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Soul of Herbs

Recipe

Salsa roja with Mexican oregano

Herb:
Mexican oregano Lippia graveolens
Method:
Culinary use
Plant part:
Leaf

About 30 minBeginnerRecipe science profile

Procedure

  1. Seed 3 dried guajillo chillies, toast briefly in a dry pan and soak 15 minutes in hot water.
  2. Blend with 4 charred tomatoes, half an onion, 2 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.
  3. Pour into a small pan, add a teaspoon of Mexican oregano crumbled between your palms and simmer 10 minutes.
  4. Season with salt and lime; serve with tacos, beans or eggs.

Extraction

Herb:
1 čajová lžička sušeného mexického oregana na 500 ml salsy
Solvent:
krátký var v rajčatovém základu
Shelf life:
5 dní v lednici
Target compounds:
silice (karvakrol, thymol) přechází do tuku a vody omáčky; drcení listu v dlaních uvolní víc aroma

Notes

A kitchen recipe with no particular risks. Mexican oregano is unrelated to European oregano — it tastes sharper and more citrusy and pairs with chilli.

Why it works

Carvacrol and thymol from Mexican oregano oil dissolve in the fat and hot water of the sauce and survive a short simmer; crumbling the leaf breaks the oil glands. The catalogue holds no medicinal claim for Mexican oregano.

Literature

Related

Mexican oregano — Herb card

Culinary use — Processing method detail

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