Chipotles in adobe are smoked and dried jalepeno chillies canned in a rich, thick sauce of tomatoes, vinegar, garlic and other spices. They’re hot, smoky, sweet, tangy and spicy which is a pretty unbeatable combination of flavors. They’re a sensational way to spice up black beans, guacomole, refried beans, burgers, enchilada sauce or even hummus. I read longingly about them for years on food blogs before they became more readily available in Australia. While they haven’t quite reached mainstream supermarket saturation yet, you can find them at a lot of the independent, gourmet supermarkets, in the hot sauce section.  You can buy ready made chipotle mayonnaise but it’s super simple and cheaper to make your own and it’s great drizzled as a crema on tacos, used as a dipping sauce or as a burger condiment.

Chipotle mayonaise

• 3/4 cup of mayonnaise *
• 2 canned chipotles and about 1 tablespoon of adobe sauce
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• salt to taste

Blend mayonnaise chipotles and lime juice in a blender until smooth. Add salt to taste.

*Replace 1/4 cup of mayonnaise with sour cream for another flavor layer. Some finely chopped coriander is also good. Use a good vegan mayonnaise if you want to make it vegan.