This is not for the meek and mild.
Ingredients
—2 cups raw peanuts in their skins 1 small can (100g/3.5oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (I use La Morena brand) 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp allspice ½ tsp flaky sea salt, or to taste Finely grated zest 2 limes 3-4 Tbsp lime juice 75ml (5 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil ½-¾ cup hot water Optional extras: plain unsweetened yoghurt, fresh mint and/or coriander (cilantro)
Method
—1 Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Put the peanuts in a shallow ovenproof tray. Roast for 7-10 minutes until lightly browned; keep an eye on them because they can burn quickly once cooking gets underway. Cool for 10 minutes, then, while the peanuts are still warm, rub them through your hands to remove the skins (or bundle them up in an old clean tea towel and rub vigorously. Then shake the tin and blow off the shells (this is the old-fashioned way, but not considered hygienic these days), or use a small fan to waft the shells away.
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- No peanuts
2 Put 1½ cups of the peanuts in the bowl of a food processor (reserve the rest). Add the chipotle peppers with all the sauce, the spices and salt, lime zest and juice. Process to a coarse paste. With the processor running, pour in the oil, then pour in enough water to bring the mixture to a soft spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning – but be careful! Sometimes the chipotle peppers have more seeds than others and it can be pretty explosive! I’ve explained how to adjust the heat below.
3 Add remaining peanuts and process very briefly, leaving the peanuts a bit chunky.
Recipe Notes
If the sauce is explosively hot, add in a handful of mint leaves, or coriander (cilantro), and a little more lime juice. If it is still outrageously hot, stir in plain unsweetened yoghurt. This will change the colour somewhat, but it will knock back the heat.
Use the sauce as a dunk with raw cauliflower or other vegetables, or as a spread on toasted bagels. Also, use as a spread on tacos, or as a sauce with grilled chicken, pork or lamb, or grilled vegetables. It will keep several days refrigerated.
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