Queso
Drygast, 2023-02-27
A good Mexican cheese dip that goes well with tortilla/nacho chips.
- Servings10 Portions
- AllergensMilk
- Prep Time10 min
- Cook Time10 min
I have to admit that I have never tried queso before, so when I saw a video about food preparation for the Super Bowl in the USA where queso was served as a snack, I was curious. A creamy cheese sauce with Mexican spices and a little heat - yes please!
There seemed to be many recipes to start from, but I started with one of the top ranked ones on Google (https://cafedelites.com/queso/) and it did not disappoint. Of course, I was attracted to that recipe because of the high rating, but also because they used evaporated milk (unsweetened condensed milk), which I have never used in cooking before. However, I had to modify the recipe a little to fit the ingredients that you can easily get in Swedish stores.
The original recipe uses "fire roasted chilis" which sounds very good, but which I have not been able to find in any shops nearby. I tried roasting some of my homegrown chilies myself using a gas burner which turned out really well, but if you don't have either fresh chilies or a gas burner available, you can use roasted red peppers (canned at many grocery stores) and slice them finely . To get some heat, you can then add cayenne pepper until you reach the right level - the amount I use in this recipe does not give much heat, so experiment yourself until you are satisfied. This change is the one reflected in the recipe below, but I also made a few other variations:
- Replaced the bell pepper with Jalapeño - tried both fresh and canned. Both turned out well and with decent heat, but I missed the smokiness that comes with roasted/grilled chilies.
- Replaced the bell pepper with "Chipotle Paste" (Santa Maria). It was definitely smoky, but in my opinion it was too much. Adding a teaspoon or something isn't too bad though.
- Used regular yellow onions instead of spring onion. I thought it worked just as well, but it's a matter of taste I guess.
Overall, I think it's a very good base recipe that you can freely adjust to your own liking. The final flavoring should preferably be done together with what you plan to serve the queso with - in my case tortilla or nacho chips. Different varieties are different salty and this of course affects the end result a lot.
Store in the refrigerator if not served immediately after cooking. Served slightly warm.
Ingredients
Nutrition Facts*
| Total | Serving | 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1913.6 kcal | 191.36 kcal | 193 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 68.02 g | 6.8 g | 6.86 g |
| Fat | 137.12 g | 13.71 g | 13.83 g |
| Protein | 100.84 g | 10.08 g | 10.17 g |
| Sugar | 51.95 g | 5.2 g | 5.24 g |
| Salt | 5.06 g | 0.51 g | 0.51 g |
* The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Directions
- Prepare the ingredients: Chop onion and tomato into smaller pieces. Slice or press the garlic, slice the paprika into smaller strips, grate the cheese. Measure the spices.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, lightly fry the onion for a few minutes until soft.
- Add garlic and fry for another short while - just until the garlic is soft, it should not brown.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, the sliced pepper and the dry spices. Cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes - stirring occasionally.
- Throw in the cornstarch and mix well so there are no lumps.
- Add the evaporated (unsweetened condensed) milk - preferably in batches and mix for a short while between each batch.
- Bring to a boil, add the grated cheese and mix well.
- Leave the saucepan on the heat until the cheese has completely melted and the sauce has become smooth (probably very quickly).
- Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Add fresh chopped cilantro. Season with salt and cayenne pepper if needed.