Previous Next

1 / 5

Video recipe

About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Crispy peanuts, toasted sesame, golden garlic, and three dried Mexican chilies create a bold, spoonable sauce that transforms tacos, eggs, grilled meat, roasted vegetables, and warm tortillas. 🌶️

Ingredients

• Dried chilies 🌶️
• 🌶️ 35 g dried guajillo chilies, approximately 5 large chilies (1.2 oz)
• 🌶️ 20 g dried chile de árbol, approximately 25 chilies (0.7 oz)
• 🌶️ 15 g dried ancho chili, approximately 1 large chili (0.5 oz)
• Crunchy base 🥜
• 🥜 120 g raw unsalted peanuts (¾ cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🌱 35 g sesame seeds (¼ cup / 1.2 oz) sesame
• 🧄 25 g garlic, thinly sliced (6 cloves / 0.9 oz)
• Chili oil 🫒
• 🫒 300 ml neutral oil, such as sunflower, grapeseed, or canola oil (1¼ cups / 10 fl oz)
• 🍎 30 ml apple cider vinegar (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍯 15 g brown sugar or grated piloncillo (1 tbsp / 0.5 oz)
• 🌿 ½ tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 🧂 1 tsp fine sea salt
• To finish 🍽️
• 🌱 Extra toasted sesame seeds sesame
• 🥜 Chopped toasted peanuts
• 🌶️ Crushed chile de árbol
• 🍋 Fresh lime wedges, optional

Preparation

• 1 Prepare the dried chilies 🌶️ Remove the stems from all the chilies. Shake out most of the seeds from the guajillo and ancho chilies, then tear them into smaller pieces. Leave some chile de árbol seeds for additional heat.
• 2 Toast the peanuts 🥜 Place the peanuts in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast for 4–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Transfer them immediately to a plate.
• 3 Toast the sesame seeds 🌱 Add the sesame seeds to the same dry skillet. Toast for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly golden. Transfer them to a separate bowl before they become too dark.
• 4 Fry the garlic 🧄 Pour the neutral oil into a small saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and fry gently for 2–3 minutes until pale golden and crisp, then remove it with a slotted spoon.
• 5 Fry the larger chilies 🌶️ Add the guajillo and ancho pieces to the warm oil in small batches. Fry each batch for only 10–15 seconds until fragrant and slightly softened, then remove immediately.
• 6 Fry the chile de árbol 🔥 Add the chile de árbol to the oil and fry for 5–10 seconds. Remove it as soon as it becomes fragrant. Do not allow the chilies to blacken because they will taste bitter.
• 7 Cool the chili oil ⏳ Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave the flavored oil to cool for approximately 10 minutes. It should remain warm but must not be extremely hot before blending.
• 8 Blend the salsa base ✨ Place all the fried chilies, fried garlic, half of the toasted peanuts, vinegar, brown sugar, oregano, salt, and approximately 180 ml of the flavored oil in a blender or food processor. Pulse until finely chopped but not completely smooth.
• 9 Add the remaining crunch 🥜 Add the remaining peanuts and most of the toasted sesame seeds. Pulse only a few times so the salsa retains clearly visible crunchy pieces.
• 10 Adjust the consistency 🫒 Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in enough of the remaining flavored oil to create a loose, spoonable salsa. Taste and adjust the salt, vinegar, sweetness, or heat when necessary.
• 11 Rest and serve 🍽️ Leave the Salsa Macha to rest for at least 30 minutes so the chilies, garlic, peanuts, and oil can blend. Spoon it into a clean jar and finish with extra sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and crushed chile de árbol.

Timing details

Nutrition

Estimated values per serving.

Tips & variations

More from this category

Share & Print