Recently, I decided I wanted to make a braised beef stew for our weekly Sunday supper with Andrew. Eric went to the grocery store for the ingredients we didn’t already have on hand, namely the meat, potatoes, and cooking sauce. Despite having an extensive selection of Mexican foods and condiments, Eric could not find the ready-made cooking sauce. Having been prepared for that eventuality, Eric picked up some dried guajillo peppers so we could make the sauce ourselves.
Guajillo sauce (or salsa roja – red sauce) is a classic chili sauce made with dried guajillo peppers, some aromatics, and some basic spices. It has an earthy, smoky, and slightly fruity flavor and mild to moderate hot, putting it in the flavorful rather than burning hot range in terms of spiciness. Guajillo sauce is a component of the rich, red base for traditional dishes like enchiladas rojas, chilaquiles, and tamales.
The sauce was very simple to make. A bit of soaking to soften the peppers and sautéing the aromatics, then blending it all together and it is ready to go! The recipe makes more guajillo sauce than we needed for the stew. We have also used it over chicken and for non-Mexican dishes. Look for the beef stew recipe to be posted later this week!
Guajillo Sauce
Guajillo Sauce (adapted from chilipeppermadness.com) Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Soaking Time: 15 minutes, Makes: about 2-1/2 cups of sauce
Ingredients:
- 10-12 dried guajillo peppers stemmed and seeded
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup soaking liquid or water
Directions:
Dry toast the dried guajillo peppers in a heated pan over medium heat. Toast them for a couple of minutes per side, until they start to puff up slightly.
Toast the peppers.
Cool the peppers, the put them into a heavy bowl with enough hot water to cover them. Let them soak for 20 minutes, or until they become very soft. Remove the peppers from the water. Place them in a blender or food processor, reserving 1 cup of the dark soaking water.
Soak the toasted peppers in hot water to soften them.
In the same heated pan, add the olive oil. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes, or until they become translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Sauté the onions and the garlic.
Add the onions and garlic to the food processor along with the sea salt and cumin. Pour in some of the reserved soaking liquid or some water and process it to form a sauce. It will be very thick at this point. Add in more liquid, a half cup at a time, until you achieve the desired consistency. Strain, if desired.
Place the peppers, aromatics, seasoning, and spices in a food processor or blender with some of the cooking liquid to make the sauce.
Store guajillo sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4 – 5 days. Reheat it gently in a saucepan and use as desired. Guajillo sauce freezes well. It can be frozen in freezable containers or in ice cube trays to be used as needed.
Use liberally on a variety of meats!
This mild red chili sauce goes well with so many Mexican dishes! ~Linda
Guajillo Sauce (adapted from chilipeppermadness.com) Total Time Required: 35 minutes, Prep Time: 10 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Soaking Time: 15 minutes, Makes: about 2-1/2 cups of sauce
Ingredients:
- 10-12 dried guajillo peppers stemmed and seeded
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 cup soaking liquid or water
Directions:
Dry toast the dried guajillo peppers in a heated pan over medium heat. Toast them for a couple of minutes per side, until they start to puff up slightly.
Cool the peppers, then put them into a heavy bowl with enough hot water to cover them. Let them soak for 20 minutes, or until they become very soft. Remove the peppers from the water. Place them in a blender or food processor, reserving 1 cup of the dark soaking water.
In the same heated pan, add the olive oil. Cook the onions for about 3 minutes, or until they become translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute, until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the onions and garlic to the food processor along with the sea salt and cumin. Pour in some of the reserved soaking liquid or some water and process it to form a sauce. It will be very thick at this point. Add in more liquid, a half cup at a time, until you achieve the desired consistency. Strain, if desired.
Store guajillo sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. Reheat it gently in a saucepan and use as desired. Guajillo sauce freezes well. It can be frozen in freezable containers or in ice cube trays to be used as needed.