Pumpkin Seed Salsa Macha
Meet your new favorite condiment. This delicious salsa from the Veracruz region of Mexico has it all- crunch, heat, tang and flavor- and is very easy to put together. It is also extremely versatile so once you've made our version have fun experimenting with different ingredients in your region or garden!
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil or other vegetable oil
- ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 15-20 small dried hot chilis, like chili de arbol
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup roasted pumpkin optional
- 2-3 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds or powder
Instructions
- Put the oil and dried chilis in a pan on medium heat and toast, stirring frequently so they don't burn. Once they are brown in some places and fragrant , remove from the heat and put in a high-powered blender or food processor.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and put in the pumpkin seeds (as well as any other nuts or seeds you might be adding). If you are adding a small seed such as sesame, wait until the pumpkin seeds have toasted for a few minutes since they will take longer.
- When the pumpkin seeds are lightly browned, add in the garlic and cumin seeds and stir frequently until the garlic is crunchy and golden.
- Add the seeds and garlic to the blender or food processor along with the salt and vinegar. We like to put a scoop of roasted pumpkin in ours sometimes too, since we already have it on hand to get the seeds from. It adds a little creaminess and sweetness which is nice but completely optional!
- Blend to incorporate all ingredients and roughly chop into small pieces but don't let it go all the way to a puree- you want to preserve that crunchy texture!
- Adjust salt and vinegar to taste and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month (but if you're like us it will be gone in a week).