Sikil Pak

~ Tandy

Despite using simple ingredients, sikil pak is a delicious dip. You will find yourself making this time and time again as it is easy to make, and can be used in a variety of ways. It ticks all the boxes for various diets, including vegan, keto and paleo.

Sikil Pak
Sikil Pak
Head straight on to the Recipe For ♥ Sikil Pak ♥
What is sikil pak?

Sikil, meaning tomato, and pak, meaning pumpkin seed, is a Mayan salsa dish. From the Mexican region of Campeche, this recipe goes back at least one thousand years. Pumpkin seeds are also known as pepita, and the word comes from the Mexican Spanish pepita de calabaza. These are the little seeds of squash, and the most common one is from pumpkins. These are sold roasted with the shell on in some countries. Or dehusked where you can see the beautiful green colour.

Pumpkin seeds

Best suited to baking and roasting, the flavour for the sikil pak comes out of the seeds from toasting. You can pair pumpkin seeds with caramel; chillies, especially jalapeño; coriander (both the spice and the herb); cumin and salt. I love toasted pepitas that have been salted, which is a snack I ate a lot of in Israel. You could do the same and add one or all of the following: ground cumin, ground coriander and chilli powder. Or make a pesto using the pumpkin seeds instead of pine nuts, and cilantro in place of the basil. I have roasted pumpkin seeds harvested from a whole pumpkin and then used them to garnish soup.

Being inspired

After 15 years of blogging there are days when I am not inspired to be creative in the kitchen. And there are times when I read a recipe on someone else’s blog and think “I have to try that”. I still love trying recipes that are new to me. And trying cuisines we don’t have access to in South Africa. So, when I saw the recipe for sikil pak on Mimi’s blog I knew I was going to make it. I find her recipes very exciting as she covers all sorts of cuisines, and she gives great opinions about what she has made. I was not sure Dave would like this, but he loved it.

Take a look at this inspiring recipe for ♥ Sikil Pak ♥ from Lavender and Lime #LavenderAndLime Share on X

Sikil Pak

 

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Sikil Pak

This is an amazing dip for crunchy chips, such as nachos
Recipe Category: Dips
Makes enough for: 1 portion dip
All Rights Reserved: Adapted from Chef Mimi

Ingredients

  • 225 g cocktail tomatoes, halved and seeds removed
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled, and halved
  • 1 shallot, peeled and quartered
  • 1 habanero chilli, halved and de-seeded
  • 85 g pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 30 mls olive oil
  • Salt to season
  • 5 g fresh coriander, chopped, plus extra for garnishing

To serve:

  • nachos, or any other crunchy chips

Method

  • Preheat the oven to 190° Celsius
  • Place the tomatoes, garlic, shallot and chilli onto a baking tray
  • Place into the oven and bake for 30 minutes
  • Remove from the oven and set aside
  • Place 80g of the pumpkin seeds into a blender and blend until almost smooth
  • Add the vegetables, oil and salt and blend until at the consistency you want your dip to be
  • Remove from the blender and place into a bowl
  • Check the seasoning then stir in the chopped coriander

To serve:

  • Garnish with coriander, scatter the remaining pumpkin seeds on top and serve with nachos
See the links below for blog posts I published on October 8:

Lavender and Lime Signature

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Published by Tandy

I am passionate about using regional, seasonable and sustainable produce when I cook. I live in Gordons Bay with my husband and dogs. We visit new places locally and overseas as often as we can to experience the food of the area. Follow along on our adventures!

14 thoughts on “Sikil Pak”

  7. I guess cocktail tomatoes are little ones? We usually call them grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. Pepitas are such great crunchy little devils!
    cheers
    sherry

    Reply

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