Michoacan Salsa Macha

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy saucepan
• •Slotted spoon
• •Blender or food processor
• •Clean glass jar with tight lid
• •Green-glazed Michoacan barro cazuelita for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the chiles

   Stem the chile de arbol. Leave most of the seeds if you want the Michoacan table version, sharp and direct. Shake out some seeds if you need less heat. Do not rinse the chiles. If they are dusty, wipe them with a dry cloth. Water and hot oil are bad company.

2. 2

   Fry the garlic

   Pour the oil into a small heavy saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook slowly, stirring often, until the slices turn pale gold at the edges, 3 to 4 minutes. Pull the garlic out with a slotted spoon before it browns. Brown garlic tastes bitter, and bitter garlic will punish the whole jar.

3. 3

   Fry the nuts

   Add the peanuts to the same oil and cook until they deepen slightly and smell toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove them to the bowl with the garlic. Add the pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds and fry for 30 to 45 seconds, just until the sesame turns golden and starts to pop softly. Take them out quickly. Small seeds do not forgive a distracted cook.

4. 4

   Fry the chiles

   Turn the heat to low. Add the chile de arbol in two batches and stir constantly for 20 to 30 seconds per batch. They should darken one shade and smell fruity, not burned. If they turn black, throw them away and start that batch again. Burned chile makes a bitter salsa macha. There is no fixing it with sugar later.

   Keep the oil gentle. Chile de arbol is thin-skinned and burns faster than ancho or guajillo. This salsa is easy only if you pay attention.
5. 5

   Cool the oil

   Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the oil cool for 15 minutes. Do not blend screaming-hot oil. It expands, it splashes, and it can burn you badly. The oil should still be warm enough to smell of chile and garlic, but not so hot that it fights you.

6. 6

   Grind it coarse

   Transfer the fried chiles, garlic, peanuts, seeds, salt, piloncillo, vinegar, and half the oil to a blender or food processor. Pulse, do not puree. Add the remaining oil and pulse again until the salsa is coarse, with visible flakes of chile and pieces of peanut. Salsa macha should be spoonable and textured, not smooth like a bottled sauce.

7. 7

   Jar and rest

   Taste for salt. Scrape the salsa into a clean glass jar and make sure the solids sit under a thin layer of oil. Let it rest at least 2 hours before serving. Overnight is better. The chile stains the oil deep red, the garlic settles down, and the peanuts give the salsa body. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chile de arbol from a vendor who turns over stock quickly. The chiles should be flexible, glossy, and deep red, not brittle and dusty. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Do not use olive oil here. Its flavor argues with the chile. Use safflower, peanut, or avocado oil, something clean that lets the chile de arbol speak.
• •Some Veracruz versions use chile morita or more vinegar. Good. Veracruz has its own kitchen. This Michoacan jar stays sharper, nuttier, and coarse enough to spoon over carnitas. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
• •Store it with the solids covered by oil. Use a clean spoon every time. Do that and it keeps for weeks in the refrigerator.

Advance Preparation

• •Make the salsa at least 2 hours ahead so the fried chile, garlic, and peanuts can settle into the oil.
• •Salsa macha keeps refrigerated for 3 to 4 weeks. If the oil firms up in the cold, let the jar sit at room temperature for 20 minutes and stir before serving.
• •For batch cooking, double the recipe but fry the chiles in small batches. Crowding the pan makes them toast unevenly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 33g)