#chamoy

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Tostilocos are a mess. A delicious, crazy mess. A popular street food developed in Tijuana in the 1990s, tostilocos are best described as the tasty brainchild of a Mexican stoner. Essentially chips (i.e., Tostidos) are topped with fresh cucumbers and jícama, cacahuates japonéses – a sweet-and-savory coated peanut snack popular in Mexico – and whatever else you have on hand, and then dressed with sweet/spicy/sour chamoy.

Cacahuates japonéses, a popular Mexican snack, are hard to come by in NYC. Honey-roasted peanuts on the other hand are sold by street vendors throughout the city.

There are no rules to making tostilocos but our version contains a few regional variations. We start with a base of Garden of Eatin’s Red Hot Blues, blue corn tortilla chips dusted with cayenne pepper. Cacahuates japonéses are hard to come by in NYC but that’s not the case for honey-roasted peanuts which are available from street vendors throughout the city. You can find jícama, a root vegetable which must be peeled before eating, at many grocery stores though it can be replaced by green apples which has a similar flavor. Chamoy is what ties all the ingredients together. Regular hot sauce lacks the sweet and sour notes of chamoy and isn’t a great substitute.

Jícama, also known as Mexican yam or Mexican turnip must be peeled before eating. It has a crunchy texture and mild flavor similar to apples.

Here are our suggested ingredients for tostilocos:

• Blue corn tortilla chips
• Diced cucumber
• Shoe-stringed jícima or green apple
• Cacahuates japonéses or honey-roasted peanuts
• Red onion, minced
• Jalapeño, seeded and minced
• Chicharrón (pork rinds)
• Fresh cilantro, minced
• Chili powder
• Lemon juice (see below)
• Chamoy

Build a plate of tostilocos layer by layer, squeezing chamoy over the ingredients as you go. Squeeze lime juice over cucumber, jícima and/or green apple before tossing with other ingredients.