Need a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce

Amarie · 04-04-2012, 07:20 PM

I'm looking for good recipes, both for red and green enchilada sauces. The canned varieties I've tried either contain corn oil, which I'm allergic to, or are too spicy for my youngest kiddo. Any ideas?

Rhea · 04-05-2012, 09:01 AM

Hi, Amarie!
So I went and asked my mother-in-law, who is a full-blooded Mexican, how does she make the salsa para las enchiladas.
Here's her recipe:

Salsa verde (green sauce)
6-7 green tomatoes (mid-sized)
3-4 chiles serrano (it's not a very spicy variety, I'm told, but for Mexicans, nothing really is)
1 sector of garlic (sorry, I can't get the right word for this, it eludes me)
1 onion (mid-sized)

Boil tomatoes with chile until the tomatoes change color. Mix in blender together with garlic.
On a pan, fry thin onion rings with little oil until the onions become glassy and separated. Pour tomato-chile mix onto the onions, add little water and salt and boil. Taste. If it needs something, add to your taste.

Salsa roja (red sauce):
Use Mole rojo (available in every Mexican-related market). Fry onion rings, put mole on the pan with little oil and water, boil, add salt and voila! it's ready.

I haven't made this myself and as I am allergic to chile, I probably never will, but my husband never misses a chance to eat her mother's enchiladas.
Hope this helps!

Amarie · 04-05-2012, 05:19 PM

Rhea, thank you so much! I'm going to give these a try. We have a terrific grocery store nearby that should carry mole rojo. I've never heard of it, so it will be fun to search out.

GeorgeK · 04-05-2012, 05:52 PM

Haddon House makes a nice tasting roasted red pepper packed in water and I think a trace of vinegar and it comes in like a 22 oz can. Also the peppers are whole, so you can drain them and stuff them for a chile relleno or chop or blend them into a sauce plus or minus the liquid. Not every store carries them.

Rhea · 04-05-2012, 09:03 PM

If it is too spicy, you can leave out some of the chiles. Also, ask specifically for chile serrano. If they give you chile de arbol or guajillo, you're in trouble.
Mole rojo (like all the other moles) is a paste-like substance. It's pre-cooked and can be used right away. It's very popular in Mexican cuisine.

Amarie · 04-06-2012, 05:14 AM

Thank you, George. That's a brand I haven't tried yet.

And Rhea, good to know!

04-04-2012, 07:20 PM	#1
Amarie carpe libri Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: never in the here and now Posts: 2,961	Need a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce I'm looking for good recipes, both for red and green enchilada sauces. The canned varieties I've tried either contain corn oil, which I'm allergic to, or are too spicy for my youngest kiddo. Any ideas?

04-05-2012, 09:01 AM	#2
Rhea Las brujas son sabias Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Mexico City Posts: 150	Hi, Amarie! So I went and asked my mother-in-law, who is a full-blooded Mexican, how does she make the salsa para las enchiladas. Here's her recipe: Salsa verde (green sauce) 6-7 green tomatoes (mid-sized) 3-4 chiles serrano (it's not a very spicy variety, I'm told, but for Mexicans, nothing really is) 1 sector of garlic (sorry, I can't get the right word for this, it eludes me) 1 onion (mid-sized) Boil tomatoes with chile until the tomatoes change color. Mix in blender together with garlic. On a pan, fry thin onion rings with little oil until the onions become glassy and separated. Pour tomato-chile mix onto the onions, add little water and salt and boil. Taste. If it needs something, add to your taste. Salsa roja (red sauce): Use Mole rojo (available in every Mexican-related market). Fry onion rings, put mole on the pan with little oil and water, boil, add salt and voila! it's ready. I haven't made this myself and as I am allergic to chile, I probably never will, but my husband never misses a chance to eat her mother's enchiladas. Hope this helps! __________________ WIP: The Witch from Mallardae - 61,000 words, second draft

04-05-2012, 09:03 PM	#5
Rhea Las brujas son sabias Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Mexico City Posts: 150	If it is too spicy, you can leave out some of the chiles. Also, ask specifically for chile serrano. If they give you chile de arbol or guajillo, you're in trouble. Mole rojo (like all the other moles) is a paste-like substance. It's pre-cooked and can be used right away. It's very popular in Mexican cuisine. __________________ WIP: The Witch from Mallardae - 61,000 words, second draft

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04-05-2012, 05:19 PM	#3
Amarie carpe libri Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: never in the here and now Posts: 2,961	Rhea, thank you so much! I'm going to give these a try. We have a terrific grocery store nearby that should carry mole rojo. I've never heard of it, so it will be fun to search out.

04-05-2012, 05:52 PM	#4
GeorgeK ever seeking Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 5,183	Haddon House makes a nice tasting roasted red pepper packed in water and I think a trace of vinegar and it comes in like a 22 oz can. Also the peppers are whole, so you can drain them and stuff them for a chile relleno or chop or blend them into a sauce plus or minus the liquid. Not every store carries them.

04-06-2012, 05:14 AM	#6
Amarie carpe libri Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: never in the here and now Posts: 2,961	Thank you, George. That's a brand I haven't tried yet. And Rhea, good to know!