Sauces have been known to give that extra zing, that extra taste to the dishes. And also, if your dish doesnot turn out as you expected it to, just add a little sauce of your choice and Wow! it tastes better.
Red chilli sauces are used world over mostly for Mexican dishes. And in Mexico itself red chilli sauce is made in various kinds using different types of chillies.
The following is a recipe for a basic red chili sauce, made with Ancho chilies (called by some Pasilla chiles):
3 dried Ancho (Sometimes called in the US Pasilla) chiles
Water
1 large clove garlic
2 whole cloves, crushed
2 black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon of salt, more to taste
Open up the chile and remove the stem and seeds.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat and place the opened chilies and leave for a few seconds, turning the chilies over occassionaly.
Put the chilies into a small saucepan and add enough water so that they are just covered and then bring to a boil. Remove from heat and leave it for 10 minutes, until the chilies have softened and plumped up.
Keep aside the soaking water. Remove the chilies and place in a blender. Add the garlic, salt, ground pepper, ground cloves, and 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid. Puree it till the sauce becomes completely smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Pour the sauce through a sieve into a skillet and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. remove the foam. Remove from heat and pour into a glass jar and refrigerate.
