Chile Pulla Adobo Sauce

One of the biggest problems I used to have when I first moved to central New York was finding all of the ingredients to prepare dishes from home. Lucky for me, it has improved greatly! I can find most of the basics now and the few specialty items can be ordered online. One of my most recent finds was this great company named Lupita’s Brand. They sell a wide variety of dried chiles, which I use alot in my cooking. They also carry the hard to find items like huitlacoche(corn truffles) and flor de calabaza(squash blossoms). I have tried both of those items and prepared some tasty dishes. In today’s post, I am featuring the dried chile pulla. It is a bit larger and wider in size compared to the chile de arbol. It is not as spicy, but then again, I like my food extra spicy. I prepared a large batch of a Mexican-style adobo sauce using the chile pulla. The first step requires the chile to be dry toasted/roasted on a comal(griddle). Not everybody feels comfortable doing this step because the chiles can burn if you are not paying attention. You also have to make sure you are doing this with plenty of ventilation. Many times, I will do this on an outdoor grill when possible. But, don’t let that discourage you. If you had to skip that step and go right into cooking the peppers, it will still be delicious.  The spices I added to this adobo are similar to the spices I add to my chorizo recipe. It could be used to prepare chorizo, as a sauce just as is or as a marinade for different meats and seafood. At the end of the blog post, I share with you a quick grilled chicken recipe using the adobo. I will also be sharing a few other recipes in the next couple of weeks also using the adobo. #mexicanfood #homecooks

Chile Pulla Adobo Sauce-Large Batch

Yields about 5 cups

Ingredients

8 oz chile pulla, stems removed
1 cup  white vinegar
2 cups water
knorr bouillon powder, about 3 tablespoons
1 tablespoon. granulated garlic
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon chile de arbol  or chipotle powder
1/2 teaspoon ground mexican cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon clove

*Salt to taste

Directions

Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat for a few minutes. In small batches, place the chile pulla on the hot surface. As soon as they become aromatic, turn them as needed. You will need to rotate them and turn them often so they don’t burn. You will have some charred spots, that is what you want.

Place all the dry toasted chiles in a large pot of simmering water. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let peppers cool at room temperature, soaking in the water.

Drain all of the water from peppers and transfer them to the blender. Add the vinegar, water and all of the remaining ingredients listed. Pulse to blend a few times, then blend on high until you have a smooth sauce.

Strain the sauce into a bowl using a wire mesh strainer. Set aside. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pot to medium heat. After a few minutes, pour in the strained sauce. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust any of the seasonings at this time. If the the sauce is too thick, you could add a little water or broth at a time.  Or if it’s too thin, let it reduce a little more by cooking for a few more minutes.

Cool, completely before storing in an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. If needed, divide into smaller portions using freezer bags and freeze until ready to use. Yields about 5 cups.

It’s never a bad idea to rinse off the dried peppers. Sometimes they can have a little dirt on them. 

Lupitas’s Brand is available online. I have enjoyed their dried chiles  and a few of their other products. Great customer service! Click onto the picture above to visit their site.  

After toasting the dried chiles, I then will place them in simmering water and cook them for 10 minutes. I let them sit in the water for 1 to 2 hours so they are extra soft.

When I find myself with an excess of dried chiles, I will prepare several varieties of sauces. Some I will season to become an adobo or marinade. And some I will leave as is to use for other recipes, such as my red chile infused corn tortillas.

The adobo sauce will darken and thicken slightly after a few days.

Chicken Breast Marinated in the Chile Pulla Adobo

Three large chicken breast sliced in half so you have 6 thin pieces. Season lightly with salt and pepper and then cover with enough adobo to coat evenly. Marinate for a few hours. Grill  on high for 3-5 minutes per side of preheated grill. 

The skewers ingredients include pineapple, bacon, red bell pepper, jalapeño and red onion. Grill along side of chicken for 6-8 minutes or until bacon is cooked through.