Enchilada sauce: keep the spicy somewhere else
For some reason, I always used to think that enchilada sauce was tomato based. I don't know why. Maybe it's because the store-bought version is a bright red.
When I went to Mexico, I noticed the enchiladas were served with a brownish sauce. At one sidewalk restaurant down the street from the hostel where we were staying, I managed a conversation with the owner/server/cook. Between my broken Spanish and her broken English, I managed to put together a version of her sauce.
Not a tomato in sight.
Enchilada sauce, by the way, should be savory...not hot. Smoky chili powder, not cayenne pepper, is the base.
I was totally wrong, but what I came away with was a smooth, tasty sauce that compliments the filling rather than overpowering it. I make a filling of black beans, rice and cilantro that could easily be overpowered by a spicy sauce. Same thing goes if you are cooking for carnivores...they want the sauce to complement the fowl not drown it.
Seriously, why put beans and cilantro or other filling in something if you can't even taste it?
Do you like sauces that are spicy? What are your favorites?
Enchilada Sauce
Makes 1 !/2 cups
- 3 tablespoons of a neutral oil (like avocado or olive)
- 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour (use chickpea flour for a gluten free version)
- 4 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2 cups of vegetable stock
- Salt to taste
- Heat the oil in a small sauce over medium high heat. Add the flour and whisk it with the oil for a full minute.
- Stir in the chili powder, the garlic powder, the ground cumin and the oregano.
- As soon as the spices are mixed, slowly start to pour in the vegetable stock.
- Whisk until all of the big lumps are gone.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until it is slightly thickened.
Use this immediately or store it in a airtight container for up to three days.
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| This is all you need to make a great encillada sauce |
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