New Mexican green chile sauce
New Mexican green chile sauce is a cooked sauce of roasted fresh green chile, onion and garlic, thickened with a little flour and a 15-minute simmer in stock.
New Mexican red chile sauce
red chile sauce
New Mexican red chile sauce is a smooth, cooked sauce of dried red chile, thickened with a little flour and loosened with water, and used to coat enchiladas and to build chile con carne.
What it is
New Mexican red chile sauce is made from dried ripe red chile, not from fresh pods. Its colour and body come from the chile itself: the powder is stirred into water with a small amount of flour, so the sauce is thick enough to coat fried tortillas and sit on top of food without running off.
The sauce is cooked briefly and is meant to be served warm. It is the red counterpart of the green chile sauce, which is made from roasted fresh chile.
Sources for this section
Dried chile and the ristra
Red chile has long been dried in the sun on strings, called ristras, so that it could be kept for the winter. The NMSU circular notes that frozen red chile sauce is also sold for enchiladas, chile con carne and burritos, so the sauce is no longer made only from home-dried pods.
The NMSU recipe starts from chile powder rather than whole pods, and it does not give a method for making the sauce from whole pods. Cooks who start from pods must make their own powder or sauce base, and the source gives no quantities for that step. The circular advises storing dried red chile or chile powder in a cool, dark place to keep its flavour and colour.
Sources for this section
How the sauce is made
The chile powder, flour, salt and garlic powder are combined in a saucepan, and the water is mixed in gradually until the liquid is smooth. The oil and Mexican oregano go in next, and the sauce simmers gently for 15 minutes. The flour thickens the liquid as it cooks.
The method is a simple cooked sauce, not a preservation process, so the finished sauce is a fresh product for immediate use. The source does not establish a finer grade of powder or any storage time for the finished sauce.
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Uses
The NMSU circular uses this sauce in two classic dishes. In red enchiladas, corn tortillas are fried, dipped in the sauce and filled with cheese. In chile con carne, cooked cubed meat and cooked pinto beans are added to the sauce.
Sources for this section
Notes
The source gives no history specific to this sauce and no dated origin, so the sauce's age is unknown. Commercial or restaurant versions may use other chile blends, thickeners or seasonings that are not described here.
Sources for this section
History
Red chile is traditionally strung into ristras and dried in the sun for winter use, and the NMSU Extension circular gives a sauce made from dried chile powder. The circular gives no history specific to this sauce, so its age in New Mexico is not established here.
Ingredients
Yield 2 cups · Scaling: follow the recipe as written; the source gives one pint.
Dry red chile powder
118 mL½ cup as recorded
Flour
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Salt
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Garlic powder
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
WaterAdd gradually while mixing until well blended.
473 mL2 cup as recorded
Cooking oil
30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
Mexican oregano
2.5 mL½ tsp as recorded
Method
- Combine the chile powder, flour, salt and garlic powder in a saucepan.
- Gradually add the water while mixing until the mixture is well blended.
- Stir in the oil and the oregano.
- Simmer gently for 15 minutes. The recipe yields about 2 cups (1 pint).
Conditions
Yield2 cups
Active time5 min
Places
New Mexico
Documented preparation · Region evidenceThe NMSU recipe is a documented New Mexico preparation; the source does not date the sauce's origin.
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Sources
New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension ServiceMethod · Uses
New Mexico Favorites: Chile and Pecans (Circular CR517)Red chile sauce recipe: 1/2 cup dry red chile powder, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons cooking oil, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano; simmer 15 minutes; yields 1 pint.
Used for red enchiladas and as the base of chile con carne.
Cited in: What it is; Dried chile and the ristra; How the sauce is made; Uses; Notes
NMSU Chile Pepper InstituteHistory
Then and NowBackground on New Mexico chile and the NMSU chile improvement program.