Up close, this salsa is deep red. From afar, it’s a majestic black.
It’s very routine to have several salsas at a mexican dinner table. Ones that are mild – all the way to piping hot for the elders. Watching my family make homemade salsa, i’d always be drawn to the dried chilis. They smelt smoky, we’re interesting to touch and seemed to be an element you had to be skilled to work with. I’d shake them to hear the seeds move on the inside and resist the urge to bite them. All of this to say; I now get to be an adult and play with my dried chilis, too.
This recipe represents my love for chilis – both raw and dried. In a word, this salsa is wise. It tastes smoky, rich and packs a little heat. I use it to marinade tofu in, overnight – to make incredible seared tofu bowls.
However you enjoy this salsa, it’s beauty speaks for itself.
The chili is supreme.
Salsa Negra
Ingredients
- 4 tomatillos, husked removed*
- 4 pasilla chiles (dried)
- 1 chile negro (dried)
- 4 guajillo chiles (dried)
- 2 chile de arbol (dried)
- 1 roma tomato
- 1 poblano pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, skins attached
- ½ white onion, skin removed
- 1 tbsp liquid aminos, or nama shoyu *
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ½ cup chili water (see notes)*
- 1 tbsp bouillon *
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups water
Instructions
- Remove the stem and most of the seeds from all of your dried chile (leaving some seeds is great, I do!)
- Set the chiles aside and save the seeds for future chili oil recipes
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper
- Set your oven to broil and make sure the rack is in the middle (not towards the top of the coil)
- Onto the baking tray place your whole husked tomatillos, whole roma tomatoes, whole poblano pepper, whole onion and garlic with the skin on
- Place in the middle rack of the broiler
- Allow them to broil for 8-10 minutes
- You want to have a few charred spots on the produce, watch for burning
- While they are broiling, add all of your dried chiles to a large skillet on low flame
- Dry toast them for 2-3 minutes – stirring continuously
- Boil a pot of water (about 4 cups)
- Once boiling, remove from heat and add your toasted dried chiles
- Cover with a lid and allow to sit for 15 minutes (you’re making chile water)
- By now your produce should be broiled
- Remove tray from oven, carefully take the stems off of the poblano pepper and skins off of the garlic
- Add all roasted produce, soaked chile peppers, ½ cup chile water and all remaining ingredients to a blender/food processor/hand blend with an immersion blender
- Blend until creamy smooth
- Serve warm, room temp or chilled
