Salsa Macha | Mexican Dried Chile, Peanut, and Oil Salsa

Remove the stems from the dried chiles and shake out most of the seeds; the seeds make the salsa bitter rather than simply hot. Cut the chiles into large pieces with scissors. Wash your hands before touching your eyes.

Heat the oil in a skillet over low heat and add the whole garlic cloves. When the edges of the garlic turn golden, add the peanuts and stir. Move to the next step when the peanuts darken slightly and become fragrant.

Lower the heat all the way and add the cut chiles and sesame seeds. Toast for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly: the chiles will turn glossy and darken but should not blacken. Immediately remove the pan from the heat; the residual heat in the oil will finish toasting them.

Once the mixture has cooled enough to handle, add the vinegar and salt. Pulse in a food processor just a few times; the goal is a coarse texture with pieces in every spoonful, not a puree. In the jar, the oil will separate on top and the solids settle below; this is normal, so stir before serving. Refrigerate the jar. This recipe is not formulated for long-term shelf storage; discard the salsa if its smell or appearance changes.