Salsa macha
Salsa macha is most often traced to the Mexican state of Veracruz, and it resembles Chinese chilli crisp. It is dried chillies, garlic, peanuts and sesame fried in oil, then blended into a coarse, crunchy paste under a layer of red oil. It is hot, nutty and smoky at once, and a spoonful transforms tacos, fried eggs, soup or roast vegetables. The key is frying over low heat: burnt chilli and garlic turn bitter, so better to pull them a second early than late.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Preparing the chillies 10 min
- Frying 15 min
- Cooling and blending 15 min
- Cooling 30 min
Step by step
0 / 8 donePrepare the chillies
Snip off the chilli stems, shake out most of the seeds and tear the chillies into pieces. Keep the seeds if you like it very hot.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Seeds out — heat under control.Peel the garlic
Peel the garlic and slice it 2 mm thick so it fries evenly.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Fry garlic and peanuts
Put the oil in a pan with the garlic and peanuts while still cold. Heat over low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the garlic is pale gold and crisp. Careful — dark brown garlic is bitter.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Pale gold garlic, not a shade darker.Add the sesame
Add the sesame and fry 1 minute until lightly golden.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Add the chillies
Take the pan off the heat, add the chillies and stir 1–2 minutes in the hot oil until they darken and smell fragrant. Do not return to the heat — chilli burns in seconds.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Cool
Leave 10 minutes for the oil to cool before it goes into the blender.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Blend
Tip everything into a blender, add the vinegar, sugar and salt and pulse to a coarse paste with visible pieces. Do not blend smooth — the crunch is the point.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Jar it
Pour into a clean jar and cool completely, about 30 minutes. The pieces sink and red oil gathers on top. As soon as it has cooled, close the jar and refrigerate.
Ingredients: 300 ml neutral oil (rapeseed) · 40 g dried chillies (e.g. árbol, guajillo) · 8 cloves garlic · 60 g unsalted peanuts · 30 g sesame seeds · 1 tbsp cider vinegar · 1 tsp sugar · 1 tsp salt
Crunchy bottom, red oil on top.
Before you start
Which chillies
Veracruz uses chile de árbol (hot) and morita or guajillo (smoky, milder). Mexican shops, mostly online, sell them. Ordinary dried chillies with a teaspoon of smoked paprika for smokiness are a fair substitute.
How to use
Spoon over tacos, fried eggs, avocado toast, soups, roast potatoes and grilled meat. Stir before spooning to get both oil and crunchy bits.
Storage
Garlic under oil is an oxygen-free environment where botulism bacteria can grow, and frying it golden does not destroy their spores. So keep the salsa in the fridge for no more than 4 days (as US food safety guidance advises for homemade garlic oils) and freeze the rest straight away in small jars — it keeps 3 months frozen. Never store it at room temperature, and always use a clean, dry spoon.