Do natural peanut butter and Mexican food go together?
We wanted to answer this question in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, while creating a delicious Mexican recipe that can be enjoyed year-long. Peanut butter has been previously used in mole sauce recipes, but we wanted to create a fresh Mexican recipe for Cinco de Mayo that has never been tried before. Ever heard of a peanut butter chalupa? We didn’t think so. Chalupas are one of the authentic foods used to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Mexico (and also is a fan favourite at taco bell), so we wanted to pair their deliciousness with our favourite spread: natural peanut butter.
The basic ingredients needed to make a Cinco de Mayo chalupa are a fried tortilla and shredded meat, often served with salsa and chopped onion. Since vegan Mexican recipes are also popular, we wanted to offer a recipe option for those with different dietary needs as well, and have a great substitute for the pulled pork Cinco de Mayo celebrate we made down below!
I never realized how easy making Cinco de Mayo chalupas would be! Surprisingly, you do not need a deep-fryer to create the crispy and delicious tortilla. Usually, they are made with handmade thick tortillas (these homemade ones look delicious), but I found that any corn tortilla works! To make an easy grabable size, we went with the smaller ones, but I would imagine you could cut the large ones in half if that’s what you had instead! Corn tortillas are great because they tend to be gluten free, and this can be completely guaranteed if you make it from scratch.
Now, for the natural peanut butter. We had to… I mean, this is a peanut butter recipe blog isn’t it?! I think this creative decision (which may have seemed to be a stretch at the beginning) turned out to be one of my favourite recipes yet! The peanut ginger sauce added a similar richness to a fried bean sauce, filled with natural fats that mimic that of queso fresco. Complemented with green salsa and fresh veggies this Cinco de Mayo recipe will be a go-to family favourite on weeknights where you need an easy to make Mexican recipe.
Buena Suerte, y Buen Provecho!
The Recipe – Cinco De Mayo Peanut Ginger Chalupas
Prep time: 40 min, Cook Time: 30 min, Total Time: 1hr, 10 mins
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Marinade Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or jackfruit for a plant based option
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you don’t have any on hand)
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp light olive oil or oil of choice
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce (omit if plant based)
- 1 Tbsp your favourite hot sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp peeled and minced ginger
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup water
Peanut Sauce Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Natural Nut Butter (smooth/crunchy or coconut)
- 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos (soy sauce works too)
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- 2 tsp peeled and finely minced ginger
- 1 tsp hot sauce (what’s your favourite? I love Cholula!)
- 2 Tbsp hot water
Tortillas
- 8-10 corn tortillas
- Cooking oil
- Green salsa
Garnishes
- Shredded purple cabbage
- Shredded carrots
- Diced red bell peppers
- Chopped unsalted peanuts
- Chopped green onions
- Cilantro
Get fresh product from some of these great local vendors who deliver!
Directions
- Place your protein of choice in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Do not worry if you do not have a pressure cooker, this is not essential for the recipe! Cooking it in a regular pot or until the pork is cooked through is just as effective. In a bowl, mix together the lime juice, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), brown sugar, olive oil, fish sauce, hot sauce, garlic, ginger, cilantro, green onions and water for the marinade. Stir well and pour over your protein.
- Seal up the Instapot, select Manual or Pressure Cook, high pressure for 10 minutes. If using different methods to cook, you will know when the pork is down when it easily falls apart when stoked by a fork. If you are going with the jackfruit option, cook for about 20 minutes on the stove.
- While the protein is cooking, it is time to create the DELICIOUS natural peanut sauce! Combine natural peanut butter, light brown sugar, fresh lime juice, coconut aminos (or soy sauce), garlic, ginger, hot sauce and water in a medium bowl and whisk together. The end result will be pretty thick and spreadable!
- Once the cook time is over, turn the Instant Pot off and let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Open the lid and drain about half of the liquid. Shred the protein with the remaining liquid in the pot. Set aside. Drain the liquid, which will end up being about half a cup or so, into a bowl to save and use for soup broth if desired.
- Prep the garnishes and put them in serving bowls to place out on the table when ready to serve. We love using shredded purple cabbage, carrots, red bell peppers, green onion and peanuts! Sour cream and cheese are other mexican-recipe favourites which are a favourite on chalupas as well.
- Now for the chalupa tortillas! Start by filling a heavy bottomed, medium sized skillet with 1/4″ of vegetable or canola oil and putting it on medium high heat. Rest a corn tortilla into the hot oil to fry (it will float like a boat). Cook the tortilla for about a minute before spreading a few tablespoons of salsa onto the top of the tortilla and continuing to cook for 2-3 minutes.
- When the shells are crispy around the edges, use a slotted spoon to gently transfer them to a grated pan over a sheet pan so that the excess oil can drip.
- Now for the good part! Table is set, you have your protein, peanut sauce, garnishes and chalupas nicely placed at the table in whatever festive manner you can conjure up. Take a chalupa, put some of that delicious shredded protein on top, sprinkle with garnish, top with the peanut sauce and happy Cinco de Mayo!
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Sources
Smithsonian Magazine
