Whenever we visit Mexican restaurants, I’ll always look forward to their basket of (usually) complimentary nacho chips with salsa dip before the start of the meal. For me, it is a “test”. Not to judge their level of generosity but rather on the quality of the food. If they are able to pass the “salsa test”, then I’m confident the rest of the meal would be a home run too.
I’m a huge fan of homemade salsa, not the store bought kind. Before discovering how easy it is to make your own salsa, I’ve invested in countless jars and brands of salsa from the stores. Sadly, nothing came close to the fresh, tangy taste we often craved for.
Making this Restaurant-Style Salsa Dip is so ridiculously easy. If you own a food processor or blender, then there’s no reason for you not to make it. Oh, one ingredient below worth mentioning is the can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. If you are in living in South East Asia, most likely it is not very common to see that in our local grocery stores or supermarkets.
I was over the moon when I found it at Belmonte Latin Foods. They are the only retail store in Singapore selling Mexican grocery products. Most of the items are priced reasonably so that helps a lot if you want to try out a variety of Mexican products. Adding chipotle peppers to the salsa gives it that hint of unique smokiness which I adore very much but it is totally an optional item. Without it, your salsa would taste just as great too!
Ingredients:
2 cans (250 g each) Plum Whole Tomatoes
1 small red onion – cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic
½ (approx. 1 cup) bunch coriander – stems removed
Juice from 1 large lime (about 2 tbsp)
¼ cup (60 g) canned Jalapeno (substitute with green chili if unavailable)
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
Optional:
1 – 2 Chipotle peppers (for extra heat) – I got mine online from here
Makes about 4 cups
Recipe source: Little Spice Jar (with minor modifications)
The line up.
Add all the above ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. If you like it chunkier, pulse a little lesser.
Taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice if necessary.
Done!
Serve immediately or store in air tight container for up to 3 days.
- 2 cans (250 g each) Plum Whole Tomatoes
- 1 small red onion – cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ (approx. 1 cup) bunch coriander – stems removed
- Juice from 1 large lime (about 2 tbsp)
- ¼ cup (60 g) canned Jalapeno (substitute with green chili if unavailable)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- Optional:
- 1 – 2 Chipotle peppers (for extra heat)
- Add all the above ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. If you like it chunkier, pulse a little lesser.
- Taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice if necessary.
- Serve immediately or store in air tight container for up to 3 days.
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