The Ancho and Guajillo dried red chile sauce is a great sauce to make and accompany with many dishes such as chicken, potatoes, or even enchiladas. This sauce provides a mouthful of flavor and a spicy kick.

This recipe serves about 5 cups:

Ingredients:

  • 9 dried ancho chiles (scant 4 ounces),
  • 2 tsp of fine sea salt
  • 4 peeled garlic cloves
  • 6, or 1 oz, of dried guajillo chiles
  • 5 cups of very hot water
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
dried red chile

Preparation:

Step 1: Heat a skillet over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add all the dried chile pieces (make sure they are all stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces).

Step 2: Roasting them and turn them over the skillet occasionally. Do this for about 25 seconds.

Step 3: Transfer the roasted chiles to a heat-safe bowl and add the 5 cups of hot water. Make sure to soak the chiles until they are very tender. Some chiles will float to the surface, make sure to continuously submerge them for about 30 minutes.

Step 4: Puree the chiles with the hot water and all the remaining ingredients in blender until they are smoothly blended. Season with salt according to taste. Cover, refrigerate, and enjoy!

Other ways To Use Dried Red Chile Are:

  1. Chile flakes – add some extra flavor by subbing dried red chile for regular pepper. When recipes call for “salt and pepper”, substitute red chile flakes instead of black pepper.
  2. Flavoring for meals – you can use dried red chile in a majority of dishes! You can use them to stew alongside most protein dishes for some savory flavoring, or blend them into most sauces to give them a little kick.
  3. Try them in a chocolate dessert/dish – although this may sound unusual, the pairing of chocolate and chile isn’t as extreme as you think it might be. Dried red chile is usually paired with dishes such as Mexican mole or even brownies! It gives the dishes a rare, but delicious taste.
  4. Add a touch of heat to any dish – dried red chile is usually very mild. However, add a decent amount and you can easily spice up any dish. You can add it to pastas, poultry, avocado toast, etc. The possibilities are endless with just a little experimentation.