I recently moved from New Mexico to Texas. Since moving out here I’ve been really missing real Mexican food. Well not real Mexican food, but New Mexican food; I understand that there’s a difference. I’ve been fortunate enough to find places locally to buy red and green chile. It took me a while to make a red chile sauce that reminds me of my favorite places to eat in New Mexico, but I think I’ve done it. So here it is, my take on an authentic New Mexican Red Chile sauce.
- 6 dried Guajillo peppers
- 6 dried red New Mexico red chile peppers.
- 5 dried Chile de Arbol peppers. (These add to the spiciness, so use more or less according to your taste)
- 2 cloves garlic (Chopped)
- 1 medium white onion (Chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp of salt
- 1/2 tbsp of pepper
- 1/2 tbsp celery flakes
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 8 cups of Water
- 3/4 cup of cold water
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Remove the stems from all of the peppers, slice them open and remove the seeds. Tear the peppers into smaller pieces and add them to a large pot. Add in the peppers, half of the garlic, half of the onion, salt, pepper, celery flakes, and cumin. Put the 8 cups of water in a large pot and heat it up until it boils then lower it to a simmer. Let this simmer on the stove until it reduces to about half of where you started (About 1-1.5 hours), stirring occasionally. When everything has reduced, pour everything into a blender, then add in the other half of the garlic and onion. Be very careful of this next step. The heat and steam produced from the mix will want to pop the top off of your blender. So blend it slowly, increasing speed gradually hold the top down tight. A blender with a locking lid would be preferred. Leave the blender on low-medium speed for about 5 – 10 minutes. Once you’ve reached the desired speed you should be able to leave it alone while you wait.
Pour the chile mixture back into the pot heating it on medium. In another small mixing bowl, mix the cold water and corn starch until the corn starch is well blended and chunk free. Pour this in with the chile mixture and stir well. Heat the chile on at a very low simmer stirring frequently. Let this reduce until it reaches your desired thickness. Then it’s done.
Yield: 4 – 5 cups.
PS: To pick the best peppers look for ones that are not too dry. They should be leathery without any dust or mold on them and should not crack when you bend them.
