Ingredient Spotlight: Chipilín

Chipilín, or chepil, is a legume native to Southern Mexico and Central America. Its delicate leaves have traditionally been eaten as greens or used as an herb to flavor rice, soup, Oaxacan tamales, and Salvadoran pupusas.

Chipilín is not cultivated on an agricultural scale; it's something you might find at farmers' markets, in home gardens, and growing in the wild. Both the leaves and the flowers are edible, though the leaves don't develop much of a taste until cooked. We recently tried chipilín in a Oaxacan rice recipe. It was pleasantly pungent and herbaceous – not overwhelming but enough to add some depth to the dish.

Get the recipe here:

• Arroz con Chepil on Seasons of My Heart

Have you ever eaten or cooked with chipilín? We want to try more recipes!

(Image: Emily Ho)

Comments (2)

Salvadoran pupusas - I am Salvadorian and I had forgotten about this- good stuff, thanks so much.

posted by Haunted_Studio on September 29th 2008 at 5:23am
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I grew up on Salvadoran cuisine thanks to my stay-at-home mom. I can't say I ever cared much for chipilín though. Its aftertaste was a little much for me.

My mother would only use it for sopa de chipilín, which was always a family favorite. A soup traditionally made with pork and rice. Here's a recipe:

http://www.elsalvador.com/mujer/buenprovecho/2003/05/22/tema.asp

I can't say I've ever heard of it as a pupusa filling. Maybe its a regional thing. But I'll stick to loroco as my filling of choice.. a wonderful edible flower!

posted by sophisticatedsoul on October 1st 2008 at 1:20pm
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