What is a sign of good takeria (the so-called Mexican “eatery”, which serves cakes and all sorts of stuff)? Salsa sauce, of course! Or it should use the plural, and then you need to say "sauces." Any decent Mexican food establishment north of the border, whether it’s a taco truck or a restaurant, will offer the whole variety of Salsa sauce recipes to its visitors: both Salsa Verde and red Chili Salsa, and the beloved fresh by many. tomato (fresh), otherwise known as "Salsa Fresco".
Meanwhile, this product is quite easy to do on your own. Roughly speaking, you just need to chop fresh tomatoes, chili, onions, cilantro, add a little lime juice and add certain seasonings to the composition. And use the sauce as an indispensable addition to tortilla chips, or serve it with toast, tacos, or steak and pinto. In any case, authentic Salsa sauce recipes will not only not spoil the dishes, but will also give it an original, inimitable taste. Well, are you ready to try cooking?
Salsa sauce: a classic recipe at home
Since this homemade Salsa is made from fresh ingredients, it will be consumed with dishes until fresh tomatoes run out. But seriously, it’s best to eat the sauce right after you cook it. Chilled at the bottom of the refrigerator, it is usually stored for 5 days or so. Homemade Salsa sauce recipe is simple, extremely easy to use. Fresh canned tomatoes are used as the main ingredient. In Mexico, the dish is known as "Salsa swarm" (red sauce) or "Salsa de meza" (table sauce). And served in every restaurant before a meal with tortilla chips.
note
When using fresh chili peppers, always taste them before adding! Some peppers are hotter than others, and you really can't find out if you don't try. Just make a very small bite. And you can determine the heat of pepper, it is better to estimate how much you need it for the Salsa sauce recipe.
So, we need: 5 fresh medium-sized tomatoes (stalks removed), red onion, 2 chili peppers (without seeds) - or less or more to taste, juice of one lemon, half a cup of chopped fresh cilantro, salt and ground pepper for taste, dried cumin and oregano to taste.
How to make Salsa sauce: recipe with photo
- Prepare the tomatoes, chili and onions. Start by chopping tomatoes and peppers.
- Be very careful when handling chili peppers. If you can, do not touch cut pods with your hands (if possible, use disposable gloves or hold the vegetable with a plastic bag). After treatment, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water and do not touch your eyes for several hours.
- Set aside some chili seeds. If the Salsa is not hot enough, you can "add a little heat."
- For lovers of fine grinding: put all the ingredients in a food processor. Turn on and off immediately several times, this is enough to finely chop the ingredients without turning them into mashed potatoes. If you do not have a food processor, you can cut it in cubes manually - with a sharp knife for vegetables.
- Enter seasonings by placing Salsa in a deep bowl and drizzle with fresh lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to your liking. If the chili makes the dish too hot, add some more chopped tomatoes. If not sharp enough, carefully add a few chili seeds.
- Let the sauce infuse for an hour so that the aromas are combined with each other.
- The Salsa sauce is ready for the classic recipe. Serve with crisps, tacos, burritos, toasts, quesadillas, pinto or black beans.
Salsa folk recipe
This is a simple recipe for Salsa sauce at home, according to which you will cook again and again. Follow the simple steps to get great results.
Start with the ingredients for the food. The fresher they are, the better. Do not use canned tomatoes. This gives the appetizer a “metallic” flavor. You will notice that there are no limes in the recipe. Some chefs believe that limes (lemons) upset the balance of tastes by suppressing tomatoes. But if you prefer Salsa with lime, try adding only one half juice to the ingredients.
We will need such ingredients: a kilo of fresh tomatoes, a white onion, a few pods of serrano chili, 8 branches of cilantro, 2 large tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 small spoon of salt.
Simple cooking!
- The first thing you need to do is prepare and chop the ingredients before adding them to the blender. The degree of grinding does not matter. You just need small pieces to make them easier to mix without adding water.
- Next, place all the ingredients in a blender. Adding tomatoes at the beginning makes it easy to mix the ingredients. Do not add water - too much of it will make Salsa liquid. But we want to get rich and thick tomato sauce?
- The easiest way to achieve a good result is to pulsate with a blender 5 or 6 times for a short time, then the sauce is homogeneous, but still has a rough texture, and Salsa sticks better to tortillas.
- Once the mass is mixed, you need to fry it in 2 tablespoons of hot vegetable oil. This step is important for improving and revealing the aroma of authentic food. Do not miss it. Bring the Salsa to a boil in a pan, and then reduce the heat to a minimum. Stew for a few more minutes, until the sauce becomes deep red and thickens even more. Remove from the stove and set aside so that it is insisted (at least fifteen minutes), and then you can serve it with tortilla chips, tacos or anything else that you like.
Tips for home cooks
- Use only one serrano chile pepper if you prefer a softer, not too burning Salsa.
- Add any ingredient (or all together) of the following to the sauce: a clove of garlic, juice from half a lime (lemon), half a teaspoon of caraway seeds.
- Try using other spices and ingredients familiar to you (base: fresh tomatoes, chili, cilantro, lime juice, and then you can enter, for example, bell peppers, it turns out quite original and tasty). And bon appetit to everyone who is trying to master the cuisine of Latin America!