Mexican & smoky

Salsa Macha

Name: Salsa Macha
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 250ml rapeseed oil; 8 cloves (40g) garlic, thinly sliced; 60g unsalted peanuts; 20g sesame seeds; 4 (40g) dried ancho chillies, stems and seeds removed, torn into pieces; 3 (6g) dried chipotle chillies, stems removed, torn into pieces; 15ml cider vinegar; 8g light brown sugar; 4g salt

A crunchy Mexican chilli oil of dried ancho and chipotle chillies, garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds, with a little vinegar and sugar. Smoky, nutty and fruity rather than fiery.

makes 24 cubes, about 11p each

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Time: 20 min10 min prep · 10 min cook
Makes: 24 cubes
Cost per cubePer cube: 11p
Calories per cubeCalories: 113 kcal
A serving: 1 cube
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

cubes

250mlrapeseed oil
8 cloves (40g)garlic, thinly sliced
60gunsalted peanuts
20gsesame seeds
4 (40g)dried ancho chillies, stems and seeds removed, torn into pieces
3 (6g)dried chipotle chillies, stems removed, torn into pieces
15mlcider vinegar
8glight brown sugar
4gsalt

Allergens: Peanuts, Sesame, Sulphites. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

VG
GF
DF
NUTS

Nutrition

estimated

	1 cube
Energy	113 kcal
Protein	1.2g
Carbs	2.2g
Fat	11.4g
Fibre	0.9g
Salt	0.17g

Method

Step 1: Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium-low heat and fry the garlic until pale gold. (2 min) Lift out with a slotted spoon.
Step 2: Fry the peanuts in the same oil until golden, adding the sesame seeds for the last minute. (4 min) Lift out.
Step 3: Take the pan off the heat and leave the oil for 2 minutes, then stir in the chillies for 30 to 60 seconds until they darken a shade and smell toasty. Don't let them blacken or they turn bitter.
Step 4: Leave to cool for 10 minutes, then pulse the chillies and oil with the garlic, peanuts, sesame seeds, sugar and salt in a food processor to a coarse, crunchy sauce. Stir in the vinegar.
Step 5: Cool completely, stir well so each cube gets oil and crunchy bits, spoon into 15ml trays and freeze.

Use it for

1 cubeTacos and quesadillas
1 cubeSpooned over fried eggs or avocado on toast
1 cubeGrilled steak, chicken or roast vegetables
1 cubeStirred into soured cream or yoghurt as a dip

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per cube	113	1.2g	2.2g	11.4g	0.9g	0.17g

Cook’s notes

Use straight from frozen; it melts in seconds on hot food.
Pulse rather than blitz; you want small crunchy pieces, not a paste.
Keep it frozen or in the fridge: garlic in oil must not sit at room temperature.
Contains peanuts and sesame; label the cubes.

Use it for

Tacos and quesadillas · 1 cube
Spooned over fried eggs or avocado on toast · 1 cube
Grilled steak, chicken or roast vegetables · 1 cube
Stirred into soured cream or yoghurt as a dip · 1 cube

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, freeze it in 15ml ice-cube trays, then bag and label the cubes. It keeps for 6 months.
Use from frozen: Use straight from frozen; it melts in seconds on hot food. Never refreeze thawed cubes.
A portion: 1 cube is a serving: about 113 kcal.

Salsa Macha questions

Can I use other dried chillies?

Guajillo chillies give a brighter, fruitier sauce, and a few chiles de árbol make it much hotter. Keep the total weight about the same and fry them just as briefly.

Can I make it with other nuts?

Almonds, pecans or pumpkin seeds all work in place of the peanuts. Fry them the same way until golden; pumpkin seeds make it peanut-free, though the page's allergen labels stay as written.

How is it different from chilli crisp?

Salsa macha is built on whole dried Mexican chillies, which give a smoky, raisin-like flavour, and it has a sharp edge from the vinegar. Chilli crisp uses chilli flakes, fried shallots, Sichuan pepper and soy sauce.