Homemade Restaurant style Mexican Salsa

Homemade Restaurant style Mexican Salsa is a Mexican sauce or salsa, made with juicy tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos (the spicier the better!!!) with a splash of vinegar or lime juice.

This Mexican sauce recipe is one I have been following for decades and the only sauce my family loves with their Mexican dishes!

This lip smacking, made in a jiffy salsa or sauce is normally served with a bowl of tortilla chips and as a topping for most Mexican dishes like burritos, tacos, tostadas, chimichangas etc.

My love for Mexican food began decades ago when I was in Denver, Colorado after my marriage.

Denver was the Mexican food capital of USA in the 70s and 80s and most Hollywood stars used to fly down to Denver to enjoy delicious Mexican food.

Of course, now, you can see these dishes everywhere in the world!

But my favorites were that fresh, spicy salsa, smothered burritos, smothered chimichangas, crispy tacos and tostadas etc.

Most Mexican restaurants normally welcome you with a bowl of their special tomato salsa along with a mountain of tortilla chips in their customary cane basket while you order and wait for your favorite Mexican food to arrive!!

They are served unlimited and me and my family used to always look forward to biting into these crisp, freshly made tortilla or nacho chips coated with the hot and chunky salsa.

We never failed to request their hot variety of salsa too as we love a lot of spiciness and heat in all our dishes!!

Making them at home was the next best thing to frequent trips to the nearest Mexican joint to dig into a bowl of salsa and chips or getting a jar of store bought one too!!!

Basic ingredients are really so simple and minimal....

Tomatoes
Onions
Green chilies or Jalapenos
Dry oregano flakes
Dash of vinegar or lemon/lime juice
Salt
Pinch of sugar

Different types of tomatoes give a different flavor and taste to this homemade salsa.

I prefer the juicier tomato with a little bit of sourness in them. Roma or regular tomatoes are okay but I love the tanginess vine ripened or country tomatoes give to the salsa!

You can use a mix of both the varieties of tomatoes if you like.

The spicier the jalapenos or chilies the better! Well, add according to your preference but for my family, more the merrier aka spicier!

Red/purple onions give the best flavor to this addictive sauce. So, do use that only.

Vinegar (our family's preference as opposed to lime/lemon juice in this salsa) adds a lovely tang to the sauce. But use lime or lemon juice if you like that natural flavor.

Dry oregano flakes is optional but I have been adding this for ages in my kitchen and my family seems to love that exotic aroma in the salsa.

All you need to do is to pressure cook all these (except oregano, vinegar, salt and sugar), cool, blitz, add the rest and boil and simmer until the desired thickness.

Serve it hot over burritos, chimichangas, tacos, tostadas or serve it chilled or at room temperature with a big bowl of nacho or tortilla chips!

Once you make this at home, you might never get store bought for your dips and Mexican dishes.

Homemade Restaurant style Mexican Salsa is a totally vegan perfect party pleaser; just plonk a large bowl of this amazing spicy salsa with an unlimited supply of tortilla chips or even potato chips (the thicker variety) and be ready to keep refilling these bowls endlessly!!

With just a few ingredients already in your pantry, making this salsa is easy and quick.

Love making your own sauces? Then do try these too:

Yum

Homemade Restaurant style Mexican Salsa

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Homemade Restaurant style Salsa is a Mexican sauce or salsa, made with juicy tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos (the spicier the better!!!) with a splash of vinegar or lime juice. They are normally served with a bowl of tortilla chips and used as a topping for most Mexican dishes like burritos, tacos, chimichangas etc.

Ingredients

6 large juicy tomatoes (vine ripened or country tomatoes)
1 large onion, preferably red/purple onion
3 to 4 green chilies or jalapenos
½ teaspoon oregano flakes
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste

Instructions

Wash and cut the tomatoes, onions and green chilies roughly into big chunks.
Place them in a pressure pan or cooker with a little water. Add just enough to coat the bottom of the pan to up to ½ inch only.
Close the pan and cook until one whistle.
(If using an Instant Pot, pressure cook on "HIGH" for just 2 minutes).
When the pressure drops, open the lid and allow to cool a little bit.
We need to blend this, so it is better to cool it before we put it in the blender jar.
If there is too much excess water, then drain and add to sauce after blending.
Once it is cool enough, blend this in a blender or mixer to a coarse paste (or smooth if you prefer) without adding any water.
Pour into a saucepan along with remaining water in the pressure pan.
Stir in the oregano, vinegar, sugar and salt to taste.
You need a spicy, tangy, savory and well balanced flavor for the sauce.
Mix well and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low till the desired thickness of the sauce or salsa (about 15 minutes).
Adjust the amount of vinegar, sugar and salt to your taste.
Cool and serve with tortilla chips, potato chips or any Mexican dish.

Notes

For a different flavor, you can add about ¼ cup of chopped coriander leaves or cilantro while cooking the sauce.

If you do not like the flavor of vinegar, you can add lemon or lime juice. I have tried both; our family prefers the flavor of vinegar in salsas.

Some people prefer cumin powder in the sauce. I do add this sometimes for an additional flavor.

Play around with the amount of vinegar, salt, sugar, chilies etc to achieve the perfect balance of sweet, salt, sour and spicy.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking/Eating!

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes

https://curryandvanilla.com/homemade-restaurant-style-mexican-salsa/

Step-by-step method:

Gather the ingredients.

Wash and cut the tomatoes, onions and green chilies roughly into big chunks.
Place them in a pressure pan or cooker with a little water. Add just enough to coat the bottom of the pan to up to ½ inch only.

Close the pan and cook until one whistle.
(If using instant pot, then pressure cook on "HIGH" for just 2 minutes and then QPR (quick pressure release).
When the pressure drops, open the lid and allow to cool a little bit.

We need to blend this, so it is better to cool it before we put it in the blender jar.
If there is too much excess water, then drain and blend.
No need to peel the tomatoes.
Once it is cool enough, blend this in a blender or mixer to a coarse paste without adding any water. If you love smooth sauce then puree until fine.
Pour into a saucepan along with remaining water in the pressure pan.

Stir in the oregano, vinegar, sugar and salt to taste.
Mix well and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer on low till the desired thickness of the sauce or salsa (about 15 minutes).
Adjust the amount of vinegar, sugar and salt to your taste.