Taqueria Style Salsa Recipes

RED TAQUERIA STYLE SALSA

Steps:

• Fill a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and set aside.
• Slightly roasted guajillo peppers and garlic cloves on a warm griddle (this step takes only seconds). You can flatten the peppers to have an even roasting by gently pressing them down with a wooden spatula. Remove promptly to avoid burning the peppers (burned peppers render a bitter taste). Place roasted peppers and peeled garlic cloves in the saucepan.
• Now, roast the Arbol peppers. Arbol peppers will roast quite faster than guajillo peppers, that is why we're roasting them separately. Once roasted, place them in the saucepan with the rest of the peppers.
• Turn heat to medium-high and turn off once the water starts boiling. Cover the saucepan and wait for 20 minutes. This soaking time will help to soften the peppers.
• Place peppers and garlic into your blender jar along with 1/2 cup of water. Discard any leftover soaking water. Process until you have a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce back in the saucepan, stir in the granulated chicken bouillon, taste to check if more salt is needed according to your own taste, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes, just enough time to allow the chicken bouillon to dissolve and for the flavors to blend.

SALSA ROJA TAQUERA (RED TACO-STAND STYLE SALSA)

Steps:

• 1 Snip off the stems of the chiles and shake out their seeds as best you can. If the chiles are too dry and brittle, warm them slightly on a gently heated comal, and then remove the seeds. Alternately, keep the seeds in to make a very hot salsa.
• 2 Heat the comal on low to medium-low and place the unpeeled garlic cloves near the edge of the pan, away from direct heat. Turn occasionally until soft and blackened in spots, 5 to 7 minutes. Peel the garlic cloves once cool enough to handle and set aside in a blender jar.
• 3 To toast the chiles, work with one at a time so they don't burn. Place each chile near the edge of the comal-again, away from the hottest part of the pan-and turn constantly for 5 to 10 seconds, pressing any wrinkled or folded spots lightly so all parts of the chile skin come into contact with the pan. They are done when the color lightens up in spots and they emit a spicy aroma. (This is a very quick process!) Remove all toasted chiles to a separate bowl and cover with water. Let sit 15 minutes or until the skins are soft. Reserve the soaking water.
• 4 While the chiles sit, heat the comal to medium or medium-high. Cook the whole tomatoes, turning often with tongs, until soft and blackened in spots. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• 5 Add the hydrated chiles to the blender jar (with the garlic), with 2 tablespoons of the reserved chile water and a generous 1/4 cup water. Blend until smooth. Add the tomatoes and 2 tablespoons more water, plus 3/4 teaspoon salt. Blend again, adding more water and salt if desired. (Note that the saltiness will mute when the still-warm salsa cools.) Serve at room temperature.

TAQUERIA GREEN SALSA (SALSA VERDE)

Steps:

• Cut the stems off the jalapenos and throw them in a small pot.
• Remove seeds if you don't want it as spicy.
• Add peeled garlic.
• Add a small amount a water, about 1/4 cup or a little more to get a steam effect.
• Place on stove at a low medium heat to get it steaming for about 15 minute.
• Add contents to a blender and add oil and blend until smooth.
• Add salt to taste.
• You may need to adjust salt, water, and chicken cubes to suit the taste because jalapenos are not all uniform in taste depending on the season.
• I used olive oil but I doubt a mexican restaurant uses olive oil.

SALSA -TAQUERIA STYLE RED-

Steps:

• Boil the tomatoes, tomatillos, onions and jalapenos together over medium to low heat. Sparingly add a little water if you prefer a more liquid salsa, start with 3 or 4 tablespoons. It is easy to add more as it cooks.
• Simmer and stir for about 30 minutes. This isn't an exact science. I have cooked it as long as an hour or as short a time as 15 minutes.
• When finished cooking add a pinch of salt and black pepper, and the chicken bullion powder. Stir well.
• Mix in a blender, then add cilantro.
• Stir and serve with tortilla chips or texmex food!