Ingredients
Seasoning
- 250 ghulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas), from ayote if you can get them
- 1½ tsp salt
To serve
- green mango, jocote, cucumber or sliced radish
- lime wedges
- chilli powder (optional)
Directions
- Pick over the seeds and discard any that are shrivelled or discoloured.
- Toast them in a dry heavy pan over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, shaking constantly. They will pop, swell slightly and turn a shade darker; take them off the moment they smell nutty, because they go bitter within seconds of that point.
- Tip them onto a cold plate immediately and spread them out. Left in the hot pan they keep cooking.
- Cool completely — grinding warm seeds makes an oily paste rather than a powder.
- Grind with the salt to a fine, slightly coarse meal, in short pulses. Stop before it turns to butter.
- Store airtight and use within a month. Shake generously over sliced fruit with lime, or stir into soups and beans to thicken and enrich them.
Technique
- The seeds must be completely cold before grinding. This is the whole difficulty of the recipe.
- Alguashte is used two ways: raw over fruit, and stirred into cooked dishes, where it thickens as much as it seasons.
Substitutions
- Ordinary green pepitas work if ayote seeds are unavailable, with a slightly milder flavour.
- Sunflower seeds can stand in at a push, though the result is sweeter.
Variations
- A version ground with toasted chilli and used as a rub for grilled meat.
- Coarsely ground and used as a crust for fried fish.
History
A pre-Hispanic Pipil seasoning from ayote seeds, still shaken over mango and jocote at Salvadoran street stalls.
Frequently asked questions
What is Alguashte?
Alguashte is a sauce & condiment from El Salvador: ground toasted pumpkin seed sprinkled over fruit, corn and soups. A pre-Hispanic Pipil seasoning from ayote seeds, still shaken over mango and jocote at Salvadoran street stalls.
How long does Alguashte take to make?
Alguashte takes 15 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 250 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Alguashte?
Yes, within limits. Ordinary green pepitas work if ayote seeds are unavailable, with a slightly milder flavour. Sunflower seeds can stand in at a push, though the result is sweeter.
What is the most important thing to get right in Alguashte?
Cool completely — grinding warm seeds makes an oily paste rather than a powder.
