This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. Each post this month will be associated with a letter of the alphabet with the theme ‘Food Memories‘.
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I have a confession to make: chipotle peppers in adobo sauce is my FAVOURITE ingredient in the entire world. Yum. If I could, I’d eat it everyday and put it in everything.
Another confession: I’ve even eaten it cold, out of the can from the refrigerator. Yes, I’d pluck one of the luscious chillies out and just eat it (Of course, I had a glass of cold water handy). I love it that much.
I had no clue such a magical ingredient existed until I went to Toronto for my post-graduate studies. I’m forever grateful to Food Network Canada for introducing it to me and also to No Frills for selling it. The first dish I made with this ingredient was this chipotle-basil pasta – a recipe I found, cut out from the Toronto Star and pasted into my 10-year old recipe book, which will be handed down to the next generation.
Incidentally, leftovers of this pasta still tastes yummy even after spending the night in the fridge. This was accidentally on purpose discovered during an instance of laziness to re-heat the pasta the next day. It was an historic culinary discovery, in my opinion.
When I left Canada, I bought and brought back 5 cans of chipotles in adobo sauce in my suitcase. It was either those 5 cans, or some of my winter clothes. Buh-bye winter clothes. This delicacy wasn’t sold in Malaysia back then, and I needed to make sure I had a stash to introduce to my family and then some to feed my addiction.
One time, I was down to one precious can which I refused to open and use for the longest time. I didn’t know when I’d be able to replenish it, so I was determined to preserve it as long as I could. My sister, who was living in the US at the time, came to the rescue (bless her, bless her) and brought back more cans with her as my Christmas present. Best. Christmas. Present. Ever. Yep, I’m easy to please.
Then, several years ago, after my supply had depleted and I was going through chipotles-withdrawal, I saw it in my local supermarket. At first I thought it was a mirage. After confirming that it wasn’t, I went berserk, bought two (okay, it was three) cans and cooked up a chipotle storm. Now, I always have at least two cans in my pantry, and every time I make something with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I can’t help thinking “O Canada”.
WORDS from SONOBE 