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.