Roasted salsa: let it char
Tomatoes, onions and chiles blistered on a hot dry comal brown on the surface and lose water inside. Browning adds depth and a hint of smoke, and the lost water concentrates what's left. Raw salsa is bright. Roasted salsa is deeper.
Roasting softens raw onion and garlic
Raw onion and garlic carry sharp sulfur compounds. Heat turns them milder and sweeter, and garlic roasted in its skin goes soft inside. Aim for blistered skin with some black spots, not charcoal.
Test yourself
Questions from the interactive lesson, with the answer and the why.
What happens when tomatoes blister on a hot comal?
Surface sugars brown and water evaporates. Browning adds flavor, and evaporation concentrates what's left.
True or false: Charring tomatoes adds water to the salsa.
False. Charring drives water off, which concentrates the tomato flavor.
What went wrong? You roast everything until it's coal black and blend in all the ash. The salsa tastes harsh and acrid.
Overcharring made the browning bitter. A few black spots add smoke, but fully burnt food turns bitter.
Fill the blank: Charring concentrates flavor because water ___ while the surface browns.
Charring concentrates flavor because water evaporates while the surface browns. Heat drives water off, so the flavor concentrates.
Why char the onion and garlic instead of using them raw?
Heat mellows their bite and adds sweetness. Cooking changes the sharp compounds into milder ones.
True or false: A few black spots on blistered skins add smoky flavor to salsa.
True. A light char adds small, pleasant amounts of smoke and bitterness.
