Consider Salsa Macha the Mexican version of chili crisp oil, but with more earthy flavor than heat. You’ll wonder how your tacos ever did without it…
After the first time I created my Salsa Macha, my fridge has never been without it. We spoon it over any manner of taco meat from shrimp to chicken to carne asada. We sub it over hot sauce for breakfast eggs. We even slathered it over filets of white fleshed fish before roasting. Delish.
My salsa macha recipe has evolved to contain a lot of the ingredients that I love. For example, I replaced the more traditional peanuts with pepitas. You can experiment with different nuts and seeds to create a custom blend, and even try some different chilis to increase or lower the heat. Pro tip: in my recipe, arbol is the spiciest of the chilies, so if you’re looking for more heat definitely add in a couple more.
Salsa Macha with pepitas and sesame
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 cups 1x
Ingredients
2 ancho chilies
2 guajillo chilies
2 chile de arbol
2 pasilla chilies
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 cups olive oil
2 teaspoon cider vinegar or juice of half an orange
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/3 cup peptitas
2 teaspoons dried mexican oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare all the dried chilies by removing and discarding the seeds and stems, and roughly chopping.
- Place the oil into a small saucepan over medium high heat.
- Add the garlic, sesame seeds and pepitas. Stir regularly until garlic turns a golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. The mixture should bubble continuously.
- Turn off the heat, then add the chopped chilies. Stir, then let the chilies steep about 10 minutes.
- Pour the oil mixture into a blender, and add the vinegar, salt and oregano.
- Pulse in the blender to combine, but still keep the mixture coarse.
- Store in air tight container in the fridge for up to a month.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Cuisine: Mexican
The rich, deep toasty smell is out of this world and the flavor is awesome. I had it on steak, sandwiches and my scrambled eggs. Just amazing