Achuete and Achuete Oil

Posted by
October 25, 2011

 

 

Achuete is a common cooking ingredient in the Philippines. It’s used as a coloring agent for a variety of popular dishes.  I do think it has a flavor all its own, very subtle but distinct.  For certain dishes like Pancit Malabon, kare-kare and chicken inasal, achuete is an essential ingredient.

I made some achuete oil for the chicken inasal I posted about yesterday.  It’s very simple to make, just gently heat up some vegetable oil with some achuete seeds in a pan and strain for future use.  For certain dishes, you can also add some hot broth or water to a few tablespoons of the seeds and swirl it around till the liquid has turned a deep orange.

Now that I’m writing this post, I was pleasantly surprised to find that even Emeril has a recipe for this Annato Oil and Paste!

 

 

Recipes
Ruffoni Copper 10 Piece Cookware Set w/Wooden Gift Box

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Comments

[...] 1 tbsp. Annato oil [...]

Pingback by Arroz con Pollo 2: Cuban-Style » The Unofficial Cook on August 13, 2006 @ 10:29 pm

Did Bacolod Chicken Inasal also put achuete on their inasal? hehe. Just wondering.

Comment by Arney Colayco on March 6, 2008 @ 2:09 am

Arney, yes they do. Notice the color next time you’re there…

Comment by Mita on March 6, 2008 @ 8:07 am

Did achuete actually affect the food’s taste? By the way, I like that bacolod chicken inasal.

Comment by Aries Calla on April 1, 2008 @ 5:32 am

Aries, I think it does. The best way to find out is to compare by cooking two batches of the chicken – one without the oil and one with the oil. mmm…I just might try that…

Comment by Mita on April 1, 2008 @ 9:25 am

I think achuete makes the bacolod chicken inasal look yummy.

Comment by Nash Velasquez on May 5, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
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