Let me start by saying that there are two types of Salsa Roja (red salsa), the one you drizzle over your food (that being tacos, sopa [soup], fried eggs, etc) and the one you use to cook with.
The Salsa Roja on this post is the one you use to cook with. I consider it, along with Salsa Verde, Mole and Pipian, one of the mother sauces of Mexican cuisine.
You can use Salsa Roja pretty much for anything. There is a plethora of Mexican food dishes that call for it, from enchiladas and chilaquiles to pambazos and tamales. Whoever masters this salsa is considered a good cook.
You only need the right kind of chiles, a couple cloves of garlic, salt, some oil and a couple dozen of pans and pots (or at least it feels like that), so don’t be afraid, make this salsa, use it on your next Mexican dish and look like a hero!
- 4 cups Water
- 10 New Mexico chilli pods
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- Bring water to a boil in a medium size pot
- In the meantime, remove stems and seeds off the chiles and rinse under cold water to remove dirt
- Add chiles to boiling water. Remove from heat immediately and let it sit for 5 minutes or until skins are soft. Remove chiles from water and reserve both
- Blend the chiles, 1 cup of the reserved water, garlic and salt until smooth. Add more water if necessary. The sauce should not be watery.
- Heat oil in a medium size pan. Strain chile mixture into the pot and sauté for a couple minutes. Bring to a boil and adjust for seasoning. Remove from heat and reserve for your dish