What can I do with molcajete?
Serve with warm corn tortillas, extra salsa, cilantro and lime. This marinade works well for steak, chicken, seafood and pork! The salsa pictured is from another recipe, but has the same ingredients as the salsa I used for this recipe. The one pictured was processed in the molcajete. Tacos!!
How do you cook molcajete?
Bake the molcajete at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool and wash thoroughly. Fill it with water, vinegar and salt, then bring it to a boil directly over your burner or on a grill burner. Boil out the liquids completely and allow to cool.
Does molcajete need to be seasoned?
It will already be seasoned from years and years of use, which is a great thing because the molcajete will pick up flavors over time, which enhances the flavor of the foods you are working with. But, if you’re like the rest of us and have had to purchase the molcajete new, you’ll need to cure, or season, it first.
How to grind molcajete?
You can also use onion, or a combination of onion and garlic, as well as cumin seeds, rock salt, cilantro. Rice is another traditionally used ingredient for grinding during this initial stage. Let the molcajete rest 24 hours. Rinse away the paste from the molcajete. Done! Clean the molcajete with water.
What do you do with a molcajete?
Use your molcajete for crushing and grinding spices, making salsas and guacamole, sauces and more. Simply grind down the ingredients in the mortar with the pestle to the consistency you want to achieve and transfer them to a serving bowl, or serve them directly from the molcajete for effect.
How do you break in a molcajete?
2:365:27How To Cure & Season A Molcajete | How To Prep A Mexican Mortar ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can break in your molcajete. By curing it which will loosen and excavate these small particles.MoreYou can break in your molcajete. By curing it which will loosen and excavate these small particles.
What is a molcajete food?
Molcajete Mariscos If you are craving a larger variety of seafood ingredients, this dish is sure to satisfy. It features grilled scallops, shrimp, and fish. All of these are combined in our tomato and cheese sauce with bell peppers and onions. We also add some freshly squeezed lemon to intensify the flavor.
How do you use a molcajete first?
To season a molcajete first:Wash really well with water and a stiff brush.Pour a handful of uncooked rice and grind to a powder using your pestle (tejolote). ... Repeat the process as many times as needed until the ground rice is white in color and has no grit in it.More items...•
How do you clean molcajete after use?
Warm Water: After each use, thoroughly rinse your mortar and pestle with warm water. Repeat a couple of times. Never, Ever Use Soap: You know how you should never use soap to clean a cast-iron skillet? The same applies to this type of mortar and pestle.
How can you tell a fake molcajete?
Press the pestle or hand against the molcajete/metate and make a few grinding movements. If either the mortar or the pestle smell like cement, or wet masonry mortar, it's a dead giveaway of the counterfeit origin.
What is a molcajete called in English?
mortar and tejoloteIn English a molcajete is called a mortar and tejolote, or pestle. The word molcajete comes from the Nahuatl word molcaxitl. Mortar and pestles are made of various materials. The most popular ones are made of ceramic, stone, hard wood, porcelain, basalt, brass, or glass.
Who uses molcajetes?
A molcajete is a traditional Mexican version of a mortar and pestle made from volcanic rock. First used by Aztec people several thousand years ago, this ancient cookware is still a popular tool in Mexican kitchens. It's perfect for crushing and combining ingredients to make Mexican salsa.
How do you season a Mexican molcajete?
After you've dried the molcajete,take a small handful (about 1/4 of a cup) of rice and pound it into the molcajete until the rice turns into a grey powder. Repeat this process until rice no longer turns grey but instead stays white. 4. Clean up the rice that has shot out of the molcajete as you've been pounding it.
Why Use a Molcajete Instead of a Blender?
The grinding action of the molcajete releases the essential oils of the ingredients you are processing which adds depth of flavor to your food. Preparing food in a blender chops the food instead of grinding it which releases less flavor and gives it a different texture.
Are they Hard to Use?
Molcajetes are simple to use but do require more physical effort than blenders or food processors. You may think, “I don’t want to make any extra effort when I cook. Cooking is enough effort.” But, I promise you the extra effort is worth it.
How to Use a Molcajete
Chop any ingredients that you plan on preparing in the molcajete. It makes processing easier and gives your food a more uniform texture. The finer you chop the ingredients before adding them the smoother your food will be.
How to Choose
Molcajetes come in many sizes or shapes. The smaller sizes are used to make portions for one or two people and the larger ones to make family-sized portions.
Readying Your Molcajete for Its First Use
Most new molcajetes need to be “cured” before you use them. Curing doesn’t mean oiling it and heating it the oven like you would with a cast-iron skillet. Curing means smoothing out the interior and removing and grit.
How to Clean
Molcajetes are easy to clean. Just scrape out any remaining food and then rinse it under hot running water. Use a kitchen brush to remove any food that is stuck. Add a couple of drops of dish soap and then scrub some more with your kitchen brush. Rinse again thoroughly with hot water to ensure no soap residue remains.
Buy a Molcajete
You can get a great molcajete from our friends at HERNÁN. They are hand-carved in Mexico from 100% volcanic stone. Your molcajete can also be used to serve pre-prepared salsas and dips. Sure to be a conversation starter around any party table.
What Is a Molcajete?
In Mexican cooking, a molcajete is a pre-Hispanic mortar and pestle made from volcanic stone. Molcajetes have two pieces: the basin/mortar and the tejolote, or grinder/pestle. Ingredients are ground by pressing and twisting with the tejolote, an action that releases the essential oils of the foods and adds depth of flavor.
5 Advantages of Using a Molcajete
When it comes to countertop cooking tools, the molcajete comes in handy for any number of recipes. Even if a cookbook calls for a more modern appliance, there are advantages to preparing foods in a handcrafted molcajete. There are plenty of reasons to use a molcajete:
How to Prepare a Molcajete for Use
Before you use a new molcajete for the first time, it needs to be cured—i.e. scrubbed of excess debris and sediment from inside the mortar. Basalt molcajetes can crumble due to the composition of the natural volcanic stone. Smooth out the inside by placing coarse rock salt or white rice inside the mortar and grinding it with the pestle.
How to Use a Molcajete
Whether you’re whipping up some Mexican food or just need to prepare pesto sauce for a pasta dish, there are a few basic steps to using a molcajete:
How to Clean a Molcajete
To clean a molcajete, hand wash it under warm water. Don’t use soap, as the grooves of the stone can trap soapy residue. Use a kitchen brush to scrub any food that gets caught in the grooves of the lava stone mortar and tejolote. Wipe excess water off of the surface and let the molcajete air dry.
What is a Molcajete?
A molcajete is a Mexican version of the mortar and pestle. It’s a 3-legged bowl that looks sort of like a squat animal carved from basalt, a volcanic rock. Sometimes it even sports a head like a pig to enhance the animal effect. You may have seen them in Mexican restaurants.
How to Cure or Season a Molcajete
If you’re lucky and have had a molcajete passed down to you from a previous generation, you won’t need to season your molcajete.
You can also Boil your Molcajete
Fill it with water, vinegar and salt, then bring it to a boil directly over your burner or on a grill burner. Boil out the liquids completely and allow to cool. Grind in dry, uncooked rice to cover any leftover pores.
Personal note
Most of these instructions are based on the instructions from the manufacturer of the molcajete. I have found that it is better to repeat the process a few times to really cure the tool. It does take extra time for you, but it will be worth it in the long run.
Using Your Molcajete
Use your molcajete for crushing and grinding spices, making salsas and guacamole, sauces and more. Simply grind down the ingredients in the mortar with the pestle to the consistency you want to achieve and transfer them to a serving bowl, or serve them directly from the molcajete for effect.
Do's and Don'ts to Help Your Molcajete Last for Years and Years
Author of two books, freelance writer, and photographer. She runs the popular blogs Spicie Foodie and Mexican Made Meatless.
Get to Know Your Mortar and Pestle
It is very important that you know exactly the type of material that your mortar and pestle is made from. Every type requires a different cleaning and caring technique.
How to Clean a Mortar and Pestle
The most important things to remember when cleaning a volcanic rock mortar and pestle is to avoid using soap and let it dry completely before storing it. Follow these steps for the best results.
Other Tips for Your Mortar and Pestle
Dealing With a Stinky Mortar and Pestle: One great thing about using a volcanic rock mortar is that over time, just like a cast-iron skillet, certain flavors are absorbed into it. This can lend a nice taste to whatever it is that you are grinding. But there are times when those trapped flavors are unwanted or become too strong.
Step 1: Remove all debris
This is the very first thing you need to do if you want to clean your molcajete after use. The volcanic material from which this molcajete is made is quite porous, this means that a lot of ingredients would have been stored up in these pores and you will need some level of pressure to remove all of them.
Step 2: Clean it with some soap
This is what you are supposed to do next after you have removed all the debris from the surface of the molcajete, and also from those pores. You should do the washing using a sponge and some soap to clean the molcajete well but at the same time, you also need to do it gently.
Step 3: Rinse again with warm water
This is the next thing that you should do when you are done washing with soap. You should rinse it again with warm water. Warm water is more preferable, this is because it helps to soften the dirt a little, leaving the molcajete clean.
Step 4: Let it air dry
When you are done with all the washing procedures, instead of making use of a towel to dry it finally, you should allow it to air dry. Allowing it to air dry means you are allowing it to dry naturally. Remember that when you leave your molcajete to air dry, you should keep it in a place that it will not be prone to damage.
Step 5: Store the molcajete properly
This is the final thing you need to do after you are done washing, rinsing, and drying your molcajete, you need to store it properly. What it means to store your molcajete is that after you are done with all the washing, rinsing, and drying, you can go ahead to keep it in a cool and safe place.
