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Salsa Macha Recipe

Name: Salsa Macha Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 24 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup (240 ml) neutral oil, such as vegetable, grapeseed, canola or avocado oil. Light olive oil also works. Avoid strong extra-virgin olive oil, which can overpower the chiles.; 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced. Fresh only, not jarred.; 8 to 10 dried chiles de arbol, stems removed.; 2 to 3 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed, torn into pieces.; 2 to 5 dried morita chiles (or dried chipotles), stems and seeds removed.; 1/2 cup raw unsalted peanuts.; 2 tablespoons sesame seeds (white; a mix of white and black also works).; 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (white vinegar also works).; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste.; 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional).

Total 20m

Prep 10m

Cook 10m

Serves 24

Level easy

Salsa macha is a Mexican chile oil, a spoonable condiment of dried chiles, garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds fried in oil and pulsed chunky. It comes from Veracruz, the port city on the Gulf of Mexico, where it is spooned over tacos, eggs, grilled meats and pozole. There is no tomato in it, no onion and no fresh herbs; the flavour is smoky, nutty and garlicky, with a heat you control by the chiles you choose. A spoonful of vinegar is in most recipes outside Mexico for brightness, though some Veracruz versions leave it out. It is also called macha sauce, and it belongs to the same family as Mexican chili oil, a term you will see on jar labels and menus.

The name is part of the story, and the sources disagree about it, so this page reports both readings. Most often it is explained as coming from machacar, to crush or grind, a nod to the molcajete, the basalt mortar in which the salsa was once made. Other sources, including Rick Bayless, derive it from macho, brave or strong, because the salsa was hotter than the fresh salsas around it. The jury is still out, and neither reading is presented here as proven fact.

Veracruz is the consensus home, though Oaxaca claims a version of its own, built on sesame seeds rather than peanuts. That sesame version is the one you will recognise from Oaxacan markets and from jars that list sesame first. The peanut version in this recipe is the Veracruz build, the one most top-ranking recipes follow. What the two share is the method: dried chiles and garlic fried gently in oil, never burnt, then pulsed just enough to keep the crunch.

It helps to know what salsa macha is not. It is not salsa roja, which is tomato, onion and chiles, usually fresh or cooked, and eaten the same day. It is not Chinese chili crisp, though the two are cousins. Both start from dried chiles in oil with fried garlic, but chili crisp adds onion, soy sauce, ginger, Sichuan pepper and often fermented soybeans and a little sugar, while salsa macha adds peanuts and vinegar and is usually made without sugar, smokier and nuttier. And it is not matcha. Matcha is Japanese powdered green tea; macha is Mexican chile oil. The words sound alike, the spelling differs by one letter, and the confusion is common enough that it is worth saying plainly: nobody puts matcha in their macha.

Two practical facts before you start. The whole recipe takes about 35 minutes, but only 20 of those are active work; the other 15 are cooling, and you must not blend the salsa hot. And this is a refrigerated condiment, not a shelf-stable one. Because it contains garlic in oil, keep it in a clean airtight glass jar in the fridge and use it within a week, following the food-safety guidance in the storage question below. For longer keeping, freeze it in ice-cube trays for up to three months. Never store it at room temperature, and never try to can it at home.

Ingredients

10 Items

Instructions

8 Steps

Step 1

Prepare the chiles. Pull off the stems. Shake out and discard the seeds from the guajillo and morita chiles; their seeds taste bitter. For the arbol chiles, remove the seeds for a milder salsa or leave some in for more heat. Tear the guajillo and morita into pieces and halve the arbol chiles.

Step 2

Slice the garlic thinly. Measure out the peanuts, sesame seeds, vinegar and salt before you start, because the frying moves fast.

Step 3

Warm half the oil (1/2 cup) in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. If you use a thermometer, aim for about 250 to 275°F (121 to 135°C); the oil should shimmer gently, never smoke. Add the sliced garlic and the peanuts and fry, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes, until the garlic is pale golden. Do not let the garlic brown fully; it keeps cooking off the heat, and burnt garlic turns the whole jar bitter.

Step 4

Add the chiles and the sesame seeds. Fry, stirring constantly, for 1 to 3 minutes, until the chiles smell fragrant, their colour deepens slightly and the oil turns light orange-red. Watch them the whole time. If the chiles blacken, they are burnt and the salsa will taste bitter.

Step 5

Pour in the remaining 1/2 cup of oil and warm it briefly, just until the oil is light orange and everything is sizzling gently. Take the pan off the heat.

Step 6

Stir in the vinegar, the salt and the oregano, if using.

Step 7

Leave the salsa to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, until it reaches room temperature. Do not blend it hot.

Step 8

Pulse the cooled mixture in a food processor or blender in short bursts, until the chiles and peanuts are coarsely chopped and the salsa is still chunky. Do not blend it smooth. Spoon into a clean glass jar with a tight lid. Stir before serving, and refrigerate.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving

112.6kcal Calories approx.

protein 2%

1.2g

sodium 3%

69.3mg

cholesterol

0.2mg

Vitamin D

0mcg

Calcium

4.7mg

Iron 1%

0.1mg

Potassium 1%

51.8mg

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Make it mild, medium or hot

Heat is the one dial in this recipe, and it is set by the chiles, not by the oil or the salt. The table below gives three builds from the top recipes; the standard build in the card above is the medium one.

Build	Chiles	Character
Mild	4 guajillo + 2 ancho, no arbol, all seeds removed	Warm and fruity, barely any burn; the ancho adds a raisin-like sweetness
Medium (this recipe)	8 to 10 arbol + 2 to 3 guajillo + 2 to 5 morita	Smoky heat with a mild base; the standard Veracruz balance
Hot	15 to 20 arbol + 2 morita, seeds left in the arbol	Fiercely hot; the Farm to Jar and Maricruz build

The heat of each chile, in Scoville units: ancho 1,000 to 2,000; pasilla 1,000 to 4,000; guajillo 2,500 to 5,000; chipotle and morita 2,500 to 8,000 (one source gives morita as 5,000 to 10,000, so the range is reported, not a single number); chile de arbol 15,000 to 30,000, about six times a jalapeno. Removing the seeds tames the heat further, and adding more guajillo in place of arbol is the simplest way to make any build milder. Do not confuse pasilla negro (1,000 to 2,500) with pasilla de Oaxaca (15,000 to 20,000, smoked); they are different chiles.

Buying dried chiles

Buy chiles that are pliable and slightly glossy, not brittle or dull. If a chile feels as if it would snap in half, it is too old. Look for them in a Mexican or Latin grocery, in the Mexican foods aisle of a supermarket, or online. Do not quote prices on the page without a fresh live check at publication time; no top recipe gives prices.

A half batch, or a jar to give away

Halve every ingredient for a small batch: 1/2 cup oil, 4 to 5 arbol, 1 to 2 guajillo, 1 to 2 morita, 1/4 cup peanuts, 1 tablespoon sesame, 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt. The times do not change. For longer keeping, freeze the finished salsa in ice-cube trays and move the cubes to a bag once solid; thaw a cube at a time. Use a clean glass jar with a tight lid, and always use a clean spoon.

Salsa macha earns its place on the table the same way it does in Veracruz: a spoonful over tacos, eggs or grilled meat, never a pour. Try it first on the smash burger tacos, where it replaces the chipotle mayo with something smokier and hotter. The sesame-led Oaxacan version is a reminder that this is a travelling recipe; the Oaxaca section of the best places to visit in November guide is the place to start if you want to taste it at the source.

A Mexican oil-based condiment of dried chiles, garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds in oil, pulsed chunky. It comes from Veracruz, has no tomato, and is spooned over tacos, eggs, grilled meats and soups rather than eaten as a dip.

No. Matcha is Japanese powdered green tea; macha is Mexican chile oil. The words sound alike and differ by one letter, but they have no relation. Salsa macha is pronounced ma-cha.

No, they are cousins. Both start from dried chiles in oil with fried garlic, but chili crisp adds onion, soy sauce, ginger, Sichuan pepper and often fermented soybeans and a little sugar. Salsa macha adds peanuts and vinegar, is smokier, and is usually made without sugar.

As hot as you make it. Chile de arbol is the heat, at 15,000 to 30,000 Scoville units; guajillo and ancho are mild. Deseed the chiles and use more guajillo for a mild version. The mild, medium and hot builds, with exact counts, are in the Conclusion above.

Refrigerate it in a clean airtight glass jar and use it within a week, following FDA and University of Georgia guidance for homemade garlic in oil. Some blogs claim up to a month in the fridge, but that is not a tested safety claim, so this page does not repeat it. Freeze it for up to 3 months, in ice-cube trays for single servings. Never store it at room temperature, and never try to can it at home.

Yes. Use pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, or sesame only. Pepitas are the closest swap; watch them when toasting, because they turn bitter if taken too far. Peanuts give the classic chunky texture.

A neutral oil: vegetable, grapeseed, canola, avocado or light olive oil. Avoid strong extra-virgin olive oil, which can overpower the chiles.

No. The chiles soften and bloom directly in the warm oil.

Tacos, eggs, grilled meats, roasted vegetables, soups such as pozole, rice bowls, avocado toast, pizza and burgers. A little goes a long way; stir before serving, and let a refrigerated jar sit for about 10 minutes so the oil loosens.

The chiles or the garlic burnt. Fry over medium-low heat, stir constantly, and take the pan off the heat while the garlic is still pale golden. Burnt chiles cannot be fixed; start again with fresh chiles.

That is normal in the fridge, especially with olive oil. Let the jar sit for about 10 minutes at room temperature and stir before serving. Separation is normal, not a fault.

Yes, as made here it is naturally vegan and gluten-free. It contains peanut and sesame, both major allergens.

No. Chile de aceite is the broader term for any chile in oil; salsa macha is one kind of it, with peanuts and seeds added for crunch. The plain chile-and-garlic oil without nuts or seeds is the version you will often see beside a bowl of pozole.

Recipe By

Elena Marchetti

Elena Marchetti is a recipe editor at RoamFeast, developing and editing recipes from around the world for home cooks. She focuses on accurate quantities, clear step-by-step methods and dishes that work in a normal home kitchen, with details checked before publication.