This sauce is so savory and exotic, you don’t notice it’s burning your mouth for a whole three seconds,

and then you notice.

Most Texans report trying this stuff for the first time either at Ninfa’s or at a cheap taco stand.  I hear Tacodeli has a version now, too.  Good for them.

I tried like crazy to find the origin of this sauce.  I found one made with chili piquin from Monterrey which is pretty far north in Mexico. My best guess is that this sauce may have originated in Texas. Almost without fail every blogger that’s recorded this sauce has some connection to Texas, whether their blog is in Spanish or English. None of my cookbooks has this recipe in it.

Any fresh pepper will do. Traditionally this sauce is made with jalapenos but you can spice it up or down.  Some people add cilantro or lime.  I don’t.

I want to try red peppers one day, perhaps for Valentines Day.

Unlike a lot of salsas, which are preserved with lime and vinegar, this sauce will only last about a week unless it’s frozen or kept very cold.

And no, there are no avocados…or peas.  The further south you go in Mexico especially Guerrero and Oaxaca and on into Guatemala, the more likely folks will start putting nuts and seeds in a sauce like this, making it more of a pipian or mole type sauce…but I digress.