gluten-free · soy-free · nut-free

Chile de Árbol is one of my favorite chiles; it adds that spiciness to dishes and the flavor is earthy and delicious. It’s definitely the go-to chili for spiciness in your dishes, and as a Mexican who loves spicy food, I love chile de Árbol! It’s so versatile too—you can make sauces with it, put it in your nachos, top your soups with it…the list goes on.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on a special kind of chile de Árbol from Yahualica, a town in the central state of Jalisco, in Mexico. It happens to be one of the 2 chilis in Mexico that have a protected designation of origin (PDO), which means that no other type of chili de Árbol can be called chile de Yahualica because no other chile de Árbol is grown with the same properties in the soil as the ones in Yahualica. It’s a product that can only be made there, much like champagne can only come from the province of Champagne in France and Parmigiano-Reggiano can only come from specific locations in Italy. The other chili with a PDO, if you were wondering, is the habanero from Yucatán.

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do something amazing with these chiles Yahualica, so I’m sharing 3 different recipes for 3 different salsas, all using chile de Árbol. If you like spicy food, these recipes are for you!

Great for:

Tomatillo and Chile de Árbol Salsa: Tacos, tortas (sandwiches), guaraches, sopes, falafel, burgers, and even marinades.

Chile de Árbol Salsa Roja: Chilaquiles, enchiladas, served over cooked vegetables, or to season grains.

Garlic Chili Sauce: Soups, ramen, pozole, or mixed into beans.

  

watch the recipe video:

  

Tomatillo & Chile de Árbol Salsa

Yields 200 ml

300g (about 8) tomatillos

7g (about 7) dried chile de Arbol, destemmed

50g white onion, quartered

16g (3 large cloves) garlic, skin on

Sea salt, to taste

  

1. Remove the husk from the tomatillos and rinse them under cold water.

2. Heat a medium pan on medium flame and toast the chiles de Arbol for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant, stirring them frequently. Remove from heat and set aside.

3. In the same pan, place tomatillos, onion, and garlic. Char on medium-high flame until everything is charred evenly on both sides. The garlic will finish charring first, so remove from the pan once both sides are nice and dark golden brown. The tomatillos will be ready once they are golden brown and have turned a more pale green color. Remove onion and tomatillos from heat too when done.

4. In a molcajete*, place the charred garlic (skin now removed) and 3 pinches of salt. Mash into a purée. Add the toasted chiles and mash until they’ve all broken down and formed a paste (about 3 minutes).

5. Add onion and mash also until integrated into the paste. Then add the cooked tomatillos one by one, being careful once you mash them as they release water when they burst. Keep mashing until all the tomatillos have been added and everything is one homogenous paste, with no big chunks of anything.

6. Season with salt to taste. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

*If you don’t have a molcajete, you can use a pestle & mortar (if it’s small, do it in batches), food processor, or blender.

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Chile de Árbol Salsa Roja

Yields 445 ml

4g (about 6) dried chiles de Arbol, destemmed

380g (about 3) Roma tomatoes

50g white onion, quartered

15g (about 3 cloves) garlic, peeled

Filtered water, for cooking

15ml olive oil

Sea salt, to taste

  

1. Heat a pan on medium heat and toast the chile de Arbol for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a medium pot, place tomatoes, onion, garlic, and toasted chiles and add enough filtered water to cover everything. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.

3. Remove everything from the water and add to a high-speed blender, along with 1 cup of the cooking water. Blend on high for 1 minute, or until completely smooth.

4. Heat a pot on medium heat and add olive oil. Pour the sauce into it, being careful as it can splash the hot oil. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove any foam that rises to the top.

5. Season with salt to taste. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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Garlic Chili Sauce

yields 220 ml

155ml olive oil

55g (about 12 cloves ) garlic, peeled

22g white onion, chopped

50g dried chile de Arbol, destemmed

Sea salt, to taste

  

1. Heat a medium pan on medium flame and add half of the olive oil, garlic, and onion. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until everything is golden brown, stirring frequently.

2. Remove garlic and onion from heat and set aside. Lower the heat and add the chiles. Make surer the oil is not very hot—it should just be warm—otherwise, the chiles will burn and become bitter. Cook them for about 1 minute, stirring frequently. They are done when they become fragrant and change color from light red to dark red. Once toasted, remove from the pan and set aside in another container to cool.

3. Add garlic, onion, and chiles to a high-speed blender, along with the oil from the pan and the remaining oil. Pulse or blend on low speed for about 20 seconds to combine. The sauce should be chunky, but you can make it slightly smoother if you prefer by blending it for longer.

4. Season with salt to taste. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 1 month.