Chef Gary sources local to create spicy Mexican flavours in a jar

Belfast-born Gary, however, has crafted an adobo product that’s distinctly different from Mexican sauces.

Gary’s sauce is made from locally sourced ingredients such as Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil from Limavady and Dungannon’s Natural Umber apple cider vinegar. He’s blended these with chillies, garlic, tomatoes and spices from outside Northern Ireland.

The experienced chef behind the popular Taquitos takeaway van in Belfast says: “My aim was to create my own adobo sauce from the best of local ingredients and still maintain spicy Mexican flavours.

“Mexican adobo sauce is traditionally a rich, smoky, and slightly sweet sauce made with dried chilies, vinegar, garlic, oregano, and other spices.

“It's used to marinate meats, poultry, and fish, or as a flavouring for soups, stews, and rice dishes. I believe I’ve created a richly flavoured and spicy sauce on a par with the Mexican adobo I used when I cooked in restaurants in Florida,” he adds.

Gary’s adobo sauce jars from Taquitos, available now at delis such as Sawers in Belfast, uses his vast experience of homemade Mexican dishes, especially tacos and burritos, and his knowledge of traditional ingredients to come up with fresh recipes for a range of jars of spicy sauces, adobo paste being the first.

“Moving into our own Mexican-style products is an immensely important diversification for us after more than eight years in the street food business,” continues Gary.

“It’s a move, however, that I’ve been planning for some time and has been influenced by requests from our street food customers here keen to buy the sauces that I have been using across many different dishes,” he adds.

He gained his culinary skills in Belfast before heading to the US and Mexico to learn more about the cuisine and study with some of the best chefs there.