Ingredients
- 10-12 Chiles anchos (dried Poblanos)
- 1 C Dark brown sugar
- 12 oz (one can) Orange juice concentrate
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/2 C apple cider vinegar
- 1 T Ground cumin
Method
- Tear the chilies apart lengthwise -- basically pulling the two flat halves apart (it's easy to do from the stem-end down) -- and place them in a large bowl of hot water completely covering the chilies and let reconstitute for about an hour. Many of the seeds will float away. That's totally OK. Don't worry about them.
- Lift the chilies from soaking water to a pot containing all of the other ingredients with a slotted spoon, add 1 cup of the soaking water and set to simmer for about two hours, stirring occasionally. Retain the remaining soaking water. Start checking the consistency at 1 1/2 hours. Don't let the sugars burn by overcooking (even at lower temperatures, it can darken in flavor beyond what you want). While the time isn't crucial, don't cook it for too long nor for less than about an hour.
- When it is all cooked down, process for at least 2 minutes in a food processor or blender (you can also use a food mill). Everything should be soft enough to be pureed in this manner. And then strain it through a sieve to remove the pulp.
- The sauce may come out too thick due to all the sugars cooling (it WILL thicken as it cools) and the chili pulp suspended in the sugar mixture. If it's too thick, it can be thinned with the water from the soaking chilies.
Good to Know
In the late 80's I worked at Macheesmo Mouse in Portland, Oregon. To this day I still dream of the amazing food. One day I realized that I could recreate a facsimile of the healthy mexican fast food. This sauce is one of the foundations. If you want the real thing you can find a list here to purchase Booda Sauce.