Street-style salsa (salsa callejera)

This combines all the flavours of the salsas I love, and it's perfect with campechano tacos.

Credit: Pati's Mexican Table

• makes

  3 cups

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

When you go to a taqueria, they give you different kinds of salsas. They give you the green salsa, the red salsa, the pico de dgalllo, but then because we love salsa so much, people started mixing them and asking for a mix. So now taquerias and stands have their salsa callejera, or  salsa taquera, which is their house combination.

Ingredients

• 2 árbol chillies (chiles de árbol), stemmed, or more to taste (see Note)
• 680 g (1½ lb / about 5 or 6) ripe Roma tomatoes
• 225 g (½ lb / about 4) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 to 2 jalapeños, or to taste
• 1 garlic clove
• 1½ tbsp coarsely chopped white onion
• ½ cup coarsely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves and upper stems
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• ¾ tsp kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
• 3 tsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Preheat a comal or small saute pan over medium-low heat. Once hot, toast chiles de árbol for about a minute until toasted and fragrant. Remove from the heat.

2. Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños and garlic in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and set over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes and tomatillos are cooked and mushy and the jalapeños have softened and changed color.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeños and garlic to blender. Incorporate the chiles de árbol, onion, cilantro, cumin, and salt and puree until smooth.

4. Set a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once hot add the oil. Once the oil is hot, pour in the salsa and be ready to partially cover with the lid as it will jump. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until thickened and seasoned and color has deepened.

Note

• You could substitute about ¼ tsp of red pepper flakes per chilli in place of the chillies de árbol, and add it straight into the saucepan with the tomatoes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

When you go to a taqueria, they give you different kinds of salsas. They give you the green salsa, the red salsa, the pico de dgalllo, but then because we love salsa so much, people started mixing them and asking for a mix. So now taquerias and stands have their salsa callejera, or  salsa taquera, which is their house combination.