Are You a Fan of Chili Crisp? Salsa Macha, a Mexican-inspired Version of Chili Crisp, is a Great Alternative

People have become so used to chili crisp that they expect it at the table in Chinese restaurants. This is the dark red oil jar that has bits of garlic, peppers and onions in it.

However, chefs from large cities to college towns are now selling macha crunch chili crisp’s Mexican-inspired cousin. Rick Bayless, a Chicago restaurateur whose empire was based on Mexican flavours, introduced us to macha crunch.

Bayless created a video of him topping squash with salsa macha in celebration of Taco Tuesday 2016. Bayless stated that salsa macha is a popular food in Veracruz and the entire west coast of Mexico.

It’s an oil-based sauce that often contains toasted sesame seed, almonds and chiles (Bayless uses the chile guallijo). Sometimes vinegar is also added. Because of the difficulty in processing the almonds and skin of the chiles, the consistency can often be on the dry side.

American Taco teaches us how to enjoy our favorite snack, from puffy to chewy. You will often end up with a blender that has oil on the top and crunchy ingredients at the bottom. Take a small amount of oil and reserve it for dressings or other purposes. Then, stir the remaining oil into the mixture and then enjoy the result.

Rishi Manoj, chef de cuisine at Bayless’ Bar Sotano in Illinois, decided to start a salsa macha company after the pandemic shut down Illinois restaurants again in October 2020. He had been playing with salsa machas for a long time, and a bar manager once called him the “macha king” of Chicago.

The second shutdown had seen “creativity drop to takeout” so it seemed a good time to go commercial. Morita is the classic version. Pasilla Oaxaqueno is a smoky version that has pepitas (pumpkin seed) and Verde with cilantro and hazelnuts. This is similar to pesto consistency.

Kumar initially took orders via Instagram. However, the sauces can now be purchased at Here Here Market.

When Kumar was working at Bayless’ flagship restaurant Frontera, Kumar discovered salsa macha. It brought back memories of the chili condiments that he had grown up with in Singapore.

He says that the chili and the complex of nut oils and oil gave him an initial surge of curiosity. He says that the chiles themselves are “a whole Pandora’s Box of flavor profiles.” Kumar adds peanuts and sesame seeds to his Morita Macha.

He says that cooking and blending the ingredients into the macha releases the natural oils in the ingredients, which adds depth to your condiment.

In Michigan, however, there is at least one prince of salsa macha. John Moors, who owns a pop-up in Ann Arbor called Lucha Puerco that is Mexican-themed, started playing with salsa Macha to enhance his offerings. He also added sieguan peppercorns and other spices to an old recipe.

He experimented by packaging his Macha Crunch in carryout containers and selling 20 of them at his next pop-up.

Moors emails said that he holds an FDA license and can make salsa macha for retail sales.

Keep an eye out for his website. If he announces that he will have it at a Lucha Poerco, then make your move. He says that people often buy six to seven jars of the product when it goes on sale because they don’t know when it will be made next.

The chefs suggest using it for topping things like quesadillas and tacos. Bayless uses the leftover oil often to make salad dressings.

Kumar says, “It’s the condiment that you didn’t know you needed.”