Salsa Macha

The marriage of chiles and nuts is well celebrated in Mexican cuisine— in moles, chocolate bars, and drinks, to name a few applications. The smoky, nutty, savory pairing keeps people coming back for more. My favorite way to enjoy this combination of flavors is in salsa macha. I drizzle this fruity, spicy chile oil over almost everything, including eggs, grilled meats, and almost all my tacos. 

Salsa macha originated in Orizaba, Veracruz, but has since spread to dining tables across Mexico. In more recent times, it’s become a popular condiment in Texas restaurants and store bought versions of salsa macha are sold in many markets across the US. On the heals of the rise in popularity of similarly spicy, crunchy Asian chili crisp condiments the US, The New York Times even named salsa macha the most valuable condiment of 2020. The name macha comes from the word machacar which means “to crush,” referring to the traditional preparation of the salsa, in which chiles and nuts are crushed in a mortar and pestle before they’re blended with oil. Another interpretation of the salsa’s name is that it is associated with “macho,” referring to those brave enough to handle the intense heat in some of its iterations. 

Salsa macha is typically made with fried chiles, garlic, peanuts, and sesame seeds, but recently varieties made with seaweed, chicatanas (ants), black garlic, fermented soybeans, or coffee have begun popping up in restaurants and store shelves. These playful iterations of salsa macha can be fun to try, but the nutty, spicy sauce hardly needs anything more than its staple ingredients. I’ve kept my recipe closer to its original form. And while the ingredient list and its preparation is fairly simple, there are a few key tips to making a salsa macha with the perfect balance of crunchy textures and fruity, smoky flavors with just the right level of heat. Here are my guidelines for making salsa macha that’s way better than any restaurant or store bought version.

5 Tips for Dialing in the Flavors and Textures for Salsa Matcha

1. Use a blend of chiles. To produce a fruity, smoky salsa with a solid punch of heat, I went for a blend of morita, puya, and árbol chiles. The morita chiles provide a chocolatey smokiness that's balanced by the sweet, fruity puya chiles and the fiery heat of árbol chiles. I like to add a dried habanero chile to amplify the heat, but feel free to omit for a milder version of the salsa. Trust me, the salsa is still plenty spicy without it! If these specific chile varieties are unavailable, there are a few substitutions you can make: swap chipotle chiles for the morita chiles as they're both smoked chiles made from jalapeños. Puya chiles can be substituted with equally fruity guajillo chiles, and chiles de árbol can be substituted with dried Japones or Thai chiles, which pack a similar punch of heat. I don’t bother removing the seeds from any of the chiles. Not only is it less prep work, but the seeds actually enhance the nutty profile of the salsa. 

2. Amp up flavor with a combination of dried seeds and nuts. It's common to use a range of seeds and nuts in salsa macha. I prefer the combination of sesame seeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and slivered almonds to increase the nuttiness and incorporate a variety of textures in my salsa macha. 

3. Fry the ingredients in stages. Before the salsa is blended, all of the ingredients are first fried in oil. This enhances flavor in two main ways: the oil is infused with the flavor of every ingredient during frying, and frying the ingredients creates a richer, toastier, nuttier flavor profile in the final salsa. To achieve this without burning any of the delicate ingredients, I opted for a two-step frying process. 

First fry: The first fry is at a lower temperature. I add the garlic when the oil is still at room temperature, and heat the two together slowly over medium-low heat, making sure the temperature doesn’t exceed 275℉. During this extended cooking time at a relatively low heat, the oil is infused with plenty of garlic flavor. It’s also a foolproof way to fry the garlic so it browns evenly without burning. As we all know, garlic can burn within the blink of an eye and no one enjoys the acrid taste of burnt garlic. Once the garlic just turns brown, add the chiles and fry until just softened. Note that the chiles will not change color or turn crispy during this brief time—the purpose is to quickly soften them so they’ll blend easily with the other ingredients and to infuse the oil with their flavor. It’s important there aren’t any pieces of garlic or chiles left behind in the oil for too long, as they’ll turn bitter if they burn. 

Second fry: For frying the nuts and seeds, the oil temperature is cranked up to 325℉. The dense nuts and seeds need a higher frying temperature to properly crisp and brown.

4. Blend until coarsely ground. Make sure not to over blend the mixture—doing so can make it  grainy, creating an unpleasant sandy mouthfeel. The ideal consistency includes small pieces that maintain their crunch.

5. Stir the salsa well before each use. Since salt doesn’t dissolve into oil, it will settle at the bottom over time, so give the salsa a stir if it's been sitting between uses.

This salsa macha is great spooned over eggs, seafood, and grilled meats, but it’s extremely versatile and finding new ways to use it is half the fun. I recommend adding a dash at the end of a stir fry or mixing it into your pasta sauce.