Chipotle Chiles in Adobo Sauce

Ingredients

• 80 g whole dried chipotle chiles
• 400 g canned peeled tomatoes
• 150 g yellow onion
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 80 ml cider vinegar
• 350 ml water
• 20 g dried ancho chile
• 25 g dried guajillo chile
• 30 ml sunflower oil
• 25 g light brown cane sugar
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano or regular dried oregano
• 1 leaf dried bay leaf
• 2 tsp fine salt

Method

1. Wipe the chipotle, ancho, and guajillo chiles with a dry cloth. Carefully open them, remove the stems, and shake out some of the seeds if you want a milder sauce, keeping the flesh dry and fragrant.
2. Heat a dry Dutch oven over medium heat. Quickly toast the ancho and guajillo chiles on the hot surface, pressing them with a spatula, until they become pliable, glossier, and release aromas of raisin, smoke, and cocoa. Do not let them blacken, or bitterness will dominate.
3. Place the toasted chiles in a heatproof bowl, cover them with water brought just below a boil, and let them soften until the flesh bends without breaking. Keep the soaking water, which will add body to the sauce.
4. Meanwhile, cut the onion into even pieces and peel the garlic. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and sweat it until translucent, slightly golden at the edges, and distinctly sweet-smelling. Add the garlic and stir until it perfumes the oil without browning.
5. Add the peeled tomatoes with their juices. Crush them roughly with a spoon, then simmer until the vegetable juices have reduced, the tomatoes have darkened slightly, and the oil begins to reappear around the edges.
6. Put the cooked tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a blender with the softened ancho and guajillo chiles, some of their soaking water, the vinegar, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt. Blend thoroughly until you have a smooth, thick, glossy, deep red purée. If the blender struggles, add a little soaking water instead of blending dry.
7. Return the sauce to the Dutch oven, passing it through a fine-mesh sieve if you want a smoother texture. Add the chipotle chiles and bay leaf. Bring it gently to a simmer, then lower the heat to maintain small, slow bubbles, never a vigorous boil.
8. Simmer uncovered, stirring often with a spatula, especially across the bottom of the Dutch oven, until the chipotles are tender, the sauce coats the spoon, and it leaves a brief trail when you scrape the bottom. It should be thick, reddish brown, smoky, and glossy, not as thin as a coulis.
9. Remove the bay leaf. Taste the sauce away from the heat: it should be smoky, tangy, salty, and slightly sweet, with clear heat. Adjust with a little salt if it tastes flat, or a splash of vinegar if the tomato flavor is too dominant.
10. Let cool until lukewarm before serving or putting into a clean jar. For a traditional serving, place a few whole chiles with their thick sauce over eggs, tacos, beans, rice, braised meats, or a simple guisado.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

258 kcal

Protein

5.87 g

Carbohydrate

30.35 g

Fat

12.68 g

Fibre

11.51 g

Calcium

96.17 mg

Iron

3.85 mg

Magnesium

36.69 mg