When I lived in Venezuela, going out to have lunch or dinner at a restaurant wasn’t an everyday thing. It was more of a luxury. Middle class families, such as mine, did not eat at a restaurant very often. But one thing I remember about the few times we ate out is the mojo, or what people think its called Venezuelan Green Sauce. Mojos are a type of sauce that most restaurants have at the table like they have salt and pepper. It’s a must. They are on the table for you to use as you wish. You can use it as a spread on your bread or hallaquitas, as a sauce for your meat, as a dressing for your potatoes or yuca, even for your soup. You name it. Most mojos are prepared with a mixture of herbs, vegetables, oil and vinegar. Every restaurant has their own recipe and ingredients and some serve both a regular version, and a spicier version. Personally I like to use mojos as a topping for tostones, hallaquitas, yuca sancochada, yuca frita, parrilla, and empanadas.
What you need:
– 1 ½ Medium Onions
– 8 Garlic Cloves
– 1 ½ Cups Cilantro Leaves (no stems)
– ½ Cup Parsley Leaves (no stems)
– 1 or 2 Ajíes Picantes (Chili Peppers or Red Chilies)
– 1/8 Cup Bread Crumbs
– ½ Cup Beef Stock
– ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
– ¼ Cup Vinegar
– ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper
– 1 Teaspoon Salt
– ½ Tablespoon Paprika
Preparation:
1. Do not wash the parsley and cilantro at first. Take the leaves and measure out first, not too tightly, and then proceed to wash them.
2. Using a food processor, blend the onions, garlic (I suggest you mince it first), parsley, cilantro, chili peppers (without the veins or seeds).
3. After you have blended all the ingredients very well and obtained sort of a green paste, mix in the breadcrumbs with a spoon.
4. Place the mixture in a pot and add the beef stock, vegetable oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and paprika.
5. Cook to a boil, and then continue cooking in high heat for about 12 minutes until it turns into a yellow-greenish color and a thick consistency.
6. Serve as a topping for your favorite recipes, such as fish, potatoes, meats, arepas, boiled yuca or hallaquitas.
*Note: My mojo looks very green, because I was unable to find the red chili peppers, so I used a green jalapeño instead.
¡Buen Provecho!
That looks delicious and provoking. I’ll ask my cook to prepare it inmediately.
Beautiful!
Felipe,
Thank you for your comment. Let me know if she made it for you and how did it turn out.
MW
Hi there, I am a venezuelan and just like you I miss our food very much. I have been thinking of mojo isleño for ages! Estoy tan contenta de haber encontrado esta receta. Mil gracias por compartir:)
Ligimat,
Thank you for visiting, and thank you for your comment. I am glad you found this recipe as well. Please let me know if you make some mojo with my recipe, and let me know how it turns out.
MW