Since Chamoy isn’t a commonly known term, many ears would perk up in curiosity at the sound of the word. This article has been specially crafted to detail what chamoy is and how it is prepared. So, what exactly is chamoy?
In Mexican cuisine, chamoy refers to a variety of savoury sauces and condiments created from pickled fruit. The consistency of chamoy can range from liquid to paste, featuring a flavour combination of sour, sweet, salty, and chilli-spiked tastes.
You might be wondering, How is Chamoy prepared?
The first step in preparing Mexican chamoy involves placing the fruit in a brine solution, sometimes acidulated with vinegar. Through osmosis, this process extracts the fruit’s inherent moisture. After the fruit dries sufficiently, it is removed from the brine and marketed as saladitos, which translates to “little salty things.”
Meanwhile, the preparation of chamoy involves adding chilli powder to the salty fruit brine produced during this process. This liquid can be thickened with pureed fruit or further diluted. Continue reading to learn more about what chamoy is and how it is prepared.
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How To Make Chamoy
Fortunately, making chamoy only requires a few basic ingredients and is straightforward. Here’s what you’ll need:
Dried Jamaican fern: These blossoms, also referred to as hibiscus flowers, have a hint of sourness, which gives chamoy its delicious flavour.
Dried Fruit: Since it can be difficult to obtain genuine Prunus mume fruit, we can use raisins and sweet dried apricots to make the chamoy’s base.
Chile de árbol: These dried chilli peppers give it the perfect amount of heat. If you want a milder sauce, you can use ancho chiles instead.
- Sugar granules
- Tajín
- Lime juice and salt.
Now let’s go right into the procedure for making chamoy sauce.
1. Allow the fruit to simmer. In a saucepan, first combine water, raisins, dried apricots, árbol chiles, and jamaica, or dried hibiscus flowers. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until the fruit is tender.
2. Put the sugar and Tajín chilli powder in a blender and process until you get a very smooth, thick sauce.
3. Strain. To make this mixture silky and pourable, strain it through a sieve (you can omit this step if you please).
4. Add the salt and lime. Add lime juice and a small pinch of salt, and that’s all! Taste and adjust with additional, if needed, ingredients to create the perfect balance.
What Does Chamoy Taste Like?
The peculiar flavour of chamoy is best described as being simultaneously sweet, salty, and acidic, with a little tinge of spice towards the finish.
For those who have never tried it before, the first bite of a snack covered in chamoy sauce will startle and then thrill the taste buds with its unique and powerful flavour.
How To Make a Chamoy Pickle
To make your chamoy pickle, pick up an extra jar, your favourite chamoy, and some pickles from your neighbourhood grocer.
Using a fork to pierce the desired pickles so they can absorb the flavour, place them in the extra jar. Verify that they are still apart and not close. Fill the jar up to one-third full with a small amount of pickle juice. Pour the remaining chamoy into the container.
You can add Tajin, Tapatio, or any other products that taste like chamoy. Let it soak for a week by keeping it in the refrigerator.
Chips
Mini Takis or Flamin Hot Cheetos are typically the chips inserted into the pickle. Select the chip that most resonates with you.
Candy
Fruit by the Foot or Fruit Roll-Ups are essential candies to use for encasing pickles. Though there are countless options for what you can put inside, these are the most popular ones. The Mexican candies are available in your neighbourhood supermarket, liquor stores, and gas stations.
- Tajin
- Lucas Salsagheti
- Baby Lucas Mango (or any other flavour)
- Lucas Chamoy Squeeze
- Sour Punch Straws
- Salt and Lemon powder
How To Make Chamoy Candy
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. chamoy
- 2 tbsp. powdered sugar
- ½ cup tajin seasoning
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ tsp. chile piquin powder (optional)
- Candy (of your choice)
Mix the chamoy sauce and powdered sugar thoroughly in a small bowl to eliminate any lumps. Alternatively, smooth out the lumps with a whisk or microwave for 20 seconds while mixing.
Blend the sugar, chile piquin, and Tajin spice in a separate bowl.
Pour some of the chamoy mixes over the candy of your choosing in a separate bowl, making sure it coats the candy completely.
Use a spoon to sprinkle on the seasoning until you get the right amount, then thoroughly mix it in.
Transfer the candy-coated chamoy directly into the bowl of tajin mix and shake for a thicker or heavier layer.
Your chamoy candy is ready!
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Conclusion
Chamoy is gluten-free, and since homemade doesn’t include artificial colouring, flavourings, or preservatives, it is even healthier for you and doesn’t contain any animal products.
However, the main ingredient in chamoy, concentrated apricot or peach juice, has a lot of sodium and sugar. This concoction can result in dental plaque accumulation as well as health problems like obesity and heart disease.
The most frequent criticism of chamoy is that it has been known to induce diarrhoea and cramping in the digestive tract. This makes sense because too much chamoy might upset the stomach due to its vinegar content.