Chili Rojo or Red Chili Sauce is one of the base sauces used in Mexican cuisine. This deep rich red sauce is made of dried chilies that are toasted, reconstituted, and blended with spices to a smooth consistency. It is most commonly served with enchiladas and tamales.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Blending & Straining10 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Chili Rojo, Mexican Enchilada Sauce
Servings: 2Batches
Equipment
Cast Iron Skillet, Griddle or Comal
Blender
Strainer and large bowl
Ingredients
4eachChili Guajillo
4eachChili Ancho
1mediumWhite Onion
4clovesGarlic
2tspSalt
1tspCumin
1tspDried Oregano
1tspVegetable Oil
Instructions
Rinse chilis and pat dry with paper towels. Remove stems and seeds from each chili. Peel the garlic cloves and onion. Slice onion in half.
Heat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium high heat, and toast the chilis about 10-20 seconds until fragrant and just starting to brown, being careful not to burn them. Add one at a time to saucepan as they are done, and cover with water. Bring the water up to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes until all the chili's are soft and rehydrated.
Meanwhile continue to roast garlic and onion halves until charred. Remove from griddle.
Remove chilis from the saucepan with tongs and to a blender, reserving the chili water. Strain out any seeds and measure 3 cups of the chili water and add to blender.
Add roasted garlic and onion to the blender with the chilis. Add spices, and blend until smooth. Add more strained chili water to get a desired consistency. Blended sauce should not be too thick to pour through a strainer.
Strain out skins and any remaining seeds by passing the blended chili sauce through a strainer or food mill, pressing sauce through until only solids remain. Discard the solids.
Heat up 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium high heat. Pour smooth Chili Rojo sauce mixture into a saucepan and cook for 3-5 minutes until heated through. Then sauce is ready to be used.