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Papalote Salsa -- Has Anyone Tried Recipes on CH?

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I'm going to try to make the Papalote salsa. I've found 2 recipes but I think I'll avoid the one with tomato paste. I'm surprised it does not have any chipotle. It calls for chile de arbol and dried pasilla, which I think is ancho -- is this right?

Has anyone attempted this? One recipe calls for chopped red onion, the other for green onion. The Papalote salsa from the restaurant has everything blended, no chopped pieces of onion hanging around.

I also think I should roast the tomatoes, first.

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  1. Not sure which recipes you are using, I guess the green onion one could be this:


    Should be very finely chopped, more of a garnish really. Regardless, it's not exactly like Papalote (they also deny using pumpkin seeds but restaurants always deny), but it is totally awesome.

    1 Reply
    1. re: deddawg

      I tried the other one with cumin and did not like the cumin taste in it; will try this one instead.

      One thing, I feel certain the restaurant would be using canned tomatoes.

    2. A pasilla is not the same thing as an ancho, though you can usually use them interchangeably. They are 2 different types of chiles

      2 Replies
      1. re: DiningDiva

        I spent some time researching this on internet and decided dried ancho was pasilla.

        So, are pasillas available in markets? I don't remember seeing them. Are they dried?

        1. re: walker

          An ancho chile is a dried poblano. A pasilla chile is a dried chilaca.

          They are often mislabeled. An ancho chile has wide shoulders (i.e. the top of the chile pepper) and is sort of heart shaped when dried. The pasilla is more slendrical and not as wide.

          If you open an ancho chile and hold it up to the light the color should be a deep, rich maroon. If you open a pasilla and hold it up to the light it will be dark brown to blackish with not much trace of red or maroon.

          Anchos and pasillas are readily available in most parts of the country both packaged and in bulk bins. It's been my experience that they are frequently mislabeled.

      2. I think I quadrupled the pepitas (from the Mexican supermarket) and used a whole dried ancho chile instead of the ground pasilla they call for. I've made it with roasted fresh tomatoes but actually preferred the version made with canned (Muir Glen fire-roasted). You have to tinker with the vinegar and sugar too, depending on how sweet/tart the tomatoes are. My version was a lot more orange than the one in the picture.