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Chipotles in adobo
Chiles chipotles adobados
Also called chipotle in adobo, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chipotles adobados
Chipotles are ripe jalapeños that have been smoke-dried. In this form they are rehydrated and tinned in adobo, a thick, sweet-sour sauce of tomato, vinegar, onion and spices. Both the chillies and the sauce are used.
Origin
Smoke-drying jalapeños is a pre-Hispanic preserving method from central and eastern Mexico. The tinned version is a 20th-century Mexican product and is now sold in most large supermarkets.
Flavour
Smoky, hot and sweet-sour, with a dark, almost barbecue-like depth. A single chilli carries a lot.
How to use it
Chop or blend into salsas, marinades, tinga and stews. One to three chillies per dish is usually plenty, plus a spoon of the sauce. Tins vary in heat, so taste before adding more. A little mixed into mayonnaise or crema makes a quick chipotle sauce.
Storage
Once opened, tip into a jar and refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze the chillies flat in a bag and break off what you need. A few brands thicken the sauce with wheat flour, so check the label if that matters.
Recipes using it
Chicken tinga
Tinga de pollo
Poached, shredded chicken simmered with sliced onion, tomato and chipotle in adobo until smoky and saucy. Piled on tostadas with crema and cheese.
EasyMedium heat
Beef barbacoa
Barbacoa de res
Beef cheek or chuck coated in a guajillo, ancho and chipotle adobo, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked until it shreds. Tacos with onion, coriander and the cooking juices.
MediumMedium heat