This is my recipe for New Mexico Red Chile Sauce. There are several red chile variations, but this is the one my family and I love and have been making for many years.
"*" See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
WARNING! Wear a mask and gloves! The particles emitted from breaking the dried chile pods are spicy and could be very irritating to eyes and throat. Handling of the pods could cause your hands to burn depending on the heat of the chile.
Break off the stems of the chile pods and shake out the seeds. If using pods from a ristra* , check for mold on the inside of the pods. Discard pods with mold. Wash pods and transfer to a pot. (I use a small stock pot.)
Transfer all ingredients to the pot with the chile. Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat for a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes until the pods are rehydrated (see picture below). Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for another 10 - 30 minutes. (You might want to run the stovetop vent to keep the spiciness of the cook from filling the kitchen.)
Once cool enough to handle, process using one of the following blender methods.
Method 1: - Fill a blender with about 1/3 of the rehydrated chile, some of the other ingredients (onion, garlic, spices), and about 1 cup of the water. (You might need to scoop to the bottom of the pot to get to the spices.)
Purée until you have a smooth texture. Add more water if you need to. Once you get a smooth texture, pour into a bowl and repeat with the rest of the chile in two batches.
To get a even smoother sauce, blend again after the sauce sits for 20 minutes.
Method 2: Ladlle out 1 cup of liquid and reserve. Using an emersion blender, blend the chile and other ingredients to a smooth texture. If you need more liquid, use some of the reserve liquid. Just be careful not to get it too thin.
If you want a really smooth texture, the strain the sauce through a colander. See Kitchen Notes for detailed instructions.
Divide the sauce into 1 to 2 cup servings. Freeze what you can’t use in 3 to 4 days.*
Red Chile Pods - It's best NOT to use pods from a ristra because ristras tend to draw bugs and do absorb moisture, creating mold. However, if that is what you have, just rinse thoroughly, cut the pods open lengthwise and check for mold. Discard any pieces with mold.
Liquid – Chicken stock can be used in place of water or you could use both water and stock. Personally, I prefer to use just water, but many people use stock.
Cumin – If you’ve looked at a lot of New Mexico red chile sauce recipes, you’ll find cumin, coriander, both cumin and coriander and neither cumin nor coriander. What you use is personal preference. Having made it several ways over the years, I prefer adding a little cumin to my red chile sauce. If you don’t like cumin, then don’t use it. It’s all about the chile anyway.
Straining the Sauce – Some readers have brought it my attention that their blenders are insufficient in creating a really smooth sauce. If you can’t get the texture you desire, then pour the red chile in small batches into a colander. Using a rubber spatula, move the sauce through the holes of the colander. This will extract any of the larger pieces that didn’t blend and create and smoother sauce.
Freezing Red Chile Sauce – This sauce freezes great and last for up to a year or more in the freezer – although I really wouldn’t know for sure because mine never last past 3 months. When I plan to freeze it, I usually make a thicker sauce and transfer to small (1 cup) freezer containers. This takes up less space in the freezer and freezer space is always an issue. You could also freeze the sauce in ice cube trays, then transfer the frozen cubes to a plastic bag.
To use frozen chile sauce, remove frozen chile from the container to a small sauce pan with a little bit of water. Cover, heat on low, stirring as it thaws. You could also “defrost” in your microwave for 3 minutes before transferring it to a sauce pan. Once thawed, whisk to regain the smooth texture. Add more water or stock if needed.
Canning Red Chile Sauce – I’ve never canned red chile sauce, but I did find the following process over at Pepperfool which looks like it might work. This process says “To can: Fill sterilized 1-pint jars, cap, and process in a pressure canner at 15 lbs pressure for 15 minutes.” I have not been able to find any process for using a water-bath to can red chile sauce.
How to Tone Down the Heat of a Red Chile Sauce – Here are a couple of ways:
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen