This is my Mom's recipe. The smell of this sauce perfumed my childhood weekly. Native to Chihuahua in Northern Mexico, this salsa roja is the base for many staple dishes in Mexican cuisine. Guajillo chiles are the foundation and they get seasoned with garden herbs like Mexican oregano, thyme, bay leaf and garlic. If you've never played with whole chiles, this sauce is a great staple to learn.
Mary’s Salsa Roja
This is my Mom's recipe. The smell of this sauce perfumed my childhood weekly. Native to Chihuahua in Northern Mexico, this salsa roja is the base for many staple dishes in Mexican cuisine. Guajillo chiles are the foundation and they get seasoned with garden herbs like Mexican oregano, thyme, bay leaf and garlic. If you've never played with whole chiles, this sauce is a great staple to learn.
This is my Mom's recipe. The smell of this sauce perfumed my childhood weekly. Native to Chihuahua in Northern Mexico, this salsa roja is the base for many staple dishes in Mexican cuisine. Guajillo chiles are the foundation and they get seasoned with garden herbs like Mexican oregano, thyme, bay leaf and garlic. If you've never played with whole chiles, this sauce is a great staple to learn.
Ingredients
- 16 whole Guajillo Pod
Guajillo PodThe rich flavor of this mild chile makes it a versatile favorite anywhere chile base flavors are desired. A staple of Latin and Tex-Mex cuisine, guajillo is equally at home in currie... - 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon Thyme
ThymeThyme is one of the most widely distributed herbs, being used throughout Europe and the Middle East, even all the way to Cajun country. One of the oldest herbal cultivars, thyme has ... - 1 tablespoons Oregano - Mexican
Oregano - MexicanThis Mexican oregano is a little more nutty and grassy than its Turkish cousin, but the classic oregano flavor is there. As with all dried herbs, be sure to crumble it to release max... - 2 Bay Leaf - Turkish
Bay Leaf - TurkishDeep, base flavors that are essential in everything from Creole to Italian cuisine are the signature of Turkish bay leaves, and these have more savory flavor than any other we've tas... - 3 cloves of garlic
- 1-1/2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal - Kosher Salt
Diamond Crystal - Kosher SaltDiamond Crystal is our go-to all purpose kosher salt. Developed in 1886 using a special process which creates a unique, hollow, multi-faceted crystals, this all-purpose salt is free ... - 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation
Destem the chilies, then cut them lengthwise using kitchen scissors and remove the seeds.
Combine the snipped guajillos and water in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes.
In a blender add the thyme, Mexican oregano, Turkish bay leaves, garlic and salt. Pour in the stewed guajillos and blend on high until the sauce looks smooth, about one minute.
Rinse out the pot that the guajillos were in, and add the olive oil. Set the pot on medium-high heat.
If you have a high-powered blender, straining the sauce may not be necessary but for an extra velvety smooth sauce, put it through a strainer.
Add the sauce to the pot and stir, let it simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce if necessary to desired consistency. Cool and refrigerate up to a week.
Notes:
- This is a great sauce for enchiladas, chilaquiles, chile colorado and pozole.
- Guajillos are pretty mild, if you would like some extra heat add a couple pequin chiles.
- It freezes well. This recipe makes approximately 1 quart of sauce.
- This is a great sauce for enchiladas, chilaquiles, chile colorado and pozole.
- Guajillos are pretty mild, if you would like some extra heat add a couple pequin chiles.
- It freezes well. This recipe makes approximately 1 quart of sauce.
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Mary’s Salsa Roja
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This is my Mom's recipe. The smell of this sauce perfumed my childhood weekly. Native to Chihuahua in Northern Mexico, this salsa roja is the base for many staple dishes in Mexican cuisine. Guajillo chiles are the foundation and they get seasoned with garden herbs like Mexican oregano, thyme, bay leaf and garlic. If you've never played with whole chiles, this sauce is a great staple to learn.
Jamie Aragonez
Jamie Aragonez
