Since meeting my husband, I have had to add his favorite childhood meals to my bag of tricks. They are the usual Mexican favorites like posole, albondigas, enchiladas, salsa, chilaquiles, etc. Everyone one of these dishes have an element of chili, and most likely, is served with a side of lime. I have luckily been able wean him onto other food… but in the end, he tops it with crushed red pepper flakes so he can get the spice he likes in everything.
The recipe I’m going to share with you is pretty basic and can be used to add a deep chili flavor to several dishes. It’s not spicy, just bold in flavor and color. I use it to make some classic Mexican dishes like posole and enchiladas….and I’m toying with the idea of using it as a marinade for some beef or pork. Seems like it will be good. This sauce can also be made with different chilies. I have yet to try other chilies, but I know other people who do. (Idea for another post!)
To me Mexican food = chilies. When I see people making enchilada sauce with tomato sauce as a base with only powdered spices added, it just sounds wrong. Maybe my perspective is skewed…but if there aren’t real chilies, its not really Mexican to me. And this recipe follows this rule! The main ingredient in this is guajillo chilies.
Guajillo chilies can be found in most grocery stores (especially in California). You will find them in the ethnic food isle or latin food isle depending on the grocery store. The chilies are dried and come in a plastic bag. They are a deep-dark red and will still have their stems attached. Don’t be afraid. Just grab a bag or two. I typically have about 3-5 different kinds of dried chilies at home at all times. That is how much spice my husband needs.
Lessons Learned:
- This recipe does take a bit of time to make. I would suggest making a double or triple batch and freeze the extra batches. Your future self will thank you.
- The sauce gets thick when it gets cold. Heat slowly and stir to get it back to the smooth texture you want.
- This sauce will stain your clothes and kitchen equipment. If you are using any white kitchen equipment when making this, make sure to rinse and wash quickly if the sauce comes into contact with it.
- Do not rub eyes after working with chilies.
- 2¼ oz bag of Guajillo chilies
- 2 cups of water
- ½ head of garlic cloves (I would reduce this to maybe 2-3 cloves of garlic to avoid having garlic breath)
- ½ medium sized onion
- 1 Tbsp Mexican oregano (or regular if that is what you have)
- 1 tsp salt
- The chilies will need to be toasted and re-hydrated. Toast each chili over medium high heat until it puffs up a little. Make sure not to burn it or let it catch fire. Set aside to cool. Repeat with all chilies.
- When chilies have cooled, remove stems and put in a pot with the water. Cover and turn the heat to medium-high until it boils. Reduce the heat and let boil for about 10 minutes until the chilies are soft and limp. Remove from heat.
- Place chilies, the water the chilies were boiled in, oregano, garlic cloves, onion, and salt into a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Strain the blended chili mixture in batches through a strainer. Very little will go through the strainer at first. To help the sauce through, you can either stir the mixture or carefully tap the strainer with your hand to get it go through. Continue to stir or tap mixture until the remnants in the strainer look dry and clump together. Throw away the remnants in the strainer. You will be left with a nice smooth looking sauce. Continue with the straining process until all of the blended chili mixture has been strained. Check if the sauce requires more salt.
- This sauce can now be used for enchiladas or added to a soup. You can freeze it as well and just defrost it in the fridge. The sauce will be solid when cold, so you will need to heat it up (almost to the point of boiling) to get it back to the smooth sauce consistency.
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Chicken Enchiladas | learnbycooking
[…] my last post, I showed you how to make the guajillo chili sauce that is used to make the enchiladas. That is the hardest part really. The rest is just assembly […]
Chicken Enchiladas | learnbycooking
[…] my last post, I showed you how to make the guajillo chili sauce that is used to make the enchiladas. That is the hardest part really. The rest is just assembly […]
Gregory Smith
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