Salsa Tlaquepaque (Coffee Guajillo Salsa)
Smoky roasted tomatillo salsa with guajillo chiles, chile de arbol, and instant coffee as the secret ingredient. Roast, blend, stir in coffee. Ready in 20 minutes.
4 cups
Calories: 49kcal
Ingredients
- 6 tomatillos husked and washed
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 6 dried guajillo chiles stems and seeds removed
- 3 dried chiles de arbol stems removed
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee start with ½ and add more to taste
- Olive oil or vegetable oil for roasting
- Water or vegetable broth if needed for blending
Instructions
Roast the vegetables
- Roasting the vegetables in the air fryer. Place on a baking sheet or air fryer basket the tomatillos, onion, and garlic seasoned with oil and salt for 6 minutes at 400ºF. Open, move the vegetables and place the chiles. Roast for 1 more minute.
- Roasting vegetables over the stove. Roast the vegetables and chiles over medium-high heat on a skillet or comal. Turn frequently until the vegetables are roasted on all sides. Roast for two minutes on each side.
Make the salsa
- Blend. Blend all the ingredients with a good pinch of salt. You can add vegetable broth or water to help the blender run smoothly.
- Mix the coffee in. Pour the chile de Arbol-guajillo salsa into a small bowl and mix the instant coffee. Let it sit for five minutes, check for seasoning, adjust if necessary and enjoy.
Notes
Start with ½ teaspoon of coffee: Add more to taste. Too much can make the salsa bitter. You won't taste coffee, it just adds depth.
Don't over-toast the chiles: They burn in seconds. If they turn black, the salsa will taste bitter. Add them at the end.
Optional skillet step: After blending, pour the salsa into a skillet with a drizzle of oil and simmer for 7 to 10 minutes. Concentrates flavors and adds body.
Salt matters: If the salsa tastes flat, it needs more salt, not more ingredients.
Storage: Glass jar in the fridge for up to 10 days. Freezes for up to 3 months. Adjust salt after thawing.
Chile variations: Add 1-2 ancho chiles for a sweeter flavor, or a handful of chile piquin for more explosive heat. Chile japones works as an arbol substitute.
Nutrition
Serving: 4cup | Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 588mg | Potassium: 297mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1549IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg