What Is Chipotle in Adobo and How Do You Use It?
Mexican food isn’t really Mexican without these two: chipotle and adobo. This mix of dried and smoked jalapeños is a trademark of Latin American cuisine, the foundation of many dishes. Used as a dry mix with a hint of garlic that really packs a punch. Or as a marinade in which the fiery jalapeños take center stage.
Here, we mainly know adobo as the sauce from the can of ‘chipotle in adobo’ with its Mexican flair. A can like that should not be missing from your pantry. Because you can keep it indefinitely, but above all because you want to eat it straight away. Okay, it may be that a few peppers are left over, but we have a solution for that too.
Fusion avant la lettre
The mix originated when the Spanish set foot on Mexican soil. The most important local ingredients (jalapeños and tomatoes) were combined with Spanish flavors, a kind of fusion cooking avant la lettre. To this day, the marinade is homemade all over Mexico. Basic ingredients are peppers, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Then every family has its own secret ingredient to make the adobo their own.
What do you do with it?
The name adobo comes from the Spanish word adobar, which means to marinate. Over the years, this word evolved from a general term for marinade into the specific name for the spice mix so beloved in Mexico. The mix still lives up to its name, because adobo is second to none when it comes to marinating. For example, these short ribs. Or marinate pork ribs with a mixture of adobo, orange and brown sugar. Caribbean cooks use the dry mix as a rub for various types of meat.
Also delicious
Adobo works perfectly in sauces ranging from tomato sauce to bean sauce. Here, you can often already buy a saucy version in a can. Mix it with mayo or crème fraîche for a fresh sauce with a smoky flavor that transforms your tacos with one tablespoon from almost Mexican to ‘muy Mexicano’. The chipotles, jalapeño peppers, are also great in chili, where they can simmer along nicely. Adobo is also delicious for braising your chicken or pieces of beef. Then wrap the meat in a taco or wrap and you can even imagine yourself in your own backyard in Mexico City. Veggie? Adobo perks up boring black beans, works well on sandwiches and is the big surprise in your egg sandwich.
Leftovers?
Do you only need two peppers, and is one bite of adobo spicy enough for you? Don’t leave the adobo and chipotles in the can. Once opened, they quickly develop a stale tinny flavor. A Tupperware container or another small dish works fine. Is that getting in the way? Purée the sauce with the japaleño peppers into a paste. Store it in the refrigerator or turn it into ice cubes. That way, you can ‘fly’ to Mexico at any moment by reaching into the freezer.
