Red Chili Sauce (To Be Used With Traditional Tamales)

"This is the recipe I use to make recipe #15286. For an online tamale making tutorial, including pictures, please see http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=188623 posted in the Mexican cooking forum."
 
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photo by Jonathan Melendez photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Jonathan Melendez
photo by Kelarae photo by Kelarae
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by DianaEatingRichly photo by DianaEatingRichly
photo by Rita1652 photo by Rita1652
Ready In:
1hr 5mins
Ingredients:
6
Yields:
4 cups
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ingredients

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directions

  • Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers.
  • Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  • Roast in 350°F oven for 2 to 5 minutes or until you smell a sweet roasted aroma, checking often to avoid burning.
  • Remove from oven and soak in enough hot water to cover for about 30 minutes or until cool.
  • Put peppers and 2 1/2 cups of the soaking water into a blender (save the remaining soaking water).
  • Add garlic, cumin and salt.
  • Cover and blend until smooth.
  • In a 2-quart sauce pan, stir flour into oil or melted shortening over med heat until browned.
  • Carefully stir in blended chili mixture.
  • Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. (If sauce gets too thick, stir in up to 1 cup of the remaining soaking water until you reach the desired thickness) Use this sauce for traditional tamales, recipe #15286.
  • Note: When working with chilies, use rubber gloves to protect your skin, and avoid contact with your eyes. Wash hands throughly with soap and water to remove all of the chili oils.

Questions & Replies

  1. Has anyone made them with Gaujillo chilies, if so how is the flavor? I want flavorful not spicy ??
     
  2. How I know I have the right chili peppers. I have all of them. Do mix them? Do I use only one kind? The picture you posted looks good . What kind did you used ?
     
  3. Can you use arbol chili pods
     
  4. Has anyone ever added the meat juices to the red sauce? If so, how did it turn out?
     
  5. Can I make tamales with fresh Anaheim chiles?
     
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Reviews

  1. This sauce was very easy to make. I could smell the aroma from the peppers after they were in the oven for 1 minute and 45 sec. I will make an extra cup to put over the tamales before serving next time. You really need to make Karen's tamale recipe it is great!!
     
  2. This was great with the tamales, but I am thinking that it would also make a great base for chili.
     
  3. Amazing! This is an excellent tamale sauce! Some family members were skeptical, since there wasn't very many ingredients in it ("No tomatoes? I bet that's not very good." -My Mom), but I believed in the recipe (ha!). <br/><br/>I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great! I used dried guajillo chilis I found at the store and they were perfect. I cut off the stem, then sliced them open on one side so that I could get the seeds out. This worked well and was very fast. I would recommend straining the sauce before thickening it- there are lots of little pieces of chili skins that don't get blended completely. <br/><br/>Will definitely make this sauce again! Thanks!
     
  4. From someone with a Mexican Mother from Mexico this is very authentic. There are only a few minor differences. My Mother doesn’t use flour to thicken the sauce and usually uses the chicken stock from whatever meat she is cooking to add more flavor. If boiling the chilies instead of soaking NEVER uses the same water it makes the sauce bitter, always use fresh water. I sometime add a pinch of oregano as well. Thank you for sharing the authentic way of making this sauce that usually is the base of a lot of other Mexican dishes.
     
  5. This is my go-to sauce for tamales it's, I do not add the flour as a thickening agent. I usually simmer the sauce for about a half an hour and let it reduce a little, then add the shredded chicken or whatever meat I'm using and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. I make the sauce and meat mixture in a day before actually putting the tamales together and steaming. Here are some of my pics!
     
    • Review photo by Kelarae
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Tweaks

  1. It would be more authentic (and tasty) if you used lard instead of shortening or olive oil.
     
  2. From someone with a Mexican Mother from Mexico this is very authentic. There are only a few minor differences. My Mother doesnt use flour to thicken the sauce and usually uses the chicken stock from whatever meat she is cooking to add more flavor. If boiling the chilies instead of soaking NEVER uses the same water it makes the sauce bitter, always use fresh water. I sometime add a pinch of oregano as well. Thank you for sharing the authentic way of making this sauce that usually is the base of a lot of other Mexican dishes.
     
  3. I removed and shook out some of the seeds, but not all because I wanted the flavor and a mild heat.
     
  4. Added extra salt, 2 tlb sugar and a bit of vinegar.
     
  5. I added a bit of brown sugar, cinnamon and a touch more cumin.....Also I used freshly made chicken broth instead of water to the blender for even more taste - now it taste like the great tamale sauce one finds at Roosevelt's Tamale Parlor in San Francisco (Mission District - 24th & Florida st.).
     

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