I was on a trip through the southwest and bought a big bag of hatch red chilis (guajillos) and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions for hot sauce or salsa ideas? I’m planning on making some enchilada sauce and birria but was curious about other avenues to take. Thanks!
by liquidhotsmegma
10 Comments
Pretty much all you can do is hydrate them in boiling water and blend to make red sauce.
First – Hatch Red Chiles are a cultivar of Anaheims.
Second – anything you make with these is going to start with hydrating and blending and making a red sauce. Depending on how you do this will result in different options, sort of.
With a bare minimum amount of water hydrate some seeded and stemmed peppers until thoroughly pliable. Then remove peppers from water and blend until thoroughly smooth. Take the goo and push it through a strainer. This will make for a very nice and smooth sauce you can heat up and use as a topping.
Alternatively you can take the hydrated peppers and a small amount of that water and blend very thoroughly. You don’t need to push through a sieve if you’re going to use this in a chili or stew.
I’ve often taken the sauce after the sieve and mixed with a pico de gallo for a great dip. Delicious!
Those are not guajillos.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_chile
Make NM red chile sauce out of them.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/zwk9gp
https://reddit.com/r/SalsaSnobs/comments/zwk9gp/new_mexico_red_chile_a_family_tradition_for_the/
Whatever you do, toast them before you hydrate them.
Here is a recipe for guajillo chile salsa:
Ingredients:
8 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 garlic clove
1/2 white onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Preheat a dry skillet over medium heat.
Place the chiles in the skillet and toast for about 1 minute on each side, until fragrant and slightly puffed.
Place the chiles in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for about 15 minutes to soften.
Drain the chiles and place them in a blender. Add the garlic, onion, chicken broth, and salt. Blend until smooth.
Transfer the salsa to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the salsa has thickened slightly.
Serve the salsa warm, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Enjoy!
Here is my mexican suggestion: toast them and throw in some green tomatillos and peeled garlic too. If you want a more acidic/tangy salsa, have a lot of tomatillos. If you want it spicier, less tomatillos/more chiles. Hydrate them (just the chiles). Add everything into blender/food processor. Salt. Tap blend button a few times. Don’t overblend (I like having some texture in my salsa). Enjoy 🙂
All of them
I grind them down to a powder and mix into tomato juice and build out a bloody mary mix from there. I usually will let sit overnight to get the most flavor from the chiles.
I use those plus a few others types and a couple dried shiitakes to make a far superior “Chipotle” meat marinade. Remove seeds and pith based on desired heat level, steep in hot water, strain and blend with steeping water and seasonings of choice, I use salt, cumin, coriander, bay leaf, and pepper plus some chopped garlic.
You could also take that and blend with tomatoes and alliums for a smooth salsa instead. However since the texture of rehydrated chiles is mush I usually just use them in marinades instead.
Happy New Year!