Substitute for achiote?

[badjak]

Mod.edit: this post and following few posts moved to form new topic.(MG)

That's very similar to the one I've used - purloined from a restaurant called La Montejo, in Mexico City. The achiote paste is vital, as is the sour orange juice.
For a 90% vegetarian to have eaten 3 tacos with cochinito pibil there, tells you something about how good this dish is.

Is there anything I could use instead of achiote?
We dont have it here. No annatto seeds either.

 

[karadekoolaid]

Is there anything I could use instead of achiote?
We dont have it here. No annatto seeds either.

Achiote/annato/onoto - same thing. There's not really a substitute; onoto is earthy, slightly sweet and adds colour to what ever you're cooking. You might try some fenugreek seeds and sweet paprika; that'd probably be a similar taste profile.
Here are some onoto plants which grew in my garden (until a tree fell on them)

 

[badjak]

This might help. Subs

Thanks
I had seen that article before but it didn't reallly make sense to me that sambal oelek could be used as well as harissa and some of the others as to me they taste totally different
Besides (pet peeve of mine), he describes sambal oelek wrong, making me wonder about other inconsistencies
Sambal oelek does not contain sugar!

 

[medtran49]

This might help. Subs

I'm leery of some of their subs. Annatto is not spicy at all, so have to wonder about the subs using chiles.

 

[Barriehie]

I'm leery of some of their subs. Annatto is not spicy at all, so have to wonder about the subs using chiles.

To date I've never purchased annatto that had a lot of flavor. I mostly use it for coloring. The annatto I get here in GA is the same brand I used to get in NV. The paste does have more flavor and when I've used up my powder stock I'll go back to the paste.

 

[badjak]

To date I've never purchased annatto that had a lot of flavor. I mostly use it for coloring. The annatto I get here in GA is the same brand I used to get in NV. The paste does have more flavor and when I've used up my powder stock I'll go back to the paste.

Interesting..
I suppose I'll just make the conchinita with the ingredients I have and then have a smell and decide what to use instead of annatto (by reading the different options I may go for kashmiri chili.... (Not mentioned, but fruity, paprike-like and a bit of heat, which I always like)

And am I the only one having to think of Switzerlands euro vision song festival when hearing the name on this dish?
Conchita

 

[medtran49]

Annatto is mostly used for coloring in Latin cuisines. Barriehie is right that it doesn't have much of a taste. There is a brand of Latin flavor packets, Sazon, that most have annatto powder in them, among other spices. I use the original flavor to make shrimp criollo.

 

[Barriehie]

Annatto is mostly used for coloring in Latin cuisines. Barriehie is right that it doesn't have much of a taste. There is a brand of Latin flavor packets, Sazon, that most have annatto powder in them, among other spices. I use the original flavor to make shrimp criollo.

I get the Goya brand for the pork flavor and La Fiesta or Mi Costeñita for others.

 

[Z-Cook]

Thanks. I bookmarked the grill/smoker method.
One day when I'm feeling ambitious I might give it a go. First I'd have to source banana leaves.

I had to Google it when you posted and thought you did it in a pit. That was the first thing that came up.
I've always wanted to try underground pit cooking.

It's a great dish. Also one of my absolute faves.
I make it a fair bit. Not in a pit or grill. OH has done pit roasts. I cook it in a roaster and use large corn husks, which I like cooking with a lot when not able to get banana leaves. A dish really worth making, and fairly simple aside from pits and grills.

Achiote/annato/onoto - same thing. There's not really a substitute; onoto is earthy, slightly sweet and adds colour to what ever you're cooking. You might try some fenugreek seeds and sweet paprika; that'd probably be a similar taste profile.
Here are some onoto plants which grew in my garden (until a tree fell on them)

Very earthy and pretty hard to exactly sub for that. It's like trying to sub fresh galangal - you can, but only kinda, sorta. The earthiness and the very intense colour are key and agree - pungent sweet, and finely ground paprika or sweet chile as a base, a pinch or two fenugreek good idea, and perhaps some turmeric for bringing up the colour. Have to invent a different but similar profile. I'd go as far as adding a little smoked sweet paprika for depth.

Interesting..
I suppose I'll just make the conchinita with the ingredients I have and then have a smell and decide what to use instead of annatto (by reading the different options I may go for kashmiri chili.... (Not mentioned, but fruity, paprike-like and a bit of heat, which I always like)

Kashmiri chili powder would actually be pretty good. Perhaps along with some sweet paprika and a touch of smoked, as it's a very aromatic rather than hot dish. But even mostly kashmiri would be ok. There are so many other flavours in the dish in any case.
And Yucatan 'pickled' red onions with habenero chile us the usual salsa for the dish is obligatory and insanely good

What recipes are people looking at? Diana Kennedy's is a classic and there's a good one by Tejal Rao in the NYT recipe section among many others.

 

[Morning Glory]

Is there anything I could use instead of achiote?
We dont have it here. No annatto seeds either.

Unfortunately not. Its a very specific taste.

 

[karadekoolaid]

This might help. Subs

I just had a look at those and, no, not really convinced. Harissa is too aromatic, sambal oelek - nowhere near,that's a hot chile condiment! Guajillo chile powder - that's just going to add mild heat and a sweet-ish chile flavour, paprika paste - what he said, tex-mex paste - no idea what it is, but I imagine it's got some mild chiles, like guajillo, loads of oregano and cumin and probably garlic salt.
Achiote/annato/onoto has a distinct earthy flavour to it. For want of a better description, it smells a bit like a wet flowerpot or damp earth after it's just rained. The colour will definitely come from paprika, but the flavour (and onoto is not even mildly "hot") of chiles just doesn't hit the mark for me.

 

[Morning Glory]

Achiote/annato/onoto has a distinct earthy flavour to it. For want of a better description, it smells a bit like a wet flowerpot or damp earth after it's just rained. The colour will definitely come from paprika, but the flavour (and onoto is not even mildly "hot") of chiles just doesn't hit the mark for me.

I agree. I have to say again that it can't be substituted. When I discovered it, it was a revelation.

 

[Morning Glory]

Annatto is mostly used for coloring in Latin cuisines. Barriehie is right that it doesn't have much of a taste.

Its very rare for me to disagree with you in any culinary matters medtran49, but the annato seeds I have aren't lacking in taste at all. I think they have an extraordinary flavour. Maybe some powdered annatto does lack taste? I have whole seeds which perhaps makes a difference.

 

[medtran49]

Its very rare for me to disagree with you in any culinary matters medtran49, but the annato seeds I have aren't lacking in taste at all. I think they have an extraordinary flavour. Maybe some powdered annatto does lack taste? I have whole seeds which perhaps makes a difference.

We have the seeds. I just don't think it has much of a taste.

 

[Morning Glory]

We have the seeds. I just don't think it has much of a taste.

Maybe our taste buds differ or maybe I just have some especially good seeds. But they taste amazing to me. I made a simple chicken dish using them and gave some to my daughter to take away and re-eat. She texted me later raving about how good it was and wanted to know what the specific taste was (she doesn't normally do that).