When cooking you have to know what the right ingredients are, certain ingredients don’t give the right taste or texture. Cooking most Guatemalan dishes have some similar ingredients, for example a base of tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, salt pepper, and bouillon to get a dish started make a Guisado Geeh-sah-do. One of my favorite dishes are Guatemalan Hilachas, here is a link for that recipe.
Throughout all the years I’ve been cooking I have learned what products are best to cook with. Per my opinion, here are some staple seasonings that I ALWAYS have in my pantry. They are a specific brand called “MALHER” now these products are made in Guatemala and distributed all over the world. Really proud of these awesome products!
These products add so much flavor into any dish, they don’t overpower the natural flavor of what you are cooking, they simply enhance the taste to them. These are a staple in any Guatemalan home, these seasonings are sometimes hard to come across but you can find them in stores that sell Latino products. Here in Utah, I have to travel to Salt Lake City (about a 3-hour drive from my home) to find Malher products.
My mother always taught me to taste while cooking, I don’t measure my ingredients, I season until my ancestor whisper in my ear and say, “Ya estuvo, Mija” (That’s enough my sweet child). Well, not exactly, but I like to take pinches of the seasoning and sprinkle it on, taste, and sprinkle some more if needed. You don’t have to go to culinary school to learn to get a “PIZZAZZ” in your dishes. Just make it you. Chefs always taste their food while cooking, it really is important because that’s when you will know what to add to your food. A tip I have for you is that if you are making some type of stew or soup you have to wait for it to boil again after adding in any seasoning or herb, that’s when the ingredient will be well incorporated and infused. Thats when the spices, herbs, and seasonings will display it’s true flavor.
Not always adding more means better, sometimes I think that adding in the right spices and amount adds a better taste. Here, I have provided a link that will help you identify what spices and herbs taste like and what they enhance in your foods.
Don’t be afraid to try new things in your foods, the world provides us with so many spices, herbs, and seasonings that they are really meant for us to use. Remember to cook with love, and Buen Provecho!
Chapina Taste 