Mexican Red Sauce
Mexican Red Sauce
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Small Pot with Cover
- Measuring Tools
- Stove Top
- Immersion Blender (optional, but very helpful)
Ingredients
- 400 g Tomatoes* (roughly diced)
- 1/4 White Onion (finely diced)
- 1 Chili Pepper (thinly sliced)
- 1/3 Cup Vinegar
- 2 Teaspoons Paprika
- 2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Unsweetened Coco Powder
- 1 Pinch Cinnamon
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes, onion, and chili pepper. Put them in a small pot and start cooking at a low temperature.
- Add the vinegar, stir, and cover.
- Let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Once all the vegetables are soft, add the spices. Stir and then cover again.
- Let it simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Remove the cover and use the immersion blender to create a smooth and thin sauce.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can mash the tomatoes (see the notes below on those extra directions).
- Let the sauce simmer until the rest of the meal is ready.
- If the sauce gets too thick, use water and/or more vinegar to thin it out.
- Spoon desired amount onto your dish.
Notes
Sins Of Sweetness; Getting The Sauce Right
We’ve seen quite a number of red sauce recipes over the year, and one thing has stood out about them all. They all had unnecessary carbs and sugars. Sometimes in the form of adding flour, to help thicken up the sauce, or just adding a tablespoon of sugar. Well, we’re here to proclaim from down the mountain that it’s ridicules to add these things to your Mexican red sauce. Sugar doesn’t belong on your dinner table. Honestly, it’s not really adding anything, besides empty calories. The onions in the red sauce will add a hint of sweetness, and that’s all you really need. Let the vegetables in the main dish (tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc.) give the subtle hints of sweetness to create a robust taste. In short, save your sweet tooth for dessert, where it’s meant to be indulged.
Cocoa Powder
Since we’re on the topic of sugar, make sure the cocoa powder you’re using is sugar-free. It might seem like a no-brainer, but avoid using packets of hot coco mix. Avoid sweetened cocoa powders for baking as well. Here’s an example of what you do NOT want:
You want to look carefully for the words ‘unsweetened’ and ‘100% Cocoa’ on the package you buy. Here is an example of what you DO want:
Other Spices To Flavor The Sauce
The cocoa powder will add some subtle chocolate and bitter notes, but the heart of the flavor of red sauce is going to come from the chili powder, the paprika, and the vinegar. Those are the flavors you want to shine through. The vinegar, especially, will impart a very acidic and sour taste to sauce. We typically use apple cider vinegar, which can be found easily in most super markets. If you have a Costco membership, you might find the Kirkland brand apple cider vinegar, which is a good buy.
There are better ways to thin out or thicken a sauce. In the case of this Mexican red sauce, if you need to thin it out you can use water, more vinegar, or some combination of the two. Thickening it up is a little trickier. Fortunately, there is a simple solution. Cooking it uncovered will thicken up the sauce, but that can take a while. Tomato paste can also be used, and it’s far superior to flour since it’s packed with vitamins and doesn’t have empty carbohydrates.
Blending Blues
As we’ve stated a number of times, we really like having an immersion blender. If you can find enough use to justify the purchase, you should really invest. Just with the Mexican dishes we’ve post during Mexican March, an immersion blender can come in handy making red sauce, guacamole, and bean dip. Not too shabby.
If you’re interested, we use and recommend Breville.
If you don’t have an immersion blender and don’t have any plans to get one, don’t worry. You can still make this sauce with a few minor alterations.
First, omit the fresh onion and chili pepper.
Replace the fresh vegetables with:
- ½ Teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or to taste)
Make sure the tomatoes are really cooked and soft when you mash them. You can use a masher, a fork, the back side of a spoon, whatever gets the job done. The end result will be a red sauce that is a little chunkier, but it will still taste really good.
Make A Meal
Red sauce is just a condiment. A meal it does not make. Fear not, as we have put together a fantastic Mexican meal to sue the red sauce with. Best of all, the recipes that make up this Mexican meal are all low-carb, low-sugar, packed with protean, and full of amazing taste.
More traditional Mexican music. Don’t cook without it.