Achiote Annato

Achiote paste is a popular coloring and flavoring in Central American, Mexican, and Caribbean cuisines. I saw it on a Netflix series about tacos (worth watching!). Made from annatto seeds, salt, garlic and other stuff like cumin and corriander. The flavor is earthy, sweet, spicy, and slightly smokey. It can be used as a sauce, marinade, or rub for meat, chicken, and fish. It comes in a block that is almost like clay. I chop it up and let it sit awhile with water to help dissolve it. Available on Amazon

Achiote Annato

Achiote paste is a popular coloring and flavoring in Central American, Mexican, and Caribbean cuisines. I saw it on a Netflix series about tacos (worth watching!). Made from annatto seeds, salt, garlic and other stuff like cumin and corriander. The flavor is earthy, sweet, spicy, and slightly smokey. It can be used as a sauce, marinade, or rub for meat, chicken, and fish. It comes in a block that is almost like clay. I chop it up and let it sit awhile with water to help dissolve it. Available on Amazon

Not very hot, slight sweetness and great flavor. From Amazon.

I am starting a recipe for tacos here. I have always liked the idea of tacos, but honestly, they never were really that great. Totillias ripped apart so I doubled them up and they still ripped. I think I now have some techniques that make it a winner.

We recently went to AZ and spent some time in search of great tacos. Learned a lot and survived. We were discussing one interesting spot with a local who told us that they would have never ventured into that area!

I was confused about this for a large portion of my adult life. How does that happen? It was nagging at me for a long, long, time before I spent 2 couple of minutes to read about it.

Question: What makes batters or dough Rise?

Answer: CO2 (carbon dioxide) bubbles cause batter or dough to rise.
The bubbles can come from: a) Yeast releasing CO2. b) An acid and a base reacting together and releasing CO2.

Baking Soda - This is Sodium Bicarbonate. It reacts immediately with acids to create CO2. Buttermilk or sour cream are frequently the source of acid.

Baking Powder - Sodium Bicarbonate + Powdered Acid. Releases CO2 when exposed to moisture. Doesn't need an acid present like Baking Soda does since it contains the acid already.

Double Acting Baking Powder - Sounds complicated. A second Powdered Acid (Sodium Aluminum Sulfate) is added; This acid only reacts with the Sodium Bicarbonate when the temp exceeds 140°F. The first acid starts the bubbles, and then during cooking the second acid kicks and the bubbles expand. Hence "Double Acting."