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Video recipe

About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Smoky pasilla chiles, sweet orange, dark beer and prunes blend into a glossy mahogany salsa with deep chile flavor and just enough sweetness to keep you coming back for another spoonful. 🌶️🔥

Ingredients

• Pasilla base 🌶️
• 🌶️ 6 dried pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 🧄 15 g garlic, unpeeled (3 cloves / 0.5 oz)
• 💧 240 ml very hot water (1 cup / 8 fl oz)
• Borracha salsa 🍺
• 🍺 240 ml Mexican lager or amber beer (1 cup / 8 fl oz)
• 🍊 180 ml fresh orange juice (¾ cup / 6 fl oz)
• 🍑 120 g pitted prunes (4.2 oz)
• 🧂 ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• 🍎 10 ml apple cider vinegar (2 tsp / 0.35 fl oz), optional
• 🍯 5 g piloncillo or brown sugar (1 tsp), only if needed
• To finish ✨
• 🧅 60 g white onion, very finely diced (½ cup / 2.1 oz)
• 🧀 50 g crumbled Cotija or queso añejo (1.8 oz), optional
• 🌿 Fresh cilantro, optional
• 🍊 Fresh orange zest, very lightly grated
• 🌶️ Crushed toasted pasilla, optional
• For serving 🌮
• 🌮 Barbacoa tacos
• 🐖 Carnitas
• 🥩 Grilled beef
• 🫓 Quesadillas
• 🌽 Warm corn tortillas

Preparation

• 1 Prepare the pasilla chiles 🌶️ Remove the stems and shake out most of the seeds. Open the chiles flat so they toast evenly.
• 2 Toast the chiles 🔥 Heat a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium heat. Toast each pasilla for approximately 10–15 seconds per side until fragrant and slightly softened. Remove immediately. Do not allow them to blacken.
• 3 Roast the garlic 🧄 Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in the same skillet. Roast for 5–7 minutes, turning occasionally, until softened with dark spots on the skin. Cool briefly and peel.
• 4 Soften the pasillas 💧 Transfer the toasted chiles to a bowl and cover with the hot water. Let stand for 15 minutes until fully softened.
• 5 Build the cooking liquid 🍺 Drain the chiles. Place them in a small saucepan with the beer, orange juice, prunes and roasted garlic.
• 6 Simmer gently 🍊 Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes until the prunes soften and the pasillas become very tender. The liquid should reduce slightly but remain plentiful enough for blending.
• 7 Blend the salsa ✨ Transfer the chiles, prunes, garlic and cooking liquid to a blender. Add the salt. Blend for 45–60 seconds until completely smooth and glossy.
• 8 Adjust the texture 🌶️ If the salsa is too thick, add 1–2 tablespoons of hot water. It should be thick enough to cling to meat but still pour easily from a spoon.
• 9 Balance the flavor 🍊 Taste the salsa. Add the optional vinegar if it needs more acidity. Only add piloncillo if the oranges or beer make the salsa taste noticeably bitter.
• 10 Rest the salsa ⏳ Pour into a serving bowl and allow to rest for 10–15 minutes. The pasilla and fruit flavors become rounder as the salsa cools slightly.
• 11 Finish and serve 🧅 Top with finely diced white onion and optional crumbled Cotija or queso añejo. Finish with a tiny amount of orange zest. Serve with barbacoa, carnitas, grilled beef, tacos or warm corn tortillas.

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