🌶️ Fun Fact: Salsa Macha originated in Veracruz, Mexico, blending dried chiles with nuts and seeds. Inspired by Middle Eastern flavors, it became Mexico’s nutty, crunchy, smoky table staple.

½ cup peanuts
2 tbsp sesame seeds
⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
2 cups grapeseed oil
8 dried morita chiles
8 dried pasilla chiles
12 garlic cloves
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp grated piloncillo AKA Mexican brown sugar (Sub Raw Brown Sugar)
Salt and pepper to taste

1️⃣ Toast Time:
Grab a comal or skillet and let those peanuts, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds get golden, toasty, and extra fragrant — about 5 minutes. Set ’em aside like the treasures they are.

2️⃣ Chili Sizzle:
Heat up the grapeseed oil in a heavy pot. Add your chiles and whole garlic cloves and fry until they puff up and turn that deep, moody brown — 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop them out, but keep that gorgeous chile oil in the pot.

3️⃣ Smash Session:
In your molcajete (or whatever gets the job done), toss in the toasted nuts, seeds, fried chiles, garlic, piloncillo, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mash it all together until you hit your dream texture — chunky, smooth, or right in the middle.

4️⃣ The Glossy Finish:
Pour that reserved chile oil back into the mix and stir until everything becomes glossy, spicy magic. Taste. Adjust. Have a moment.

5️⃣ Cool It Down:
Let your salsa macha chill completely before popping it in the fridge — if you don’t eat half of it by “accident” first.

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