Strips of "Water Chilli" in Lemon with Thyme...

Strips of "Water Chilli" in Lemon with Thyme, Oaxacan Style, Mexico 2/3
Strips of "Water Chilli" in Lemon with Thyme, Oaxacan Style

On a recent trip to Xalapa, Vera Cruz, Mexico, I attended the 51st Society of Economic Botany Annual Conference, a society dedicated to research and publication on the many uses of plants and their relationships to people.

Dr. Araceli Aguilar Melendez, at the Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales, University of Vera Cruz, is an ethnobotanist who studies and celebrates Capsicum, the plant family from where chille peppers derive. Dr Melendez and her colleagues organized a chille diversity festival and a cooking class with Yucatan, Oaxacan and Nahuatl women.


Chilli de Agua
The pepper variety used is called water chillis (chilli de agua) and is mild, and certainly not as spicy as the piquin chillis we used in the Mexico 1/3 post. Roasting caramelizes the carbohydrates and brings out the sweet, smoky and burnt flavors. I love any type of raw onion: scallion, vidalia, yellow, white, or chives. In the fullness of the summer season, I would use Vidalia onions. The addition of lemon juice and salt make it a refreshing summer condiment.

Oaxacan Style Strips of Water Chilli in Lemon
5 'water chillis'
2 lemons--juice of two lemons
1 sprig thyme or oregano
2 medium onions sliced thin
Salt to taste


Roast the chillis until skin is mostly black; Place in a paper bag to sweat, and let cool, save flavorful chilli water; Peel off skin, remove seeds and stems, cut in thin strips lengthwise, place in jar; Add onion slices and lemon juice; Add thyme or orgenao and salt; Mix ingredients and store covered in the fridge.