Vasos de Fruta con Tajín
(vah-sos de froo-tah kohn tah-heen)
La Baby Tortilla: After-School Snacks & Antojitos
Three-thirty in the afternoon outside a South Texas frutería, the heat is breaking, and a vendor hands out a plastic cup of fruit dripping with chamoy and chili. The street vendors know the secret to this afternoon staple is how it is layered. Cut spears of jicama and mango so they hold their crunch, and paint the inside of the cup with chamoy and Tajín before you stack them. The spice washes into every crevice, leaving lime juice pooling at the bottom in a sharp, salty mud. Squeeze an extra lime wedge over the top, and hand out napkins before the clear plastic cups hit the table.
Before you start
Prep the fruit up to three days in advance.
Wash, peel, and cut all the fruit into spears on Sunday night, storing them in separate airtight containers in the fridge so you can assemble these in seconds after school.
Ingredients
- seedless watermelon1/4 med
- pineapple1 small
- English cucumber1 large
- jicama1 med
- firm but ripe mangoes2 large
- chamoy sauce1/4 cup
- Tajín2 tbsp
- Mexican limes3 med
Method
- 01
Cut the prepped fruit and vegetables into uniform, five-inch spears.
Avoid chopping them into chunks; long sticks keep the fruit from crushing into mush at the bottom of the cup and make it easy to eat on the move.
- 02
Line the inside walls and bottom of four tall cups with a drizzle of chamoy and a pinch of Tajín.
This is the vendor secret to ensuring the seasoning coats every single piece of fruit from the bottom up.
- 03
Stand the fruit spears upright inside the cups, alternating colors and textures.
Nestle crisp white jicama and green cucumber next to the softer, sweeter mango and watermelon.
- 04
Squeeze fresh lime juice generously over the top of the fruit in each cup.
The lime juice acts as a river, carrying the chili and chamoy down into the cup.
- 05
Drizzle with remaining chamoy and finish with a heavy dusting of Tajín.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Dial back the heat for kids by omitting the Tajín and chamoy.
Substitute with just a squeeze of lime and a pinch of sea salt for a refreshing, perfectly authentic variation.
From Cook Tex-Mex.