How we make it
Four salsas, made in small batches in a shared commercial kitchen. This is the whole process, plainly.
Five steps, every batch
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Pick over the chiles
Every batch starts with whole dried chiles. We go through them by hand: stems off, broken and pale ones out.
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Toast them on a comal
A dry comal over medium heat, a few seconds a side, until they smell toasty and turn a shade darker. A few seconds too long and they go bitter, so nobody walks away.
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Cut the fresh things
Garlic, tomato, habanero and mango are cut by hand. Gloves on for the habaneros.
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Cook it slow
Morita, Árbol Rojo and Habanero y Mango simmer on low heat until they thicken. Salsa Macha is different: chiles, peanuts and sesame warm in oil until the oil turns red.
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Jar it, label it, ship it
Into 8 oz glass jars, lids on, labels on, then into boxes. The boxes leave on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The three chiles
Chile de árbol
A long, thin red chile with a quick, sharp heat. It goes into Salsa Macha and Árbol Rojo.
Chile morita
A ripe jalapeño, smoked and dried until it is dark red and wrinkled. Smoky, with a gentle heat. It goes into Morita.
Habanero
Shaped like a small lantern. Fruity and very hot. It goes into Habanero y Mango.