Pujol’s Sesame, Guajillo and Morita Salsa

This salsa macha-type condiment is one of three salsas de la casa at Pujol, chef Enrique Olvera’s famed Mexico City restaurant. The recipe is adapted from Mexico from the Inside Out by Enrique Olvera. We wrote about it in “Look out chile crisp: Here comes salsa macha, the Mexican condiment that may change your life.”

The salsa is wonderful as is. But it’s also pretty good if you skip the straining step; you get a salsa with lots of crunchy chile pieces, along with the sesame seeds. Totally different, but also very good.

Makes about 2/3 cup salsa.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup (120 ml) grapeseed oil

1 small garlic clove, peeled and smashed with the flat side of a chef’s knife

1 chile guajillo, seeded and cut (with a scissors or knife) into a few pieces

1 chile morita, cut (with a scissors or knife) into a few pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

1. Place the sesame seeds in a medium skillet and toast them over medium-low heat, shaking or stirring the pan frequently, until they are golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Be sure to watch them closely so they don’t burn. Set aside

2. Pour the oil in a small saucepan and warm it over medium heat until it reaches 158 degrees F (70 degrees C). Add the garlic clove, guajillo and morita chiles, remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Place the mixture in the jar of a blender, and blend till there are no large pieces. Pour the mixture through a strainer into a bowl (discard the solids), stir in the sesame seeds and salt, and serve. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Recipe notes:

The original recipe called for toasted sesame seeds; we added directions as they’re often sold raw. The original recipe did not call for smashing the garlic clove. It also did not call for cutting the chiles into pieces; we added that step as it makes it easier to keep the chiles submerged in the oil to infuse.