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Chipotle adobo

Chile adobo · Mexican chile adobo · Chipotle in adobo sauce · Adobo sauce

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Chipotle adobo is a cooked sauce of smoked chipotle chiles, tomato, onion, garlic, dried chile powder, spices and vinegar, the form in which chipotles are most often sold in the United States.

A shallow cream ceramic bowl of smooth brick-red chipotle adobo sauce with dried chipotle chiles, tomato, onion, garlic and ground red chile on warm ivory.

Overview

Chipotle adobo is a cooked chile sauce built on smoked chipotles, tomato, onion, garlic, powdered dried chile, spices and vinegar. It is the form in which most chipotles are sold, canned, in the United States.

The name adobo also covers broader regional marinades and pastes, so this Mexican chile sauce is distinct from unrelated dishes with the same name.

Sources for this section

History

The chipotle is an old Mesoamerican way of preserving chiles, and the name comes from Nahuatl chīlpoctli, meaning smoked chili. The adobo marinade itself came from Spain as a seasoning and preservative.

The source does not date the Mexican chile adobo sauce, so its date is unknown.

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Preparation

The chiles are rehydrated and blended with tomato, onion, garlic, dried chile powder, spices and vinegar, then simmered until thick.

Sauce alone and whole chiles packed in sauce are different products, and the source treats canned adobo as the common commercial form.

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Use

Chipotles in adobo are used as a seasoning in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking.

Sources for this section

History

The source says the chipotle is an old Mesoamerican method of preserving chiles, long before the Aztecs, and that the name comes from Nahuatl chīlpoctli, meaning smoked chili. It says the adobo marinade itself originated in Spain as a seasoning and preservative. Canned adobo is the most common form of chipotle sold in the United States.

Ingredients

Chipotle chilesrehydrated in hot water or their own sauce
Amount not stated
smoke-dried ripe jalapenos
Tomato
Amount not stated
Amount not stated
Garlic
Amount not stated
Dried chile powder
powdered dried chiles
Vinegar
Amount not stated
Spices (optional)
Amount not stated
other spices and herbs, not specified by the source

Method

  1. Rehydrate the chipotle chiles in hot water until soft.
  2. Fry or roast the tomato, onion and garlic until they colour.
  3. Blend the chiles with the tomato, onion, garlic, powdered dried chile, spices and vinegar to a smooth sauce.
  4. Simmer the sauce until it thickens and the flavours meld.

Places

Mexico

Traditional use · Country evidence

The source places chipotle use in Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking. It does not date the Mexican chile adobo. The United States is the main market for canned adobo, per the same source.

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