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New Mexico red chile sauce

Name: New Mexico red chile sauce
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 60 g dried New Mexico red chile pods; 750 ml hot water; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 0.5 onion; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tsp dried oregano; 0.25 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp salt

Chile colorado from dried Hatch-style red pods

Features:

Ask for 'red or green?' in any New Mexico café and red means this sauce, made from the sun-dried chile pods that hang in long ristras outside adobe houses in Chimayó and Hatch every autumn. The pods are toasted, soaked and blended into a smooth, brick-red sauce that is earthy and gently sweet rather than smoky, poured over enchiladas, eggs, beans and burritos. Chef's tip: toast the pods for only a few seconds a side; burnt chile makes the sauce bitter.

Total time: 45 min
Difficulty: easy
Serves: 8

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Ingredients

Serves8

2 ⅛ oz dried New Mexico red chile podsstems and seeds removed
3 ¼ cups hot water
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ onionchopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt

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Method

0/5 done

Step 1: Toast the 2 ⅛ oz dried New Mexico red chile pods in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 10–15 seconds a side, until fragrant and slightly puffed.
4 min
Step 2: Put them in a bowl, cover with the 3 ¼ cups hot water and soak for 20 minutes until soft.
20 min
Step 3: Meanwhile soften the ½ onion in the 1 tbsp vegetable oil for 5 minutes, add the 3 cloves garlic for 1 minute.
6 min
Step 4: Blend the chiles and their soaking water with the onion, garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp salt until very smooth. Push through a sieve to remove the skins.
5 min
Step 5: Simmer in a saucepan for 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat a spoon. A common mistake is skipping the sieve, which leaves bitter, papery bits. Keeps a week in the fridge or freezes well.
15 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 50 kcal
Protein: 1 g
Carbs: 7 g
Fat: 2 g
Fibre: 3 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does new Mexico red chile sauce take?: About 45 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?: Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
Is it gluten free?: Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
Is it very spicy?: It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
Can I make it ahead?: Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of onion?: 2 shallots per onion.
What can I use instead of garlic?: ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.

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