Dip Into Little Water Cantina's Sikil Pak

Photo by Cameo McRoberts

Some of the most popular items on the Little Water Cantina menu are the dips (surprise!). What goes better with a cold beer and salty chips? While the homemade salsa and guacamole are some of the best in town, it's the sikil pak recipe that McRoberts chose to share with us here at Grillaxin. Never heard of sikil pak? It's basically a creamy pumpkin-seed dip that's made a little fiery with habaneros.

You can read parts one and two of our Q&A with the LWC's lil' mama if you missed it, but today it's all about her recipe -- and it's a good one!

Sikil Pak

3 tomatoes, charred

1 cup pepitas, toasted (you can use any combo of hulled/unhulled pepitas if ya like)

1/2 large white onion, charred

1 roasted habanero chile, seeded

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

salt to taste

water as needed

1. Char the tomatoes, onion, and habanero chile in a dry cast-iron skillet (get it super-hot). The pepitas can be toasted in the hot skillet as well or toasted in the oven. Get all sides of everything nice and charred. Once the habanero is hot, its oils are brutal, so wear gloves!

2. After everything is roasted, put the pepitas in a food processor and process well until the seeds are ground into a paste.

3. Add to the food processor the three roasted tomatoes, onion, habanero (seeded), and fresh cilantro. Pulse in the food processor until well blended.

Salt to taste and enjoy with chips.

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