Salsa Roja is a traditional Mexican recipe (from Oaxaca) for a classic cooked red salsa made from a base of tomatoes with onion and serrano chillies flavoured with coriander. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mexican version of: Salsa Roja.
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The two most common salsas in Mexico are salsa roja, a red salsa prepared with tomatoes (presented here) and salsa verde, a green salsa prepared with tomatillos. Both are versatile salsas enjoyed with a wide variety of dishes.
Ingredients:
5 plum Roma tomatoes, halved
1 white onion, quartered
12 stalks of coriander
2 serrano chillies, stemmed and halved (remove the seeds for a milder effect)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
2 tbsp cooking oil
Method:
Combine all the ingredients (except the coriander and salt) in a large pan. Add just enough water to cover the ingredients (about 1l).
Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Take off the heat and allow to cool slightly then drain the solids (reserve the stock). Turn the reserved solids into a blender and add the coriander, processing until smooth (add as much of the reserved stock as needed to get a smooth purée).
Wipe the pan clean, put back over medium heat and add 2 tbsp cooking oil. Pour the blended salsa mixture back into the pan and bring just to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until thickened to your liking. If the salsa is too thick by this point you can thin it down by adding water 2 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Take 250ml of the salsa, pour into a freezer bag and freeze until needed. Use the remaining 250ml of salsa.
