Sadly, this is not a post about Austin Powers. Although the topic we are covering is also very colorful, and interesting.

If you have already been to Canary Islands, you have probably heard about Papas arrugás con mojo, or just about de mojo itself (If you didn’t, you really weren’t in the islands, sorry). This is a sauce served with many different kinds of food such as grilled meats, fish, potatoes, bread… and can be prepared with a few different ingredients. Still, in the end, they can be separated into two big groups, red mojos and green mojos.

Red Mojos (Mojos rojos)

This is the most common type, usually served with meat as they are prepared with slightly spicy peppers. This kind of mojo has a great advantage for you, travelers, because the absence of water in its ingredients makes it suitable for conservation and transportation, meaning you can still enjoy the Canary lifestyle while being back home.

Green Mojos (Mojos verdes)

These kinds of mojos are usually used for fish. There are a few variations of the green mojo, being the most common the one with parsley, cilantro or green peppers, being the one with parsley the most common you will find in restaurants and guachinches. The negative side to these kinds is their ingredients do have higher amounts of water, meaning they are meant to be consumed few days after their preparation.

No matter which color you want your mojo to have, there are a few common ingredients in all of them, being garlic, oil, salt, vinegar, cumin and salt. Locals always insist to say that in order to have a good mojo, the ingredients need to be fresh and natural, if one wants to reach the perfect texture and flavor.

Now, we will give you a receipt so you know which the main ingredients are and, of course, how to prepare your own mojo:

1 bulb of garlic (peeled)

50ml vinegar

250ml olive oil

Salt and cumin to the cook’s taste

1 spoon of chili powder and 2 small red peppers for red mojo

1 bunch of cilantro, parsley or 1 green pepper for green mojo

Steps to follow

First you will need to remove all seeds from peppers (red or green peppers), and rinse them in water to soften them about 15-20 minutes.

Afterwards put all the solid ingredients (cumin inclusive) and chop until getting a paste-like texture.

Once you’ve reached this point, add the salt and chili powder when red. Add the oil and vinegar slowly until reaching the desired texture.

Et voilà! We have our mojo ready to be served and enjoyed along our food.

Whatever your mojo of choice is, one thing is clear, it will definitely add a taste of flavor to your dishes, and you have found an alternative for ketchup to your potatoes, so turn your inner Chef on!

Remember we have hotels in Tenerife & Lanzarote, which do serve these wonderful dishes plus other typical dishes from the islands.

Bonus: Almogrote

While preparing a red mojo, add grated old goat cheese to the mix in order to get a pate-like texture product, ideal to be spread on bread.