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Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

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Home » Appetizers~Botanas » Botanas y Antojitos~ Favorite Mexican Snacks

Botanas y Antojitos~ Favorite Mexican Snacks

July 6, 20141 Comment

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 I remember on our many trips to Mexico how I loved visiting my Tia Minerva’s home. She would prepare these great dinners for us. But before the dinner, there was always a table full of botanas and antojitos. There were churritos, durritos, spicy peanuts, pepitas, spicy pumpkin seeds, pork cueritos in escabeche, Mexican cheese, tostadas and a variety of salsas . It was always very festive. I learned to make churritos as a kid, when my dad was testing out batches of homemade corn masa. For many years, he designed and repaired commercial size corn tortillas machinery. This required him to grind and test the masa and he would save out a small portion and prepare churritos for us. He would take an empty tin can and drill holes in the bottom, pipe the masa in and push the churritos out into the hot oil. My dad was fun that way, he was so creative and could figure things out like “Macgyver”  , LOL!  This blog post will be all about some of my favorite antojitos I enjoyed growing up and how you can prepare a homemade version.  

 

 

 

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups warm water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon chile ancho powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups masa harina
2 1/2 to 3 cups canola oil for frying
Chile Limon seasoning, homemade or store bought, Tajin brand

*If you like to add a little spice, mix in 1/3-1/2 tsp. of chile de arbol powder or cayenne pepper.

 

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the water or broth, ancho powder and salt. Gradually add in the masa harina and mix until dough forms. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

2. Fill a diposable pastry bag with masa and cut off the tip. In a heavy pan, preheat your oil to 350 to 365 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set near pan of oil. Now you can pipe in one continous piece of masa or you can pipe in a 2 inch section and quickly cut with knife. I tried both methods and the 2 inch section worked best for me.

3. Fry about 12 to 15 churritos at one time for 4 minutes or until crispy and medium/dark golden brown in color. Drain onto lined baking sheets and season with chile limon powder while they are still warm. Toss to combine. Continue frying until they are all done. Cool completely before storing in an airtight storage bag. They will keep for 3 to 5 days at room temperature. Yields about 3 cups.

 

Masa harina is great for preparing tortillas, tamales and churritos when fresh tortillaria masa in unavailable.
Masa harina is great for preparing tortillas, tamales and churritos when fresh tortillaria masa in unavailable.
I keep a box of diposable pastry bags in my pantry. They come in handy for a variety of recipes.
I keep a box of diposable pastry bags in my pantry. They come in handy for a variety of recipes. Insert pastry bag into tall glass, fold over rim of glass and fill with dough.
You can fry the churritos in one continuous string or cut in into segments with a knife.
You can fry the churritos in one continuous string or cut in into segments with a knife.

 

 

Durritos

 

 

4. The Durritos come premade in a variety of shapes. Only drop a few at a time into hot oil. They fry quickly! Remove from oil and season while they are warm. 

 

 

Buñuelo Strips with Mexican Chocolate Sauce…a sweet antojito.

Buñuelo Strips with Mexican Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients 

For Chocolate Sauce
3.5 ounce disc of Mexican chocolate
1/2 cup hot fudge sauce(smuckers), Lol! No lie!
1/3 cup milk
1 tablespoon instant Nescafe dissolved in a little hot water
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

You will also need
10 small flour tortillas, sliced into long strips
Oil for frying
1 cup sugar
Cinnamon, to taste. I like alot of cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground anise

 

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the chocolate sauce in a small saucepan. Heat to medium. As soon as the chocolate begins to melt, reduce the heat. Stir until smooth and the sauce comes together. Cover and remove from heat.

2. Preheat 2 cups of oil to medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. Slice the tortillas. In a shallow dish, like a pie pan, mix the sugar, cinnamon and anise, set aside.

3. Set up a baking sheet pan with a metal rack near the pan with oil. When oil is hot, add 6 to 8 tortilla strips. Fry for about 2 minutes or until golden and crisp. Turn as needed. Transfer buñuelos strips to pan with rack and let sit just for 20 seconds. Dredge the still warm buñuelos through the cinnamon and sugar and place them back onto the metal rack. Repeat until all done frying strips. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Serve with Mexican chocolate sauce.

Buñuelo Strips with Mexican Chocolate Sauce

 

Buñuelo Strips with Mexican Chocolate Sauce

Elote Asado~Grilled Mexican Corn

Elote Asado-Mexican Grilled Corn

Ingredients

4 to 6 ears of corn
Mayonnaise
Mexican crema or sour cream
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Chile limon powder (Tajin)
Fresh key lime

 

Directions

 

1. Moisten the corn with husk on by running it under water. Shake off. Place onpreheated outdoor grill that is at medium heat. Cook the corn, turning as needed for 20 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and let rest and cool for a few minutes. Mix equal amounts of mayonnaise and crema. Carefully peel back the husk on corn and remove silks. Slather on some of the mayo/crema to coat the surface evenly. Sprinkle a generous amount of crumbled cotija cheese onto corn. Sprinkle with chile limon and squeeze on some fresh lime juice.

Elote Asado-Mexican Grilled Corn

 

Pepitas de Calabaza~ Spicy Pumpkin Seeds (In the shell) Recipe

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds

Ingredients

2 cups cleaned  and rinsed pumpkin seeds (fresh from your pumpkin)
juice of 2 small lemons or limes
2 tablespoons tamarindo concentrate
1/2 teaspoon chile de arbol powder or cayenne pepper
1/3 teaspoon smoked serrano powder or chipotle pepper
3 teaspoons Tajin chile limon powder
Salt to taste

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Stir well and taste for salt. Spread out onto a lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little more chile limon powder. Bake  in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring and spreading back out evenly every 5 to 6 minutes. Make sure you really watch them those last few minutes or they will burn. They will crisp up as they cool. Cool completely and store in a loose covered container. *Too much moisture may cause them to mold because they are so fresh.

20141029_084523

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds Mixed with Tamarindo Concentrate, Chile Powders, Lemon, Chile Limon and Salt
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds Mixed with Tamarindo Concentrate, Chile Powders, Lemon, Chile Limon and Salt

 

 

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Spicy Pumpkin Seeds~ Pepitas de Calabaza

 

Clamatongo estilo Batilongo.

Clamatongo Estilo Batilongo

 

This for me is more like a meal than an antojito. I saw a picture come down the newsfeed on Pinterest one day and I had to investigate!! Come to find out, there is a real place of business named “Batilongo”. You can get a generous cup full of some of your favorite Mexican antojitos. You can choose from a variety fresh fruits, peanuts, tamarindo, churritos and so much more. Lime, chile limon powder and salsa botanera are some of the key ingredients as well. And of course you know I had to add some things I like, chile de arbol powder, jalapeño, fresno and mango enchilado. Made for a super kicked up Bloody Mary!

Clamatongo Estilo Batilongo

Clamatongo Estilo BatilongoTips~ I ordered all of my favorites from MexGrocer out of San Diego. Excellent customer service, product delivered right to your door! 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups clamato, if you don’t like clamato, substitute with spicy V-8
juice of 3 key limes
2 teaspoons chile limon
1 teaspoon chile de arbol powder
2 tablespoons Valentina hot sauce or to taste
salt to taste
1 cup jicama diced
1 cup english cucumber, diced
1 jalapeño, sliced
1 fresno, sliced
1/2 cup japanese peanuts
1/3 cup pulparindo or mango enchilado, diced small
more valentina and salsa chamoy
more chile limon
Adult Antojitos~Add 1/2 cup citrus vodka! Oh Man!

1. In a bowl, combine the clamato, lime juice, 2 teaspoons chile limon, chile de arbol, valentina and salt to taste. Then add in the jicama and cucumbers and hot peppers. Mix, cover and let marinate  for a few hours or overnight.

2. To serve, divide into two  to four dishes with the marinated mixture. Top with japones cocktail peanuts, mango or pulparindo, valentina and chile limon.

 Tips~Clamatongo Cocktail. If adding vodka, add it to the mixture after it marinates and before garnishing.

Clamatongo Estilo Batilongo

 

 

 

Recipe for Homemade Chile Limon Seasoning

 

Ingredients


2 cups chile de arbol (dried)
2 chipotle peppers (dried)
1 1/2 teaspoons sour salt (citric acid)
Kosher salt to taste (I added about 3 1/2 teaspoons)

 

Directions

1. Remove any stems from dried chiles if they have any. Leave seeds in. Add the dried chiles to a skillet. Heat to medium/low heat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, turning often. You just want the peppers to become slightly aromatic and dry out a little more.

2. In batches, grind the peppers to a coarse grind using a spice grinder or coffee bean grinder. I only use my coffee grinder for spices only.

3. Combine the ground up chiles with sour salt and kosher salt to taste. Keep store in an airtight container. Makes about 1 cup. My favorite way to enjoy the chile limon seasoning is on fresh fruit.

Tips~ I only use my coffee grinder for spices. They are fairly inexpensive, so I would suggest using it only for spices. 

 

 

Fresh mango, pineapple and shaved coconut with lime, chile limon and a little crushed chile piquin!

Fresh fruits can be combine with cucumbers to create a beautiful Mexican Antojitos fruit tray for your next party! And if you have fruit leftover, add them to the blender with cold water, sugar and lime juice to blend up a quick agua fresca drink!

 

Fruta Fresca

Fresh fruits, pineapple, watermelon, mango with cucumbers and jicama, lime juice, chile limon powder and hot sauce!

 

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Filed Under: Antojitos, Appetizers~Botanas, Traditional Mexican Recipes Tagged With: antojitos, Buñuelos, Chile-Limon, Churritos, Clamatongo, Durritos, Elote Asado, Pepitas, Pumpkin Seeds, Snacks

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Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

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