Salsa Macha?

[Mosca]

Salsa Macha!

This is quite mild and really has an insane depth of flavor.

Take some guajillo and ancho chillis (about 4-6 total) and cut them up with scissors into 1/4" pieces, discarding the seeds. Dump them into a pot with 2 cups of olive oil, 4-6 cloves of diced garlic, about 1 tsp of cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp of salt, an 3 tsp of Mexican oregano. (I added about 1 tbl of red pepper flakes to kick the heat up.)

Heat on medium-high until the garlic is slightly browned. Then remove from the heat and cool (which steeps the chilis and garlic in the oil and makes an infused chili oil).

Then pulse the mixture in a food processor until it is just under a puree. Salsa macha is supposed to be slightly crunchy.

Drink straight (no, just kidding) or use whenever one would use an infused oil. Bread dipped in this is amazing.

I’ve taken a couple stabs at this. But, also I’ve never tasted it. I haven’t been satisfied with my results; mine comes out somewhat bitter, and unpleasant. So I’ve never known if that’s what it’s supposed to taste like! And, all the recipes I’ve seen call for nuts: either peanuts, or cashews, or pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.

So I found a jar at the supermarket today, Tia Lupita brand; it has peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds, along with chilis, garlic, and oil.

This stuff is… odd. Not BAD, like the ones I made, just different. There’s some chili crisp going on there, sure, but this is just strange, new, and unusual.

I won’t say I don’t like it. But I’m not sure yet. I can’t imagine what I would add that flavor to. Is it a dip, like with chips? Do you put it on burgers, or tacos, or in burritos? Inform me. I can look it up, but I want to know what people I know do with it.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

a reddit rabbit hole led me to this lady, she apparently uses the stuff a lot!

I don't think I've ever had it, and it doesn't look like something I would choose on accident... but will be on the look out for it in the future just to try

Salsa Macha with Chef Nadia's Twist 💃 My most asked for recipe! - Food My Muse

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Mosca not sure why link didn't go through at first, but I edited to add it. Use search on her site and it brings up recipes she uses it with.

[shify]

Yes, it is basically a mexican chili crisp.

I have had it as a condiment on things like eggs, potatoes, rice and grilled steaks/chicken

[SheilaAnn]

We sell a fantastic one at my market!

[barelfly]

Here’s a recipe I’ve made in the past, coming from my favorite taco book by Alex Stupak, Tacos: Recipes and Provocations. Everything I have made from this book has been excellent and I’ve posted about it a number of times.

https://www.jamesbeard.org/recipes/chicken-wing-tacos-with-salsa-macha

[Mosca]

Well, I guess I’ll try something for breakfast tomorrow. I think I’ll lay down some salsa macha in a cast iron skillet, do a couple eggs over easy in that, then make tacos with avocado, bacon, cherry tomatoes, and queso fresco. Maybe drop some cilantro on it? Idk if that would go with the macha. I’d do the eggs scrambled, but I’m on a lacy white-runny yolk kick right now.

barelfly The salsa macha I bought is not hot at all; the link you gave calls it “wicked-hot” and uses arbols. I’ll amp mine up with some arbol-scorpion hot sauce I have!

[barelfly]

It’s been a while since I’ve made this macha. I know one I made from his book was freaking fire! But I don’t know if it was this one. Chile de Arbol is one I use often, even in my Asian dishes. I’ll go back to the book and see if I can find the fire sauce for you

[Mosca]

I just tried a teaspoonful of the store bought macha and the hot sauce mixed, it is really good. But I want the recipe anyhow; every new salsa I make ruins the store bought version for me. I haven’t bought a jar of salsa in a couple years! Why should I when they are so easy to make?

[Mosca]

And arbols are really neat little peppers, aren’t they? They’re not that high up the scale, but they react to being cooked by seeming hotter, releasing all their heat at once when they hit your mouth! Italian long hots do the same thing.

[Michael_in_TX]

I still make it every-once-a-while. I've tried a few store bought ones and they are.....flat. Making one's own gets you that earthiness of Mexican dried chiles. I do struggle a little bit with how much to use. You can over do it. I mean, it is mostly infused oil so you don't want to flood a dish with it.

[Mosca]

Okay, the salsa macha breakfast taco is over at SUYB.