Salsa Macha: How to Make Mexican Chile Oil

”I had salsa macha for the first time in Michoacan when I was visiting my grandmother — and immediately fell in love,” says Chicago’s Chicago’s Vivi Abeja. When she came back from her travels, the experienced Mexican food cook set out to perfect her own recipe for this spicy, silty, addictive sauce. Made with pumpkin and other seeds, nuts, chiles and oil, salsa macha is different in texture and preparation from the traditional red and green salsas Vivi has long been family-famous for mastering. (Like this red salsa molcajete, and the salsa verde she uses in this favorite stew.)

“The trick was to not blend it all together. I blend the salsa in sections to get the consistency and texture that I love,” Vivi says. The condiment has become a fixture in her kitchen. ”Now that I’ve perfected this recipe, I add salsa macha to my eggs, my sandwiches, my soups, everything, and anything. Snacking it with some fresh-made tortilla chips is top tier.”

Find more of Vivi’s Mexican family recipes here.