125mlwater(I use half soaking liquid and half water for the liquid as I find the soaking liquid too bitter in aroma. You can just stick with the soaking liquid if you prefer)
2-3Tbspfresh lime juicefrom 1 lime
Instructions
Prep Work
Roast the Chillies. Heat a large frying pan on medium-low heat and dry roast both types of chillies for 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on them. When you start getting a smoky and fruity aroma, take the chillies off the heat and place them in a bowl. Don't let them burn or your chipotles in adobo will be bitter.
Pour very hot water all over the chillies, cover with a plate and soak for 15 minutes. Let's move on to the chopping.
Chop the aromatics. Roughly chop the shallot and garlic, we'll be blending them later.
Deseed the Soaked Chillies (Optional)
Drain the chillies, reserving the soaking liquid.
Put some gloves on. Pull off the stems, then using a pair of scissors, cut one side of a chilli lengthwise and spread it out flat on the chopping board.Using a teaspoon, scrape out the seeds and membrane. Repeat with all the chillies, including the ancho. Discard the seeds.This is the only slightly time consuming part. You'll be surprised at how quickly this gets done once you get the hang of it. I can probably get 3-4 chillies done in a minute.
Let's get the Adobo Sauce going
Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in the same frying pan on medium heat and fry the shallot and garlic for 1 minute. Tip them into a blender, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.So we don't want the oil in the adobo, as we want to cook the adobo in the remaining oil later.
Drop the ancho and 3 chipotles into the blender. Pour about 125ml (½ cup) of the soaking liquid in the blender and blend everything to get a smooth paste.
Let's Cook our Chipotles in Adobo
Heat the remaining oil (2 Tbsp) on medium and pour in the blended sauce. Bring it to a simmer, then add the Mexican oregano, cumin, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 2 Tbsp vinegar, sundried tomato paste and half a cup of water. Or if you don't think the soaking liquid is too strong, another half cup of soaking liquid.I prefer to use half and half.Mix everything thoroughly and bring to a simmer.
Now add the rest of the chipotles and bring back to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
At the end of 10 minutes, stir in 2 Tbsp of the lime juice. Taste it and adjust accordingly. So you could add more vinegar, more salt (you'll probably need this), maybe more sugar and perhaps the last Tbsp of lime juice.If you've never tasted chipotles in adobo, you are going for a tangy, sweet and smoky flavour. It will also be medium spicy, that and the smokiness comes from the chipotles. The tang and sweetness from everything else.Cook for 1 more minute, then take it off the heat.
Transfer to a sterilised jar, leave to cool to room temperature. Clean the sides of the jar, then seal and keep for at least a day before enjoying it.See article above about a water bath to prolong the lifespan and how to store it and how long it will last.