, and salt.  Soak for about 10 minutes.

Peel the garlic (if using) and combine with the chilies, juice, vinegar, and salt in a blender, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle.  Blend/pulverize until the salsa is uniform.  Add a little water for a thinner consistency, if desired.  Let the salsa sit for 20-30 minutes if possible in order to balance the flavours.

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Dried Chile Salsa Recipe

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