Pictured here
7 MINUTES (1 MINUTE ACTIVE)
MAKES 1½ CUPS
I’ve long been a fan of mixing chipotle peppers with mayonnaise to hype up sandwiches and salads, and I thought I’d see if I could make a lighter version that I could use a little more liberally. This year I started playing around with silken tofu, and I realized that the creamy vegan version could do the same job as the traditional mayo, smoothing and softening the heat of the chipotles while keeping their flavor front and center. The sauce is very good with fresh garlic, but if, like me, you’ve picked up some caramelized “black” garlic out of curiosity, feel free to throw that in instead—it will lend a sweet and funky note to the versatile sauce.
• 3 black garlic cloves or 3 fresh garlic cloves
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo (1 to 2 roughly chopped peppers with sauce)
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 8 ounces silken tofu
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 teaspoons canola oil
If using fresh garlic, bring a small pot of water to a boil, add the garlic cloves, and blanch them for 1 minute. Drain.
In a blender, whizz together the chipotles (more chiles = more spice), garlic, and vinegar until the chiles are roughly chopped. Add the tofu, salt, and oil and blend for 2 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth and homogenized. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week; the mayonnaise can be eaten right away, but it will thicken and set better if it chills first for several hours.