1Toast the Dried Ancho chiles, Dried Mulato chiles, Dried Pasilla chiles, and Dried Chipotle Meco chiles on a comal or dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, being careful not to burn them. Remove stems and seeds. Submerge the toasted chiles in hot water for 20-30 minutes to rehydrate. Reserve the chile soaking water.
2While the chiles rehydrate, char 100 grams of the White onion and 30 grams of the Garlic cloves on a comal until deeply browned and soft. Char the Roma tomatoes until their skins are blistered and slightly blackened.
3Drain the rehydrated chiles, reserving the soaking liquid. In a blender, combine the rehydrated chiles, charred White onion, charred Garlic cloves, charred Roma tomatoes, Black peppercorns, Cumin seeds, Whole cloves, Dried Mexican oregano, Mexican cinnamon stick, and Achiote paste. Add a small amount of the reserved chile soaking liquid as needed to achieve a smooth, thick paste. This is your recado negro.
