Salsa Macha

A spicy, umami Mexican chili crisp with fried shallots and garlic, nuts and seeds, and chile flakes.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings Servings

Calories 188kcal

Author Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

2 cups Avocado Oil or a neutral oil*
1 Shallot minced
3 cloves Garlic minced
½ cup Chile Flakes see notes for whole chiles**
1 oz Dry Roasted Peanuts roughly chopped
1 oz Roasted Pepitas
1 oz Roasted Sesame Seeds I used black sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce or vinegar
1-2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1-2 teaspoons Granulated Sugar

Instructions

Place the chile flakes in a large, heat-safe bowl with a mesh strainer over the top. Set aside.
Heat the oil over medium-low heat to 300ºF to 325ºF in a saucepan before adding the shallots and garlic. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until golden. Be careful not to burn.
Carefully pour the oil over the chile flakes, straining the fried shallots and garlic with the mesh strainer. Set the garlic and shallots aside.
Let the chile flakes bloom in the oil for 30-60 seconds before adding the nuts, seeds, soy sauce, hot sauce, and half the salt and sugar to the oil. Stir everything together.
Once the oil has mostly cooled, add the fried shallots and garlic. Add the remaining salt and sugar to taste.
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate up to a month. Always use clean utensils in the chili oil to prevent spoilage. Place a few tablespoons out at room temperature before using to soften the salsa macha for drizzling.

Notes

*You can use olive oil, beef tallow, duck or pork fat, but they will affect flavor. Vegetable or peanut oil are likely the cheapest options.

Chile Flake Selection**

I used half Flatiron Dark and Smoky chile flakes (chipotle, habanero, and ancho) and Trader Joe's New Mexican Hatch chile flakes. If you're using whole dried chiles, remove the stems and seeds, chop into small pieces, and add to the frying oil in the last minute or two of frying the garlic and shallots.

This is a milder salsa macha. You can increase the heat level with more chile flakes or choosing hotter chiles. Flatiron makes a blend with arbol, ghost, habanero. and jalapeño peppers with a 80k Scoville scale rating. The Dark and Smoky blend has a 50k rating, for comparison. They also make a 450k+ Scoville rated blend for serious spice lovers.

Add-In Notes

If you're using raw nuts and seeds, you'll want to add directly to the frying oil for 1-2 minutes.

You can add umami flavor without soy sauce by using other ingredients like Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, coconut aminos, fermented sauces, or MSG.

Nutrition