Adobo Sauce

A few weeks ago, I made shredded beef tacos that called for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. I didn’t have a can of that sauce on hand, but I had two or three bags of guajillo, ancho, and pasilla peppers leftover from a mole sauce I made a long time ago.

As I always do when I don’t have a store-bought version of something, I started searching for recipes for the real thing to see if I could make it at home. I decided to use a recipe from Emeril Lagasse (did you know that he has a cooking blog?), and it worked out perfectly. I didn’t taste it b/c of all the chiles, but the smell and look of the sauce looked perfect.
I re-used this sauce in the tamal/tamale pie I made the other day. Since my good friend requested that I post the recipe, I figured I would do it ASAP. (Love you, TSB!!) This sauce doesn’t take long to make, and I’m sure it tastes better than the store-bought variety. Enjoy!

Adobo Sauce
adapted from Emerial Lagasse on Food Network


4 dried ancho chiles
6 dried guajillo chiles
2 Tbsp minced onion, divided
3/4 tsp minced garlic, divided
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used Kosher)
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (I used Mexican oregano)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
1/4 cup cider vinegar

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and toast the chiles, turning frequently, until very pliable and soft; do not allow to char. Remove from the skillet, and transfer to a plate. Remove the stems and seeds and place in a saucepan.
Add enough hot water to just cover, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and allow chiles to soak until very soft and plumped for about 20 minutes. Strain in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl, and reserve soaking liquid separately.

In a blender, combine the chiles, onion, garlic, salt, teaspoon sugar, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, cloves, and vinegar and puree until smooth, adding a little of the chile soaking liquid (only as much as is needed) to enable the mixture to blend. The consistency should be thick but smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Copyright – Memoria James – http://www.mangiodasola.com

Memoria is a polyglot xenophile from Texas who currently lives in Germany. She teaches English by day and Spanish by night and works on her food, language, and travel blog and Local Language eCourse in between. She speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, some German, and a little French. She loves to travel and learn the local language for every country she visits and hopes that she can pass this linguistic desire to others.

Author: Memoria James

Memoria is a polyglot xenophile from Texas who currently lives in Germany. She teaches English by day and Spanish by night and works on her food, language, and travel blog and Local Language eCourse in between. She speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, some German, and a little French. She loves to travel and learn the local language for every country she visits and hopes that she can pass this linguistic desire to others.

20 thoughts on “Adobo Sauce”

  1. ciao! ti rispondo qui:

    la farina manitoba รจ un tipo di farina ricca di glutine usata negli impasti addizionata a farine deboli per dare forza all'impasto oppure usata da sola negli impasti che richiedono lunghe lievitazioni, ad esempio i panettoni.
    ciao e grazie della tua visita!

  2. I think I may love you right now. I have never made anything that calls for adobo sauce because I can never find it! Now, thanks to you, I finally can! ๐Ÿ˜€ Good work!

  3. I have made so many Emeril recipes over the years but some how missed this one. It has chiles in it so I have to make this now. Great idea to use it in tamale pie!

  4. Me too! Me too! I want to join in the fray of admirers of this fabulous sauce! I am really surprised and pleased that the ingredient list is not longer or more complicated–thankfully! The pictures you've taken do an excellent job in showcasing the simplicity and beauty of your handiwork :o)

  5. DJ just witness the cooking master you have created! I credit at least part of her cooking prowess to your excellent instruction in the kitchen during her young impressionable years! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Yay! Adobo sauce for all! I love you too Mem!
    tsb

  6. I do the same thing… whenever I don't have something I'm googling to figure out how to make it or sub it w/ something else. This looks like it turned out perfectly. Will you keep making your own or go back to store-bought?

  7. Hello,

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  8. THANKS SOO MUCH!! I MADE THIS SAUCE YESTERDAY FOR OUR MEXICAN ENCHILADAS AMAZING!!!!!!! IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENT IN TASTE IT`S LIKE SPICY AND SWEET AND VINEGAR-Y IT`S DELICIOUS THANKS FOR THE RECIPE. i used roasted garlic and no thyme and apple cider vinegar as a change.making again right now!!

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