With a good selection of Mexican spices, any of our Molli sauces and some standard pantry staples — rice, nopal cactus, tortillas, beans — you can whip up a Mexican dish anytime you like and, more importantly, you can make your meals taste completely different every night of the week.
Of course, a wide variety of herbs are used in authentic Mexican cooking but few are as distinctive as these 3 essential herbs. Experiment with small amounts to enhance dishes rather than overwhelm them, you’ll see they will make a huge difference!
Look for them at any Hispanic market. Feel free to give us a shout if you can’t find them in the DFW area and we’ll gladly help you find them.
Epazote
Epazote, also known as “Mexican tea”, has a pungent flavor that some say is similar to anise or fennel, but slightly stronger. It is commonly used to add flavor to black beans and, especially, soups. In Mexico City, epazote is used to add an extra layer of flavor to the already piquant tortilla soup. Try our tortilla soup recipe made with our Molli Morelos cooking sauce and add a couple of springs to it. You’ll love it!
Hoja Santa (Acuyo)
The name Hoja Santa literally means “sacred leaf.” It has large, heart-shaped leaves that are great to wrap meat, tamales or other foods when fresh. Its anis-like taste adds great flavors to stews and roasts.
As with epazote, Mexican cooks use hoja santa judiciously to add just an extra layer of flavor without overpowering the taste of their recipes. Try this baked fish recipe using our Molli Mexico City cooking sauce. It’ll rock your world!
Avocado leaves
Some people say that only avocado leaves from Mexican trees are safe to use but research has shown that most any avocado leave is edible if used in small quantities. Avocado leaves are used in a variety of dishes, from tamales to soups and stews. While it is hard to describe its flavor, it imparts a subtle hint of licorice that neither of the other two herbs can match.
Toast them before using to get the most flavor out of them. Add a couple of avocado leaves to this succulent pulled chicken recipe made with our Molli Morelos cooking sauce. We guarantee it is going to be a huge success!
Provecho!
The Molli team
