Salsa Macha is one of my new favorite condiments. It is a Mexican-style chile oil made with dried peppers, garlic, nuts, and seeds. It is much more textured than regular Chinese chili oil, and now I find myself adding it to all my dishes for a little spice and crunch.
๐ฒ๐ฝ About This Recipe
Salsa Macha (or Mexican Chili Oil) is a staple in Mexican cuisine. It is an oil-based chile sauce that is made with dried chili peppers, nuts, seeds, spices, and garlic. You can use it on a variety of Mexican dishes and it can be made in many different ways.
The first time I had salsa macha was at an authentic Tamale restaurant in Vancouver. It was SO good. I drizzled it all over my tamales and even had some straight from the spoon. I thought chili oil was only used in Chinese cooking but I was totally wrong.
This is hands down one of the easiest ways to level up your Mexican cooking. Depending on what chile peppers you use, you can create a smoky, sweet, spicy, or entirely unique chili oil. There is no right or wrong way to make it, and as long as you don't completely burn the chilis, it will come out delicious.
๐ถ๏ธ What Chile Peppers To Use?
As I said previously, the flavor of the chili oil depends largely on the chile peppers that you choose. Traditionally, it is made with at least two. I did some digging in my cookbooks, and I found that Guajillo chile peppers and Arbol chile peppers are the most common. If this is your first time making Salsa Macha, I would recommend sticking with those two first.
Guajillo chile peppers are mainly used for their smoky flavor, and arbol chile peppers are used for their heat. If you want the chile oil to be less spicy, then you would add less arbol.
Other popular choices that I have heard are: chile morita, chile puya, cascabel, and chile ancho.
๐ง Ingredients
- Dried Chile Peppers: I'm using a combination of guajillo and arbol chiles. I got these in big bags from a Mexican specialty store. It was at least half the price of buying them at a typical Western grocery store.
- Oil: I am using canola oil, but you can use whatever one you prefer. I have heard many chefs like to make it with olive oil. But I'd recommend a cheaper one, as it might be a waste to use a fancy one for this.
- Garlic: You will want to mince this so more flavor can be extracted.
- Nuts & Seeds: I've kept it pretty standard with just peanuts and sesame seeds. These are the most common nuts and seeds that I see. You can also use almonds and sunflower seeds.
- Salt & Vinegar: I'm using white vinegar but you can use whatever you have. Apple cider vinegar is a popular choice.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Add the oil to a medium saucepan. Start with it on medium heat and then lower it to medium-low once it comes to temperature. The temperature should be around 225-250โ. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes until they are golden brown. Stir it occasionally so it doesn't burn.
STEP 2: Add the dried chiles and sesame seeds. They should sizzle slightly, and their smell should fill your kitchen. Cook for 1 minute then remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
STEP 3: Add the chile mixture and the rest of the ingredients to a blender and do short 1-second pulses until the chile oil is finely chopped. If you blend it too fast, the chile mixture might turn cloudy because of air bubbles being incorporated into the oil.
At this point, the chile oil is ready to serve! You can eat it now or store it in your fridge for up to two weeks.
๐ Tip From My Mexican Friend
When I told my friends I was making Salsa Macha, one of my Mexican friends was really eager to share his abuela's secret with me. Apparently, she adds a small amount of cacao nibs to hers.
I did some research and it is not very common but somewhere in the depths of Youtube I found some old videos of Mexican ladies doing the same thing. So I guess it has some merit.
I tried it and it was actually pretty good. Cacao nibs are crushed cocoa beans that can be eaten directly. If you want to try it, just add a teaspoon of them. They add a nice tang that helps balance the warmth of the chiles.
๐ Recipe
Salsa Macha (Mexican Chili Oil)
Ingredients
- 1 cup neutral oil
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups dried chiles (use a mixture of guajillo and arbol chile peppers, with approximately 80% guajillo and 20% arbol; de-stemmed, seeds removed, and cut into ยฝ inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- ยฝ cup roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
- ยฝ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Instructions
- Add the oil to a medium saucepan. Start with it on medium heat and then lower it to medium-low once it comes to temperature. The temperature should be around 225-250โ. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes until they are golden brown. Stir it occasionally so it doesn't burn.
- Add the dried chiles and sesame seeds. They should sizzle slightly, and their smell should fill your kitchen. Cook for 1 minute then remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
- Add the chile mixture and the rest of the ingredients to a blender and do short 1-second pulses until the chile oil is finely chopped. If you blend it too fast, the chile mixture might turn cloudy because of air bubbles being incorporated into the oil.
- At this point, the chile oil is ready to serve! You can eat it now or store it in your fridge for up to two weeks.
Lola Poncelet
Fabulous recipe! I used only Morita chiles and I substituted the peanuts with roasted walnuts. I also added dried cranberries. Holy moly, we ate this salsa macha on absolutely everything, even a cabbage salad! This is a now regular condiment in our fridge. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Grump
That sounds so good!