A purée of toasted chile de arbol, pecans, pumpkin seeds and coriander seeds into a spicy, thick sauce that can be used for chicken, enchiladas, tacos, or just about anything your heart desires.
*See Kitchen Notes for more information and links.
Add the onion and garlic to the skillet, remove from the heat and stir until the onion quits sizzling. Transfer to the simmering pot. Add ¼ cup water to the skillet to deglaze. Pour that water into the simmering pot.
Remove the pot of water with ingredients from the heat and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Transfer all ingredients (including water) to a blender. Add the lime juice and blend on high until smooth. If it gets too thick, add a little water, but be careful not to add to much. You want the consistency of a thick sauce but thinner than a paste.
It does keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Freeze what you don't use.
Chile de Arbol – Because these are very intense chiles, I recommend using 4 for a medium heat, 8 for hot. Even with just a few chiles in this sauce, they still provide a tremendous amount of flavor (and heat) that rises above all of the other flavors. If you don’t have chile de arbol, then give your favorite chile pepper a try. Any flavorful, spicy small chile should work just fine in this recipe.
Pumpkin Seeds – Sunflower seeds can be used in place of pumpkin seeds as well as a mix of sunflower and pumpkin. You could also throw in a few sesame seeds.
Pecans – Well it wouldn’t be a pecan sauce without the pecans, but if you don’t have any, you can definitely substitute with almonds. And if you want a completely different flavor, then use peanuts with a sesame/pumpkin seed mix. This combination works great with pork and shrimp.
Recipe author: MJ of MJ's Kitchen