Aubergine ‘cochinita pibil’, habanero salsa, x ni pek
Nud Dudhia serves up a vegetarian take on cochinita pibil, with aubergine playing a starring role in this vibrant Mexican-inspired dish. Roasted aubergine flesh is mixed with a heady combination of spices and achiote paste before returning to the skins, and the dish is served with a potent habanero salsa and x ni pek.
First published in 2018
X ni pek literally means 'hot as a dog’s nose', and involves curing red onions in citrus. This combination cuts through the richness of the cochinita pibil beautifully.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
X ni pek
- 3 red onions, very finely sliced and soaked in ice cold water for 10 minutes
- 5 tbsp of orange juice, freshly queezed
- 1 tbsp of grapefruit juice
- 4 limes, juiced
- 1/2 fresh habanero chilli, deseeded, deveined and finely chopped
For the salsa
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 3 fresh habanero chillies, or scotch bonnets, stems and seeds removed
- 3 garlic cloves, skin on
- 100ml of water, or chicken stock
- 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar
- 1 tbsp of olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
Marinaded aubergine
- 2 aubergines
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 tbsp of lard, or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp of achiote paste
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano, or regular oregano
- 1 clove
- 1 cinnamon stick, 3cm in length
- 1 tbsp of black peppercorns
- 1/2 tbsp of cumin seeds
- 4 allspice berries
- 120ml of bitter Seville orange juice, or 40ml each lime, orange, and grapefruit juice
- 20ml of white vinegar
- 1 tsp sea salt
To serve
- 1 handful of coriander leaves
- 1 handful of mint leaves
- 4 lime wedges
- 3 tbsp of sour cream, crème fraîche or queso fresco
SAVE RECIPE
Equipment
- Vitamix Ascent A3500
Method
1
To begin, dry-roast the tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves and chillies in a hot dry pan, one element at a time, until blackened. Set aside to cool
2
For the x ni pek, drain the onions and place in a bowl. Pour the orange, grapefruit and lime juices over and add the chilli. Leave the onions to ‘cook’ in the citric acid, for about an hour. They’re ready when they turn a vivid pink colour
3
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6
4
Pierce the aubergines all over, place in a roasting tray cook in the oven until they have wilted and cooked through, for around 20–30 minutes. You can also cook the aubergines over charcoal, if the weather is on your side
5
Meanwhile, make the marinade. Add the oil or lard to a frying pan and place over a medium heat. Once hot, add the cumin seeds, oregano, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns and achiote. Toast for 2–3 minutes until aromatic, breaking down the achiote paste with a spatula as you cook
6
Tip the contents of the pan into a Vitamix container and add the garlic cloves, the bitter orange juice, white vinegar and salt. Place the lid on and blend at a high speed until the hard spices are broken down and the mixture is smooth
7
Remove the aubergines from the oven and cut in half lengthways. Scoop the flesh out of each half, keeping the skins intact, and place the flesh in a bowl. Season the flesh with a few tablespoons of the marinade, mix to combine, then return the flesh to the hollowed-out skins. Return to the oven for around 10 minutes
8
To finish the salsa, peel the blackened garlic cloves and place in a Vitamix container with the onions, tomatoes and chillies. Add the water, salt, vinegar and oil and blend until you have a chunky salsa
9
Serve the aubergines with the x ni pek, salsa, sour cream and herbs. If desired, serve with tortillas and lime wedges on the side
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