I have an enormous amount of Thai chilis still ripening in November. I brought a couple of the plants inside to try and winter over. But the most prolific of the Thai chilis just is not thriving in the transition! Which is no worry, I can easily plant more next year. Although that does give me about two dozen Thai chilis to immediately use! Now, I have been making some really exceptional enchilada sauce over the last couple of seasons. But it only lasts so long and this would certainly be a double batch. So, I thought to myself... What exactly is the difference between enchilada sauce and hot sauce? Many of them consist of peppers, onion, garlic, and the occasional tomato.
The only necessary ingredient that I'm missing is vinegar and I certainly have vinegar! Albeit, not necessarily plain distilled white vinegar. I have balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, and regular wine while we're at it. I also have industrial-strength vinegar that is for cleaning and is not food grade. But alas, I also have a bottle of white balsamic vinegar! And now I have made hot sauce.
Gallery
Don't roast all of the tomatoes and onion at the same time! I took the picture for a simpler visual representation of how many tomatoes that there are. But these will need to be roasted in at least 2 batches. It's ill advised to fill your air fryer actually to the top. It will also make the roasting part take far longer! Because air fryers work by rotating incredibly hot air through the fryer. So, if you do not have good air flow? It's not exactly going to function at peak capacity!
Variations of Enchilada Sauce
I am constantly making enchilada sauce during the summer months. The depth of flavor from the roasted peppers to the slowly simmered sauce just fills the room with that delicious aroma of spicy peppers.
This enchilada sauce consists of homegrown Thai chilis, tomatoes, garlic, red onions, and a splash of distilled white vinegar. The vinegar isn't something that I ordinarily add. It definitely imparts a flavor that my enchilada sauces don't ordinarily have. But it does significantly add to the lifespan of the enchilada sauce! Which does become important when you're making a potluck-sized version.
1/2c.white vinegar(I used white balsamic vinegar, but any white vinegar will do!)
Instructions
Roast Produce
Place the chilis, tomatoes, garlic, and onion in the air fryer. It can help to cut the tomatoes and onion in half and pierce the chilis with a knife so they don't burst while cooking.Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to break this up into multiple batches. I cooked the peppers and the rest of the fruits and vegetables separately. You can also substitute any other roasting method of choice. An oven or BBQ would do just fine. It's more to get a char flavor than explicitly necessary.
Cook for 7-12 minutes, or until the produce is lightly charred. The skin should begin to brown, but not entirely blacken or shrivel. You're trying to roast them, not dry them!
Let cool to the touch.
Blend
Once the produce are cool, add a food processor with 2 cups of water.
Blend until puréed completely.In my Vitamix or Cuisinart Food Processor this takes about 15-20 seconds. In another blender, this might take a minute or two.Just be careful not to inhale the mixture when you open the lid! It's quite spicy.
Cook
Add the puréed mixture to a large pot with the additional 1 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, and a dash of salt and pepper.You can blend all of the water together when you puree it, but I found that it was easier to add 2/3 of the water then finish thinning it in the pot. None of this will effect cooking, though. Add as more or as little water as you need to purée the ingredients and then add the rest before cooking!
Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened to the desired consistency. Make sure to stir occasionally.
Serve immediately or refrigerate. With so many hot peppers, this enchilada sauce will last a good while in the refrigerator.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
If you do air fry the vegetables for too long, don’t fret too much. You’ll still end up boiling the ingredients and they will re-hydrate. You’re pretty much okay with any amount of char as long as you don’t seriously burn them!
You can substitute any kind of pepper of choice. Even dried peppers will re-hydrate with the first simmer. If you don’t have fresh chilis or other peppers and want to use dried ones, just skip the roasting step and go straight to the first cooking stage.
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