I am in love with this watercress and radish salsa. I guess it’s more of a salad with the addition of the radish and watercress, but it pairs so perfectly with the slices if avocado and home-made tortillas. I made a batch if this and ate it all by myself!
I’ve adapted this recipe for watercress and radish salsa from a book called Memorias en Mole de Olla, Cocina y Revolucion en Tlaxcala. The author, Helena Hernandez de Valle Arizpe, has researched and gathered over 117 recipes of the cuisine of Tlaxcala during the time of the Mexican revolution (1910-1920). Her only intent is to promote her findings in the hope of preserving Mexico’s cuisine. Unfortunately, for you English speakers the book is in Spanish.
That’s where I come in. I have translated this goodness and adapted it slightly. I love recipes like these, because they reflect exactly what I want this blog to be. I don’t just want to veganize traditional Mexican dishes. I want to share with you recipes that although they may be accidentally vegan (meaning they don’t come from a vegan mindset, they just happen to have no animal products), they are part of the fabric of traditional Mexican cuisine. With the advent of Tex-Mex or the adaptation of Mexican food across borders we tend to forget that the basis of the whole cuisine is corn, beans, and chile.
Hopefully I will be able to share with you more recipes from this great book. In other news, I’m really excited about being featured in PETALatino this month. Head on over there and check it out. Look out for some classic lenten recipes in the following weeks, and don’t forget to email subscribe to receive a notification every time a new post is published and our monthly newsletter.
The Recipe: Watercress and Radish Salsa
Is it a salsa or a salad? It’s both! Four serranos make a very spicy salsa, so if you want it mild add a little bit less. Enjoy!
Watercress and Radish Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes, large
- 4 Serrano peppers
- 1 bunch Watercress, roughly chopped
- 6 Red radishes, cut into matchsticks
- 3 Mexican spring onions, white part only, chopped, cebollitas
Preparation
- Heat a griddle or cast iron pan to high heat. Place tomatoes and serrano peppers on griddle until they become soft and slightly blackened, about 5 min.
- Flip peppers, tomatoes, and continue to char for another 5 minutes.
- Remove ingredients from griddle and set aside.
- Start grinding the peppers in the molcajete one at a time. Once the desired consistency is reached, add the tomatoes one by one and keep grinding. Set aside
- If you do not have a molcajete you can use a blender or food processor. Simply place the charred tomatoes and peppers in the machine and pulse until the desired consistency is reached. Set aside.
- Add radish, watercress, and spring onion to the tomato and serrano salsa. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with avocado slices and warm tortillas.
Chef's Notes
Yields about 2 cups. Mexican spring onions are very different from scallions. They have a bulbous ending and a very long green stem. See ingredient picture above. Feel free to add more serranos if you want this to be spicier.
