Delicious Meat with Red Chile Sauce

Our family loves this Mexican Red Chile Sauce with meat (whether beef, pork, or chicken) which I’ve been making for years. It is a meal I learned from my husband and his mother, who are from Mexico. I imagine that different families might choose to make the sauce in slightly different ways, but this is the way I do it, and it’s always been a success.

If you choose to print this out, the PDF file for doing so is located at the bottom.

Meat with Red Chile Sauce & White Rice

Sauce

1. Put several (5 or more) dried New Mexico chiles (mild/dulce) in a medium pot with enough water to completely cover (they will float, but imagine how much water you would need if they didn’t float). Boil for several minutes, until chiles are soft and water is red.
2. Using prongs, transfer cooked chiles to blender, along with all the water from pot, making sure to remove stems. Blend thoroughly (be careful of the hot steam).
3. Pour liquid from blender into sifter placed over a medium bowl. Drain liquid.
4. (Optional) Put ½ to 1 onion (your preference), 3-4 garlic  cloves (or about 1 tbsp. minced garlic), all the chile liquid, oregano, salt, cumin, and anything else you want into the blender (about 1 tsp of each). Blend until smooth. Save to pour over meat.

Tip: Omit Step 4 except for adding the salt if you want a simple red chile sauce.

Meat

Your choice of beef, pork, or chicken (about 3 lbs.).

1. In large pot, place 1-2 tbsp. olive oil, ½ to1 onion, and 3-4 garlic cloves (or about 1 tbsp. minced garlic).
2. Chop meat into 1” chunks. Place in pot with oil, onion, and garlic. Sprinkle a little salt over the meat. Mix everything together, then cook on medium to high heat, stirring occasionally. The meat will release liquid; continue to cook until all liquid has evaporated and the meat begins to brown (about 30 minutes, though it could be more).
3. Add red chile sauce, then simmer over low heat for about another 30 minutes. 

White Rice

1. Put 6 cups water in medium to large pot, with about 1 tbsp. salt, and 3 tbsp. butter. Bring to boil.
2. Stir in 3 cups Jasmine or Basmati rice (if you like, you can add some anise or caraway seeds). Return to boil, then lower heat, allowing to simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. When all the water has been absorbed, turn off heat and allow rice to sit for several minutes before serving.

Tip: Use double the amount of water for the amount of uncooked rice. So, for every 2 cups of water, use 1 cup of rice, etc.

Enjoy!

~Jessica

Do you have any tips or ideas for how to improve or give variety to this dish? I’d love to hear your comments! And if you actually try to make it, please let me know how it turned out!