Let me tell you about chipilín…

Chipilín was a food staple as common as frijoles, tortillas or mora when I was growing up.I remember my grandmother’s sopa de arroz con chipilín, the occasional weekend treat of tamal de chipilín and my mom’s unforgettable comfort-food-creation, arroz con chipilín. Ah... the memories, the flavors, the way the word chipilín almost sounds like chapulín and lastly, what has become a joke between my companion and I -about his misunderstanding of a new-learned word- thinking that chipilín referred to a tamal and not a type of tamal... so now we jokingly call the tamales, chipilines.

According to Wikipedia, chipilín(crotalia longirostra)is a perennial legume native to Central America and Mexico, which leaves are high in iron, calcium and beta carotene and commonly used in the local cuisines of southern Mexico, but used especially in El Salvador and Guatemala.

I cannot speak about Guatemalan cuisine, but in our home land, chipilín is found in abundance in the mercados, the home garden and even in the refrigerated produce section of the supermarket... so I was surprised to learn -when I moved to the U.S.- that chipilín couldn’t be found here. Mamá tried to make her arroz dish -to no avail- by substituting the chipilín leaves with others greens that, though, might have elevated white rice a step above plain, still lacked the subtle aroma and flavor of chipilín.

Even after almost 2 decades, my mouth still waters at the thought of this dish and perhaps now that finally somebody thought of importing the frozen leaves- even though it won’t have the fresh just-picked flavor full of morning dew- I can try to replicate mami’s arroz con chipilín... and I guess the frozen leaves will have to do until I visit ‘home’, as I recently learned that chipilín is considered an invasive weed in the U.S., which means that mami and I must forget our dreams of planting chipilín during the summers...

Arroz con chipilín y crema de mamá
(adapted from memory)

1 table spoon olive oil
1 cup of long grain white rice
2 cups of water or vegetable stock
2 cup of chipilín leaves, stems removed
½ cup of Latin American crema( this can be found at your local bodega) or heavy cream

Heat the olive oil on a pot over medium heat, add the rice stirring often until it starts to brown, add 2 cups of water or stock, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil.

Add chipilín leaves and crema; cover pot and simmer over low heat for about twenty minutes remembering to check periodically to make sure the water doesn’t absorb too fast, otherwise add more water if needed. Turn flame off once the rice has formed what appears like tunnels. Remove lid and cover the rice with a manta or towel and cover again with the lid to form a seal. This will make sure the rice gets fluffy before serving.

Note: this rice is delicious as an occasional treat but due to the fat content in crema, it is not the healthiest. You can skip the crema for a healthier and more traditional version.

¡Buen provecho!