A Recipe for Peanut Hot Sauce

Filed under: , by: Vince Romanin

Since my last cooking lesson with the Mexican Nuns, they told me that they would show me how to make salsa picante con maní*. After I ate the first batch of sauce in less than a week, I offered to buy the ingredients for the peanut variety (I also threw in chocolates as a regalo* for their kindness). This is also my new favorite hot sauce, and it goes wonderfully with gallo pinto*.

Here goes, hot sauce take two.

Ingredients:
Peanuts (about three handfuls, no shells. Can be roasted or raw, salted or unsalted.)
Dried chilies (Two or three handfuls, depending on how much heat you want)
Oil (we used soybean oil, you can use whatever)
3 Garlic Cloves
Salt
Water
Vinegar (optional)

Add a few tablespoons of oil to a frying pan and put on medium to high heat. Add the peanuts, stirring. You may want to heat them a little less if they are roasted, more if raw (but I’m just guessing. Mine were raw). After a few minutes, add the dried chilies, continuing to stir, and after a few more minutes add the three garlic cloves, whole. Keep the heat going until the garlic is pretty browned. If the oil bubbles or smokes, try turning down the heat.

Add the contents of the pan and some water to a blender. Blend thoroughly, adding more water as needed. Salt to taste.

If you plan to store the hot sauce, add a few tablespoons of vinegar to help preserve. If you are eating it right away this is not necessary.


*Spanish Vocabulary Lesson:

Salsa Picante – Hot Sauce
Con – With
Maní – Peanuts

Regalo – Gift

Gallo Pinto - Nicaraguan fried beans and rice, the most popular food here
Secado - Dried
Chilies - Chiles
Cocinar – To Cook
Aceite de Soya – Soybean Oil
Oja – Garlic

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