One of the things you’ll always find on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico are snack vendors, and among them are the fruit vendors. The fruits they offer are those that are in season. It’s like a rainbow of flavors in the fruit vendor's cart.
Today, some of those sellers use a chili powder sold commercially for that purpose; it has some other things besides the chili powder, like ascorbic acid, lemon juice, artificial colors, and salt.
Hot Piquín Pepper Powder Sprinkled over Fruit… another Street Food from Mexico
But it used to not be that way years ago when people used chili powder prepared at home. They used the Piquín/Chiltepin chili, which is grounded and mixed with salt to add some spiciness to the fruit.
Piquín, or chiltepín, is the most common name that this little pepper is known throughout México, although there are many name changes from one region to another. The name Chiltepín is derived from two Nahuatl words: “Chillitl”, or chilli, and “tecpintli”, meaning flea.
It is logical to think that the name is due to their small size, but do not underestimate them, they are quite spicy. They are consumed during all of their three stages, green fresh cut of the plant green, red when mature and dry when they had changed to a reddish copper color.These chilies are used for stews and sauces.
More than a recipe, this is just a process to make your own hot dry pepper powder, one that you can also use not just for the fruits, salsas, and Mexican stews, but for your own cooking creations.
How to make hot piquín pepper powder
Directions:
- Place the dry peppers in a mortar, Molcajete, or spice grinder and grind until it forms a fine powder-like mixture. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Add salt and mix. Sprinkle over the fruit of your choice with lime juice and enjoy!
Enjoy!
Mely,
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Hot Piquín Pepper Powder
Ingredients
- Seasonal Fruits like watermelon pineapple, mangos in the Summer or Oranges in the winter.
- ½ cup of Chile Pequin Dried *
- Lime juice to add to your fruit
- 1 tablespoon of Salt
Instructions
- Place the dry peppers in a mortar, Molcajete, or spice grinder and grind until it forms a fine powder-like mixture.
- Add salt and mix. Sprinkle over the fruit of your choice with lime juice and enjoy!
Anna Austin
I live in Missouri and cannot do d Chile sequin locally. Do you know of a reputable source where I can order them from. I love this little Chile, we used it green in fresh salsa, and one ground over a bowl of menudo blanco is fabulous.
mmartinez
Hello Anna,
You can find them sold at Amazon, check this link: http://amzn.to/2Ckatz6
Prieta
Hi Mely. I love pico de gallo, which is what we call this delicious treat. This is very big in my family and, like you, I like to make my own chile mix. Sometimes I use sumac to give it the lemony flavor.
Did you know that this pepper is not the true chiltepin? The true chiltepin is a round pepper half the size of the piquin. It is a wild fruit that grows in the Sonoran dessert, under the mesquite trees to get protection from the sun. Because of its high demand the chiltepin is very pricey; I have bought it for $33.00 a pound but some times it's more expensive. The chiltepin is a wild pepper but people has tried to cultivate it and commercialize it. The piquin is a version of the domesticated one that is easy to grow, more accesable and easy on the wallet.
Thanks for sharing this snack. Sometimes the most simple recipes are the ones that represent our culture in the best ways. And for us who live outside Mexico, they evoke wonderful memories. Besos.
Mely
Great info, Prieta
Thanks for the valuable information, specially from someone who loves chiles, like you.
besos guapa!
Byte64
YO QUIERO UNO!
Un abrazo
Tlaz
Mely
Me too!
Saludos Flavio.
Swathi Iyer
That is great, we used eat tart mango with chili powder and salt. But sweet ones will be wonderful idea Mely.
Mely
Really Swathi? We do that too in Mexico. So many similarities with Indian food.