Split Salsa Macha

Name: Split Salsa Macha
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: about 2 cups (480 ml)
Cuisine: Latin
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) Olive Oil; 2 oz peeled cloves (~1 head) (57 g) Garlic; 2 oz raw peanuts (57 g) Peanuts; 2 oz dried mixed (guajillo/cascabel + árbol) (57 g) Chile; 2 to 3 Tbsp untoasted (mid 2.5) (20 g) Sesame Seed; 2 Tbsp (30 ml) Balsamic; 1/4 cup (60 ml) Water; scant 1 tsp (5 g) Salt

Independent adaptation of a publicly published Rick Bayless recipe. Not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Rick Bayless.

Rick Bayless's Split Salsa Macha, from the published recipe.

Ratio

Olive Oil 360 mlBalsamic 30 mlWater 60 ml

Ingredients

Olive Oil — 1 1/2 cups (360 ml)
Garlic — 2 oz peeled cloves (~1 head) (57 g)
Peanuts — 2 oz raw peanuts (57 g)
Chile — 2 oz dried mixed (guajillo/cascabel + árbol) (57 g)
Sesame Seed — 2 to 3 Tbsp untoasted (mid 2.5) (20 g)
Balsamic — 2 Tbsp (30 ml)
Water — 1/4 cup (60 ml)
Salt — scant 1 tsp (5 g)

Method

This sauce is cooked on the stove — the jar is for storing it, not making it.
Cook ingredients gently according to the published technique, adapted here as pantry quantities only.
Finish off heat; adjust seasoning.

Companion jar

Split Salsa Macha wants a whisk and a stove — make it from this page.

The jar carries pour-and-shake sauces. These are its closest cousins from kitchens like this one:

2 kitchens · 4 stars · 3 national awards

Smokedepot Tomato–roasted Garlic★ STARRED KITCHEN
Copperhall Salsa Mexicana★ STARRED KITCHEN
Cedarpass Salsa Mexicana★ STARRED KITCHEN
Midtown Buttermilk★★★ KITCHEN

Build the companion jar

First run is small.

Leave an email and we’ll hold a jar with its companions on it.

Provenance

Mexican–Mexican-American chef of Frontera Grill and Michelin-starred Topolobampo in Chicago; James Beard Outstanding Chef and Best Chef: Midwest. Regional Mexican research over four decades.

Originally published as Salsa Macha.

Adapted from a recipe published by Rick Bayless in Rick Bayless (Frontera).

FAQ

Can this go in a shake jar?

No — this one needs a blender or stove, so make it from this page. Jars only carry pour-and-shake sauces — its companion jar is below.

What do the quantities mean?

Amounts follow the published recipe in household units (with metric in parentheses). On a jar, every sauce scales to the same fill height.

Where did this recipe come from?

Adapted from Rick Bayless (Frontera) (published as “Salsa Macha”). Full citation lives in Provenance.

Companion jar