Small Bowl of Adobo Sauce
(click to enlarge)

Adobo Sauce


Mexico   -   Salsa de Adobo
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1 cup
***
45 min
Yes		 This very important (and delicious) sauce is used as a rub for meats and as an ingredient for many recipes, even salad dressings. It is very moderately chili hot.

1
1
1/2
ar
3
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1/4
1/2
1/4
1/4
1/2
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1/2
2
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1
1/4
oz
oz
oz

cl
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t
t
t
t
t
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c
T
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T
t
Chilis Ancho (1)
Chilis Guajillo (1)
Chilis Optional (2)  
Water, Boiling
Garlic
-- Spices
Canela (3)
Oregano, Mex (4)
Peppercorns
Cumin Seeds
Salt
------------
Broth (5)
Cider Vinegar
-- Optional
Tomato Paste
Sugar
Make   -   (20 min)
  1. Cap, core, and seed CHILIS. Use kitchen shears for this. For large and medium Chilis, after cutting off the cap, insert shears and cut down one edge to make seed removal easy. For small chilis like de Arbols, just cap them and shake out as many seeds as will go.
  2. Heat a Comal, Iron Griddle, or Dry Skillet to 450° to 500°F (230° to 260°C). Place a few Chilis on the comal and toast. They will first soften a bit. Press down with a flat turner, turning them over a couple of times. They should get dark brown spots but must not burn. The Chilis are dark, so it's hard to judge this, but if you see a wisp of smoke, it's time to go.
  3. Place Chilis in a heat proof bowl. Boil plenty of Water and pour over them, just to cover well. Let them soak for about 20 minutes, pressing them down a few times. Drain but keep water, see Broth.
  4. Leaving skins on, dry pan roast GARLIC, turning until soft and skin is blackened in spots. Let cool and peel.
  5. Grind together all Spices items.
  6. Mix All Items and run in a Blender, Mixie, or Food Processor until smooth, adding some of the Soaking Water as needed to get the consistency you want. In general, it should be fairly thick, but usually a little thinner than in the photo.
  7. Optional:   Press it through a wire strainer with the back of a wooden spoon for smoother texture. With the Mixie, there's nothing to strain out, and probably with a high power blender, but with a food processor there will probably be some.
NOTES:

  1. Chilis:

      This sauce is made from 2 or 3 kinds of dried chilis. Ancho and Guajillo are almost always used, with some other chili as the third one (see Chilis Optional) The dried Chilis should be fresh and fairly flexible. For details see our Mexican Chilis page.

  2. Chilis, Optional:

      Several different chilis can be used here:   de Arbols (small, hotter); Moritas (small, medium hot, smoky); Chapotli (medium, medium hot, smoky); Puya (medium, mild, fruity), Pasilla / Negro (medium, mild, dark flavor / color); Nothing says you can't mix a couple of these. For details see our Mexican Chilis page.

  3. Canela:

      This is "Ceylon Cinnamon", always used south of the Mexican border, not the thick hard Cassia "Cinnamon" common north of the Border. This Cinnamon, of very thin bark, can be found in the Mexican Spices section of most markets. For details see our Cinnamon / Cassia page.

  4. Oregano, Mexican

      Mexican Oregano and True Oregano are imperfectly interchangeable. True Oregano is a Mint, and Mexican Oregano is a Verbena. Mexican Oregano is available in Mexican markets and on-line, but if you don't have it, you can use True Oregano. For details see our Mexican Oregano page.

  5. Broth:

      Chicken Broth is most called for, but Vegetable Broth can be used for vegetarian, or just the water the Chilis were soaked in. The photo example was made with just Vinegar and Soaking Liquid.

  6. Tomato Paste:

      This can be used to produce a milder flavor and a slightly brighter red color. The photo example was made without tomato paste.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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