Toasted Chile Sauce Recipes

CHILES TOREADOS: FRIED CHILES WITH LIME-SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Pour enough vegetable oil in a medium heavy saucepan to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F. Working in batches, fry the chiles until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Mix the lime juice, soy sauce and oyster sauce in a medium bowl. Add the warm chiles and toss to combine. Chill until very cold, about 3 hours.
• The chiles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

TOASTED CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the chiles in a small dry skillet and turn the heat to medium. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove. Stem the chiles and, if you like, remove their seeds (this will reduce the sauce's intensity, but it will still be plenty hot).
• Add the oil to the same skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the garlic along with the chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cloves have softened and turned golden, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the oil, chiles, and garlic to a food processor and process until nearly pureed, stopping to scrape the sides of the machine as necessary. Add the nam pla and lime juice and serve. (You can prepare the sauce in advance, but it's best used within a few hours, and after a couple of days it will not be nearly as nice as when fresh. Do not store longer than that.)

GREEN CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil. When hot, add the onions and jalapeno and saute until just starting to caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
• Reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle the onion mixture with the flour and stir constantly until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved liquid from the chiles, 1 cup water, the vinegar and salt and stir until the liquid is smooth and all the flour is dissolved.
• Add the chiles and pepper and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes. Puree in a blender, or with a stick blender, and add the lime juice. Adjust to taste for salt and pepper. Refrigerate for up to 1 week.

ROASTED GARLIC CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss bell pepper, chiles, garlic, shallots, and oil on a rimmed baking sheet to coat; season with salt. Turn garlic cut side down and roast until pepper and chiles are softened and blistered in spots, 10-15 minutes. Let cool.
• Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skins into a food processor. Add bell pepper, chiles, shallots, vinegar, and honey and process until smooth. Taste chili sauce and season with more salt and vinegar if needed.
• Do Ahead
• Sauce can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.

FRESH TOMATO CHILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the tomatoes in a large pot over medium heat, and simmer 1 hour. Skim off any excess liquid or foam. Stir in the chile peppers, bell peppers, onion, vinegar, lime juice, white sugar, brown sugar, and desired amount of salt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 to 5 hours until liquid reduces and thickens. Adjust seasonings to taste.
• Remove chili sauce from heat, and skim off any foam. Pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom. Adjust lids. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.