Any fan of enchiladas knows that the main difference between a great enchilada and a mediocre one is the sauce. I don’t care how good the filling might be, if the sauce isn’t on point then an enchilada will never be great. That is why before anyone can make a great enchilada at home they need to know how to make a great enchilada sauce. You know the type of enchilada sauce that’s smokey, rich in flavor, and has the right amount of kick to it.
Luckily for you fine folks, today’s recipe for enchilada sauce is just what the doctor ordered. I’d even go as far as to say that this is the BEST damn enchilada sauce recipe ever conceived.
Okay, I’m sure someone’s abuelita has an issue with that statement. But still, this is a great enchilada sauce. It’s traditional (no tomatoes involved), it tastes great, and best of all it’s super easy to make. So stop buying those lame enchilada sauces from the store and start making the good stuff right in your own kitchen.
Ready? Then let’s get to it!
Tips, Tricks, & Suggestions
- The key ingredient to any enchilada sauce is the chiles. In fact, enchilada is the past participle for the Spanish word enchilar which translates as “to season with chile pepper”. But this begs the question, what chile peppers do I use? The real answer is any dried chile pepper will do whether it be guajillo, arbol, or pasilla. However, my personal favorite is chile de ristra, which is also known as New Mexico chiles.
- Sugar might seem like an odd ingredient to be adding to an enchilada sauce, but trust me it is important. You see dried chilies tend to be very bitter, but by adding in some sugar we are able to balance the flavors out. So don’t skip that ingredient.
- We will be removing most of the chile pepper seeds before making the sauce. However, if you want your sauce to be a bit spicier then feel free to reserve some of these seeds and add them to the blender in step 3.
- Today’s recipe is going to make a good amount of enchilada sauce, more than you could use in one set of enchiladas. You can either cut the recipe in half, or you can just can the remaining sauce and use it for a later date.
Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: About 3 quarts of sauce
Ingredients
15 oz of dried chile de ristra, also known as New Mexico Chile
3 Cloves of garlic
1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 Teaspoons of ground cumin
3 Tablespoons of chicken bouillon
3 Teaspoons of granulated sugar
Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep the dried chiles: Before we can use the chiles we need to remove the stem that is at the top. Just rip it off. Then we need to remove most of the seeds by shaking the chile until they fall out of the opening we just made.
- Reconstitute the chiles: Get out a large pot and place all of the chilies in it. Then pour enough water into the pot until it covers all of the chiles. Put this pot over medium-low heat and let it simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the chilies turn red and are soft. Reserve both the chiles and the liquid for the next step.
- Blend the chilies & garlic: Use a slotted spoon to take out the reconstituted chiles. Then blend the chiles in batches. Just place enough chiles in your blender until it is half full, Place in the garlic, and then pour in enough of the reserved liquid until it covers those chiles. Blend it up until it forms a sauce. Finally, strain this sauce through a fine mess shive and into a large bowl. Repeat this process until all of the chiles and garlic are used up.
- Add in the remaining ingredients: With this strained chile sauce still hot add in the chicken bouillon, smoked paprika, cumin, and sugar. Stir this all up and then taste the sauce to see how much salt you need to add.
- Use this enchilada sauce immediately, or can it for future use. Enjoy!
Enchilada Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 15 oz of dried chile de ristra also known as New Mexico Chile
- 3 Cloves of garlic
- 1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 2 Teaspoons of ground cumin
- 3 Tablespoons of chicken bouillon
- 3 Teaspoons of granulated sugar
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep the dried chiles: Before we can use the chiles we need to remove the stem that is at the top. Just rip it off. Then we need to remove most of the seeds by shaking the chile until they fall out of the opening we just made.
- Reconstitute the chiles: Get out a large pot and place all of the chilies in it. Then pour enough water into the pot until it covers all of the chiles. Put this pot over medium-low heat and let it simmer for 10 to 20 minutes, or until the chilies are soft. Reserve both the chiles and the liquid for the next step.
- Blend the chilies & garlic: Use a slotted spoon to take out the reconstituted chiles. Then blend the chiles in batches. Just place enough chiles in your blender until it is half full, Place in the garlic, and then pour in enough of the reserved liquid until it covers those chiles. Blend it up until it forms a sauce. Finally, strain this sauce through a fine mess shive and into a large bowl. Repeat this process until all of the chiles and garlic are used up.
- Add in the remaining ingredients: With this strained chile sauce still hot add in the chicken bouillon, smoked paprika, cumin, and sugar. Stir this all up and then taste the sauce to see how much salt you need to add.
- Use this enchilada sauce immediately, or can it for future use. Enjoy!
Inspiration from other blogs
From Foodie Crush
From Spend With Pennies
