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CHOW: Recipes: Chile Gravy

Chile Gravy Recipe

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Difficulty: Medium | Total Time: 25 mins | Active Time: | Makes: 3 cups

This chile gravy is a Tex-Mex staple. Serve atop enchiladas or nachos, blend up a few margaritas, and invite some friends over.

What to buy: Ancho chiles are a smoked and dried poblano (a.k.a. pasilla) chile. The chiles and powder can be found in the Latin section of most grocery stores or in Latin markets. If you can’t find anchos, you can substitute chiles mulatos, though they are often more difficult to find.

This recipe was featured as part of our Super Bowl for a Crowd menu.

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 whole ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 medium white onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  • 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Place chiles in a small saucepan and cover with 1 1/2 cups of the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until chiles have softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Pour chile mixture (with cooking liquid) and onion in a blender, cover the lid with a kitchen towel, and blend on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth and blend to combine.
  3. Heat oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until soft and tender but not browned, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour smells toasted but garlic remains pale in color, about 2 minutes more.
  4. Whisk in ancho chile powder, cumin, and oregano, then slowly pour in chile mixture. Whisk until chile mixture is completely incorporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season well with salt.
    Write a review | 21 Reviews
POST A COMMENT |21 Comments

COMMENT

  • I make very decent roux so I know that was not my problem. This was too light on taste and too heavy in paste. I will not make this again.

  • Ancho chiles (which are not smoked), and even more so Chiles Negros, will produce a bitter sauce on their own- For a dozen enchiladas I use a total of 2 oz chiles, 1 Ancho and the remainder California (New Mexico and Guajillo work well too). Don't know why people add flour, it's totally unnecessary and produces a repulsive texture- at least this recipe doesn't add tomatoes,

  • Why whole ancho chiles and ancho chile powder?

  • I love this recipe! I couldn't find any ancho chiles so I used guajillo chiles instead and they were great! We've used this for enchiladas, nachos and tacos.

  • The original recipe states that ancho chiles are smoked, but that is wrong.

  • Chipotles are smoked, it will yield a different flavor than intended, but it sounds worth a try, to me...

  • What about using canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce? Could that be used instead of the dried?

  • As I understand it 'brown sauce' could mean any meat stock thicked with medium roux - a short cut NOB for making enchilada sauce. IMO roux is an unnecessary stretcher - if you use enough whole chiles it is not needed and the flavor will be superior.

    We're way past the era where the only powdered chile available was an 'exotic' spice mix from Gebhardts or another corporation. Just Let It Go!

  • Post script...

    Enchiladas are made all over the world now. But in the Home of good Cheese enchiladas...its the garvy nad the cheese. Gebhardt's chili powder has been in my mother cupboard since I can remember, She would raise a fit if Dad came home with another brand. The cheese we use is colby Cheadar...I like the sharp. Its harder to mealt, but the Tangy flavor is what makes it.

    Thats why...+READ

    Post script...

    Enchiladas are made all over the world now. But in the Home of good Cheese enchiladas...its the garvy nad the cheese. Gebhardt's chili powder has been in my mother cupboard since I can remember, She would raise a fit if Dad came home with another brand. The cheese we use is colby Cheadar...I like the sharp. Its harder to mealt, but the Tangy flavor is what makes it.

    Thats why Nachos, or beans go so well with Longhorn. Its the tang.-COLLAPSE

  • In South Texas we still make enchilada gravy the old way...Cili Powder was not added to Brown Gravy, it is added to a roux of oil and flour. The roux is never let to brown.

    Salt, Pepper, Cumin, and garlic are added to the water and the gravy is cooked till the flavors come together and flour taste cooks out.

    To make cheese enchiladas, Corn tortillas are quickly fried in corn oil( this...+READ

    In South Texas we still make enchilada gravy the old way...Cili Powder was not added to Brown Gravy, it is added to a roux of oil and flour. The roux is never let to brown.

    Salt, Pepper, Cumin, and garlic are added to the water and the gravy is cooked till the flavors come together and flour taste cooks out.

    To make cheese enchiladas, Corn tortillas are quickly fried in corn oil( this prevents the tortilla from absorbing the gravy and turning into mush) the cold tortillas are dipped into the gravy and placed in a backing dish, shreaded Longnorn cheadar cheese is add, diced onion opt., and the enchilada is rolled. Once the pan is filled, the remaining gravy is placed on top and more shreaded cheese and onion. The enchiladas are bake for 15-20 minutes at 325f.-COLLAPSE

  • Aren't ancho one of the tricky peppers that have the same name dried or fresh? You should use dried peppers though.

    Why a good thing that the suped up brown sauce enchiladas are going away DiveFan? That bums me out. But I like jello salads too.

  • I just this recipe, yum! I'm going to have it over chicken enchiladas, and whatever else happens to be on the plate! It's beautiful. There's a little place near me that uses chili gravy on it's enchiladas, and I've always wanted a good recipe. This is it. Thanks!

  • this is just like my mexican aunts taught me to make... well minus the flour/roux-oregano-ancho powder part.... let me make a suggestion... do the ancho chile, onion and stock part in the blender.... that's all you really need.... fry the tortillas... dip in ancho-onion sauce.. and fill with chopped fresh onion and crumbly farmers cheese....seriously.. this is incredibly good.. its simple.. but...+READ

    this is just like my mexican aunts taught me to make... well minus the flour/roux-oregano-ancho powder part.... let me make a suggestion... do the ancho chile, onion and stock part in the blender.... that's all you really need.... fry the tortillas... dip in ancho-onion sauce.. and fill with chopped fresh onion and crumbly farmers cheese....seriously.. this is incredibly good.. its simple.. but really good!-COLLAPSE

  • I'd rather eat the real thing, enchiladas ("mexican enchiladas")

  • anchos are, by definition, dried. fresh, they are called poblanos.

  • I'm confused. Are the "whole ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed" called for in this recipe fresh or dried?

  • what kjmerz said. also, anchos are not smoked, they are just dried poblanos.

  • Hey, how long does this keep?

  • Anchos are NOT a.k.a. Pasillas. two different animals.

  • Because of the flour and oil used which create a roux. Read one of Robb Walsh's books for the history.
    In older Tex-Mex cooking chile powder was added to brown gravy. The brown chile gravy used on enchiladas seems to be a dying tradition (IMO a good thing).

  • why is this called 'gravy'?