Chile puya-guajillo salsa! Yet, another winning combination to add to your salsa recipes! Today I will share with you a few tricks to achieve a better tasting red chile salsa.
But, First….Tacos!
I grew up with corn tortilla quesadillas and now it’s like the biggest Mexican food craze! What? Quesatacos to be exact. A cross between a quesadilla and a taco. I like to add the shredded cheese directly to the nonstick, hot surface and wait until it cooks to yield a delicious crust. Others like to add the cheese directly to tortillas with filling on the hot surface as it cooks. On this day I was preparing my recipe for tacos gobernador (shrimp tacos). A fresh garnish of shredded cabbage, cilantro, red onion and chile puya-guajillo salsa.
Are You Still Not Sure?
Are you still unsure what to do with that big bag of dried chile guajillo, ancho and arbol? I can’t imagine what I would do if I didn’t have access to them. On many occasions, I have had to ship them across the country to New York while visiting familia. It’s worth it for me. Life is too short! Enjoy it!
What’s The Secret To Good Tacos?
For me, it’s a good salsa and good corn tortillas! The filling is important too, but without a the salsa and corn tortilla, it could ruin a perfectly good taco night. I will take the time to prepare a small batch of corn tortillas when I am craving good tacos.
Let’s Get To It!
Keep scrolling until the end to see my quick minute tutorial for this tasty recipe of chile puya-guajillo salsa!
Chile Puya-Guajillo Salsa
Ingredients
- 10-12 chile puya remove stems and most seeds
- 3 chile guajillo remove stems and most seeds
- 6 cloves of garlic leave skins on
- 5-6 cups Water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado or grapeseed oil
Instructions
- Wipe down the dried chiles. Remove stems and most of the seeds. Seeds don't bother me. I have a power blender! On the other burner, heat 4 1/2 cups water in a medium pot at medium.
- Toast the dried chiles on a preheated griddle(comal) at medium. Toast just until they become aromatic, turning as need. This takes about a minute. Transfer to a pot of simmering water for 10 minutes.
- Dry roast the garlic with the skins on for no more than 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Drain most of the water from dried chiles and transfer to blender jar. Add peeled garlic, salt to taste, 2 tablespoons vinegar and about 1 1/2 cups of fresh water. Blend on high until very smooth!
- Pour salsa into medium pot with preheated 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Essentially you are frying the salsa! This will cook out any impurities, develop better flavors and texture in your salsa. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed. Taste for salt. Cool completely. Store in glass jar, refrigerated. Use on all your favorite Mexican food or as a braising sauce base.
What would be the closest substitute for the puya chiles? I already have the guajillos.
Well, most other smaller dried chiles are a lot more spicy. If I had to pick a susbtitute, I would look for chile japones. I would double up on the chile guajillo and add about 8-10 chile japones.