Guajillo Enchilada Sauce
Lynley Jones
I created this all-guajillo chile sauce in style of the Sonoran-style enchilada sauce I grew up with. Lighter in taste and redder in appearance than sauces made from other dried chiles. Serve it with Enchilada-Style Chicken Burritos or Red Chicken Enchiladas.
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
Guajillo Enchilada Sauce made in the Adventure Kitchen with toasted guajillo chiles, garlic and chicken broth.
2 cups chicken broth (see notes)
4 fat cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/3 teaspoon ground cumin
Up to 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt (or half this amount if using table salt), plus more if needed
Up to 1/2 teaspoon sugar if needed to counter bitterness
Instructions
1. Put about 3 cups of water in a covered saucepan or kettle and set it over high heat to come to a boil. In another saucepan, warm the chicken broth over medium heat with the lid askew until steaming.
2. Set a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat and add the unpeeled garlic to the pan. The skin will brown in places as the garlic roasts and softens. Toss them around occasionally so they brown evenly on all sides, for about 15 minutes.
These are dried guajillo chiles in my kitchen. They're usually a deep burgundy color, but can sometimes range into a lighter shade. If they're still fairly fresh when you buy them, they should be somewhat pliable, like leather. If they're older and brittle, you can still use them; you'll just toast them in whatever pieces they break into as you work.
3. Set a larger, dry skillet over medium heat. Use a sharp knife to remove the stems from the chiles. Then, slice down one side to open each chile so it can lay flat. Remove and discard all the seeds. Work in batches to toast the chiles in the skillet, by flattening them into the pan with a spatula, skin side down. Depending on the heat, it may only take a few seconds for each chile to brown and blacken in spots as you do this. Flip them over and briefly toast the other side. As you finish the chiles, drop them into a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over the chiles to cover them. If they float, place a plate or bowl over them to keep them submerged. Let the chiles soak and soften in the water for about 30 minutes.
Toasting a guajillo chile, skin side down.
4. When the garlic cloves have softened, squeeze them out of their papers and into a blender. Add the steaming broth, Mexican oregano, cumin and half the salt and pulse a few times to combine. When the chiles are softened, remove them from the soaking water and add them to the blender. Blend until thoroughly liquefied, venting the steam periodically to prevent the hot liquid from exploding out the top. (Yes, really.)
5. When the sauce has turned to liquid, stop the blender and taste:
Salt: This will all depend on the saltiness of the broth you used. In most cases, you'll need to add the rest of the salt, so that you'll use a full 1/4 teaspoon. If you are using low-sodium or unsalted broth, you'll need more. If you happen to be using very salty broth, you may need less. It should taste delicious but not salty. If you're not sure, add a pinch, blend it to combine, then taste. If you notice a salty taste emerging, stop. But if you just notice the flavor has improved, you may want to add a bit more.
Sugar: This may seem like a strange ingredient in enchilada sauce, but it is commonly used to counter the bitterness that sometimes emerges when cooking with dried chiles. If you notice a bitter taste, add a pinch or two of sugar and blend to combine. The end result should eliminate the bitterness, but not turn the sauce sweet.
When the sauce is properly seasoned, pour it through a large-mesh strainer to remove any tough bits of skin or stray seeds.
These are guajillo chiles rehydrading in a bowl of hot water. I put a plate over the chiles in the bowl to keep them submerged in the water.
Notes:
Store the finished sauce covered in the refrigerator for up to a week, or use it right away to make Red Chicken Enchiladas or Enchilada-Style Chicken Burritos.
Use a flavorful chicken broth, either homemade or store-bought. If you're using low-sodium or unsalted broth, you'll need quite a bit more salt than called for.
Spices and ingredients used in this dish:
Mexican oregano has a citrusy-floral flavor with a hint of anise. It’s a quintessential ingredient in many Mexican dishes. Use it in taco seasonings, enchilada sauce, soups and more.
Organic. Richly flavorful, ground organic cumin seeds from India and Turkey. These ground cumin seeds have a robust flavor and a beautifully silky appearance. Cumin is a classic ingredient in cuisines around the world, including Indian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and many others.
1/2-cup sized jar.
These mildly spicy dried chiles are a classic ingredient in Mexican and other Latin cuisines. Guajillo chiles add a brighter chile flavor than their ancho cousins. They’re mildly spicy and contribute a ruddy red color when ground. Toast them first, or use them as-is. Drop them whole into a soup or stew pot, grind or blend them into enchilada sauce, add them to chocolate and more.
About 6 chiles/bag.
See recipes below…
This recipe was featured in my Series of Unfortunate Recipes, inspired by the foods in the Lemony Snicket books and Netflix series. (Don't worry - this sauce is tasty. It's the story that's unfortunate.)