This salsa ticks a lot of boxes for me! I’m a huge fan of salsa! I’m a huge fan of chili oil! I’m a fan of combining peanuts and/or sesame seeds with spicy chili heat!
The main ingredient in this salsa is oil which forms the base of the salsa. The use of chili peppers makes it a salsa and you can use different kinds of dried chilies; I like to use plenty of chilies de arbol for their heat along with a few chiles moritas for their smoky flavour! Next up are some peanuts and sesame seeds which really make this salsa amazing! The chilies, peanuts and sesame seeds are ‘toasted’ in the oil to bring out their flavours before being pureed into a salsa. From there you can add some seasonings and I like to add a touch of vinegar, sugar, salt, oregano and garlic. The combination of the spicy heat from the chilies along with the hint of sourness from the vinegar, the hint of sweetness from the sugar and the saltiness of the salt is simply magical!
My favourite use of salsa macha is simply over fried eggs but you can use it pretty much anywhere you would use a salsa or a chili oil!
Chiles moritas are a smoked jalapeno pepper.
Salsa Macha
A Mexican style chilli oil, or salsa, with morita chiles, peanuts and sesame seeds.
ingredients
- 1 cup neutral oil (such as corn oil or sunflower oil)
- 4 chiles moritas (dry), stems and seeds removed
- 1 ounce chiles de arbol (dry), stems and seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons peanuts
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
directions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat to 325F/170C, turn off the heat, mix in the chilli peppers and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the peanuts and sesame seeds and let toast in the residual heat, about 5 minutes.
- Mix in the vinegar, sugar, oregano, garlic and salt.
- Puree in a food processor, or using a stick blender, until it reaches the desired consistency.
Option: Use different nuts and/or seeds.S
great combo of oil and salsa, and love the chiies, and love spicy but am tired of a straight salsa or taco sauce, oil is a nice addition for more complex flavor so thank you