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MexicanSauces & Condiments

Charred Molcajete Salsa with Seared Panela Cheese

⏱️ Prep: 10m🔥 Cook: 15m∑ Total: 25m🍽️ 4 servings
Charred Molcajete Salsa with Seared Panela Cheese
🎬 Video ref: De Mi Rancho a Tu Cocina (Doña Ángela)

Mise en Place / Ingredients[7]

  • 4 whole Roma tomatoes
  • 3 whole Serrano chiles
  • 2 cloves Garlic cloves in skins
  • 1 cup Panela cheese, cubed (Cacique)
  • 1 tsp Coarse sea salt
  • 1 tsp Neutral vegetable oil, for searing cheese
  • 4 cups Crispy corn tortilla chips (totopos), for serving

🛒 US Supermarket Brand Guide

Panela Cheese: Cacique Panela Cheese

Holds shape and softens without dissolving. • 📍 Refrigerated Latin dairy.

Cooking Sequence & Checkpoints

1
Char on the Comal⏱️ 8 min

Roast Roma tomatoes, serrano chiles, and unpeeled garlic cloves on a dry hot comal or skillet until blackened and blistered.

✓ Checkpoint: Smoky blistered skins.

2
Peel Garlic & Grind in Molcajete⏱️ 5 min

Peel the charred papery skins off the roasted garlic cloves. Grind the peeled garlic and coarse sea salt into a paste in the molcajete, then crush in the serrano chiles and finally the charred tomatoes.

✓ Checkpoint: Chunky textured salsa.

3
Sear Panela Cheese & Serve⏱️ 2 min

Pan-sear the Panela cheese cubes in 1 tsp vegetable oil for 2 minutes until golden, drop directly into the warm salsa in the molcajete, and serve with crispy corn tortilla chips.

✓ Checkpoint: Sizzling golden cheese in warm salsa.

🛡️ Food Safety & Internal Temperature: ≥165°F (74°C) safe internal cooking and serving temperature (hold hot at ≥140°F / 60°C)USDA/FDA Food Safety Standard: Cook to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) for microbiological safety. Hold cooked food hot at ≥140°F (60°C) prior to serving and refrigerate any leftovers to ≤40°F (4°C) within 2 hours to prevent bacterial spore growth.
👁️ Master Doneness Checkpoint:Chunky rustic texture with blistered charred flecks.

🔬 Why It Works:

Stone Friction: Crushing vegetables against stone releases aromatics without pureeing.

⚠️ Troubleshooting:

Too spicy: Grind in another charred tomato.