Basic Red Chile Sauce Recipes

SIMPLE HOMEMADE CHILI SAUCE (RED CHILLI SAUCE)

Steps:

• First, wash the chili peppers, patting them dry with a little paper towel.
• Then, cut off the stem ( green tops). It's best to wear gloves and avoid touching your face while dealing with the chilies!
• Next, roughly chop the peppers, keeping the seeds. You don't need to be too precise with your chopping as everything will be blended.
• Add the peppers and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blitz into a sauce.Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as necessary.
• Then, transfer the sauce to a sterilized jar and enjoy it immediately or store it in the fridge for longer-term storage.Optionally, you can reduce this sauce down to thicken it slightly over a hob. Read the recipe notes for more on that.
• Store the homemade chili sauce in a glass jar (plastic will stain), for up to 1 month in the fridge and for up to four months in the freezer.If it begins to taste sour or moldy in any way (or has physical signs of mold), then discard it.Also, you may be able to hot water bath can this red chili sauce (and then store it for months in the fridge) - however, it depends on its' pH balance and using the correct method. If this is something you'd like to do, it's best to consult reputable sources regarding canning items.

NEW MEXICO RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Coat the bottom of a heavy saucepan with oil; add chile pods. Toast over medium heat until aromatic, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in onion and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add enough chicken stock to allow pods to float; simmer until they develop the texture of wet leather, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Fill blender halfway with chile-stock mixture. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour into a bowl; repeat with remaining mixture. Strain sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a saucepan over medium heat. Discard solids.
• Stir cumin, coriander, and oregano into the saucepan; add honey. Cook until sauce is thick and evenly coats the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.

BASIC RED SAUCE (SALSA DE CHILE ROJO)

Steps:

• Soak chiles in warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain; strain and reserve liquid. Remove stems and seeds and membranes from the chiles. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in a 2-qt. saucepan until onion is tender. Add chiles and 2 cups of the reserved liquid , the tomato sauce, oregano, cumin and salt. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Cool.
• Transfer to blender container; cover and blend on low speed until smooth. Strain. Refrigerate sauce no longer than 10 days.
• Note: I strain mine in a mesh strainer or colander. It takes a few minutes, but keep thinking of how great this is going to taste!

CHILE COLORADO (BASIC RED CHILE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat shortening in a medium saucepan on medium heat.
• Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Add chile powder and cook for an additional minute.
• Gradually add the water and stir, making sure that no lumps form.
• Add seasonings to sauce and simmer at low heat for 10-15 minutes.***.
• * Red Chile recipe above. Varied amounts and variety of chile will determine the degree of hotness.
• ** For a more mild flavor, tomato juice may be substituted.
• *** Last red chile can be very bitter if it doesn't simmer long enough. Please let it simmer for AT LEAST 10 minutes As always, the longer it simmers the hotter it will be -- but you don't want bitter red chile. TRUST ME.
• NOTE: One pound of cooked beef or pork, ground, cubed, or shredded,may be added.
• Also can be served over pork chops or used as a gravy for mashed potatoes.

RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in the chile powder and cumin and cook 30 more seconds.
• Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until reduced to a sauce-like consistency, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree (add water if necessary). Add the honey and more salt and pepper, if needed.

RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove stems and seeds from dried chile pods. Rinse and place in 4-quart pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let pods steep for 30 minutes.
• Drain pods in a colander and reserve juice. Place softened pods into a blender or food processor, adding just enough reserved juice to barely cover. Blend to a fine consistency. Pour the resulting pulp into a fine sieve or colander and allow the extra juice to drain out, stirring occasionally.
• Return this pulp to the 4-quart pot and add the salt, oregano, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste to adjust seasonings. If the sauce tastes bitter, add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Use red chile sauce over enchiladas, chile rellenos, or as a side or sauce for any other Mexican entree.

RED CHILE SAUCE (CHILE COLORADO)

Steps:

• Rinse chiles and split open, discarding stems, seeds, and ribs.
• Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat, then toast chiles, skin sides up, in batches, about 30 seconds (be careful not to burn them, or sauce will be bitter). Transfer chiles as toasted to a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover bowl and soak chiles, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes.
• Purée chiles with three fourths of soaking liquid, reserving remainder, in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Pour purée through a coarse sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, and discard solids. Whisk reserved soaking liquid into chile mixture.
• Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano in oil in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in chile mixture and simmer, partially covered, whisking occasionally, until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Season with salt, vinegar, and sugar.

BASIC RED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Wipe the chiles with damp paper towels. With scissors, cut off the tops and cut each chile lengthwise in half. Remove the seeds and veins. On a comal or in a dry skillet toast the chiles about 3 seconds on each side, holding them down with a wide spatula until barely blistered and aromatic. Do not burn, or they will be bitter. Submerge the chiles in a bowl of hot water, and soak about 20 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat and cook the onion and garlic slowly until they start to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the oregano and cumin and immediately transfer to a blender. Add the tomatoes to the blender. With tongs, lift the chiles from the soaking water and put them in the blender. Taste the chile water. If it has a pleasant taste and is not bitter, add 1/2 cup chile water to the blender, along with 1/4 cup of water. (If it is bitter, discard the chile water and add 3/4 cup of water.) Blend the mixture 1 minute or until the sauce is as smooth as possible, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as needed. Pour the sauce through a strainer or a food mill into a medium bowl. Discard remaining bits of tough skin and seeds. 3. Transfer the puréed chile sauce to a saucepan and simmer the sauce 15 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely cooked and flavors are blended. The sauce is ready to use, or cover and refrigerate for 5 days, or freeze up to 3 months. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

RED CHILE DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, process the peppers until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, and add the vinegar and sugar. Stir to combine, and transfer to a serving bowl.