Save your radish greens and use them in this bright green pipián verde, a pumpkin seed-based mole!
It seems people are much more conscious lately about waste in the kitchen, and finding out that a lot of what we threw away as “scraps” are actually delicious and good for you. I love that there are so many recipes out there now for carrot top and radish green pesto, but they’ve actually been used in pipián since Europeans brought radishes during their colonization of the Americas.
What if I don’t have any radish greens?
Don’t worry! In this pipián verde recipe, you can substitute radish greens with the tops of carrots or beet. You can use any kind of fresh lettuce- romaine or bibb work nicely. You can use parsley or cilantro stems which both have great flavor! Since everything goes in the blender or food processor, don’t worry about your pipián having a a stringy texture from the stems.
Are radish greens good for you?
Radish greens are rich in magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamin C and vitamin K. They also have a surprising amount of protein with 4.5 grams per cup. Hooray for plant-based protein! Beyond their nutritional value, radish greens lend a burst of freshness in this recipe for pipián verde.
What is pipián?
Pipián (or pepián in Guatemala) is a type of mole using mainly pumpkin seeds, whereas other types of mole usually contain other kinds of nuts, seeds and are more chile forward than pipián. Mole has a bit of a bad reputation for being complicated to prepare, with lots of ingredients and time involved. That is not the case with pipián! My pipián verde recipe comes together in 30 minutes, with half the ingredients of many moles.
This pipán verde recipe can be used to accompany almost any protein. It is also amplifies grilled vegetables, making them a main dish all on their own!
If you want to know more about mole or try a red pipián, check out my blog post “What is mole anyway?”
Pipián Verde
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- ¼ cup white sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- ¼ onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 lb tomatillos husks removed, rinsed and halved
- 1-2 chile serrano seeds removed
- 1 chile poblano roasted
- 1 bunch radish leaves rinsed (may sub with romaine or butter lettuce leaves)
- 1 bunch cilantro rinsed
- 1 sprig fresh epazote
- 2 tsps olive oil
- Radish slices for garnish
Instructions
- Toast sesame seeds in a skillet over medium low heat until golden brown. Remove from heat, set aside
- Toast pumpkin seeds over medium low heat until they achieve a lightly roasted aroma and start turning brown. Remove from heat, set aside.
- Set your oven rack close to the top, about 2 inches from the broiler element. Roast 1 chile poblano under the broiler until it is charred evenly all around, turning every few minutes. Don’t worry if it isn’t uniform or totally blackened. Just get a nice char. Remove from the oven and set aside in a bowl, cover with a plate or plastic wrap to steam for about 15 minutes. Once it has cooled , remove the charred outer skin (it should just slide right off with your fingers). Don’t worry about getting all the char off, it will add nice flavor to your pipián. Remove the stem and seeds. Coursely chop the meat and set aside.
- Roughly chop ¼ onion and 2 garlic cloves.
- Sautee onions over medium heat with 2 tsps of olive oil (can also substitute any vegetable oil) and a pinch of salt.
- While your onions are sauteeing, cut your tomatillos in half (or quarters if yours are bigger than ping pong balls).
- Once the onions have softened (about 5 minutes) add the garlic and sautee for about 30 seconds.
- Add tomatillos to the pan and increase heat to medium high. Add in your sprig of epazote and cook this mixture until the tomatillos release their juices and just start losing their bright green color, about 5 minutes.
- Blend the ingredients in stages so we don’t lose all the bright green freshness of our tender leaves in a super pureed sauce. First, add the toasted sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, onions, garlic, chile poblano, chile serrano, along with a pinch of salt to the blender. Blend until very smooth, adding a little water, if needed. The goal here is to get the seeds ground down very finely. Ultimately, you will be left with some great texture. Uniformity is not the goal!
- Once that is fairly smooth, add your fresh radish and cilantro leaves. This would also be a great time to add another serrano chile, if you want more heat. Pulse those in with the rest of the ingredients until you have a sauce that feels hefty but is still pourable. It should be fairly smooth with visible flecks of green. Check for seasoning and add salt to taste.
- At this stage, you could put the sauce in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. It will hold up like this for 1-2 days, so you could make it in advance.
- When you are ready to serve, heat a skillet on medium heat. Carefully add your pipián and heat through, letting it bubble lightly for 3-5 minutes. This last cooking step really helps the flavors of the ingredients to marry, but you don’t want to let it go too long or you risk losing that lovely color! We’re looking for a nice, creamy pistachio green!
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