Cook Real Mexican Food

"Real" or "authentic" Mexican cuisine might not be what you thought it is. Mexican food varies according to regions in Mexico and is an amazing mixture of Old World and New World ingredients, sometimes adhering closely to Mayan or Aztec styles, and often mutating with Spanish, Portuguese, and other later cultural influences. Take a tour through this culinary introduction to how to cook real Mexican food.

Steps

  1. Note the principal fresh ingredients involved in real Mexican cooking. First, fresh is important because the freshness gives Mexican food its vitality and interest. Second, the following ingredients are fairly staple Mexican inclusions, although it is very important to recognize that the uses for ingredients and food dishes will vary from region to region:
    • Corn - used for a variety of food including tortillas, quesadillas, tamales, Make Chimichangas, soups, etc.
    • Chiles and peppers - with over 100 varieties of chiles, there are plenty of uses in Mexican cuisine, from mild to hot, including as a spice for salsa.
    • Tomatoes - used in a wide variety of dishes. In addition, tomatillos are used a lot. These are not small tomatoes but a fruit in their own right, used in sauces and dishes.
    • Cilantro (coriander) - a fairly typical herb flavor added to numerous Mexican dishes. In the Yucatan peninsula, annatto (achiote) is a popular spice, and it is from here that a sauce made from the hottest chillies (habaneros) is made (Ixni-pec).
    • Beans, usually kidney, haricot, black, or pinto beans. Frijoles (beans) are a Mexican staple, often served with a little cooking liquid, or mashed or fried with oil or lard and served as "refritos". Haricot and pinto beans are native to Mexico. Lima beans (Peru) and garbanzos (chickpeas) are also popular.
    • Fruit, including peaches, pawpaws, avocados, pineapples, and coconuts. Naturally, avocado is essential for the well-known guacamole.
    • Meats such as goat, chicken, pork, lamb, and beef. Chorizo, a seasoned sausage, is used a lot in Mexican cuisine.
  2. Find a good source of Mexican cooking ideas. Some cookbooks that claim to teach you traditional Mexican food are suggesting deviated variants or even Tex-Mex. A definitive reference cookbook for the US audience is Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless. When deciding on buying or borrowing a Mexican cookbook, check that the cookbook has made a decent attempt to explain regional cuisines differences, and does not have an excessive focus on "easy-out" options or focuses on using too much dairy throughout the book. The same qualifications apply to finding suitable recipes online.
    • If you can read Spanish, order cookbooks direct from Mexico, or read Mexican recipe sites and recipe blogs. Some bloggers may even translate their dishes into English; indeed, there are many Anglophones who have lived or traveled in Mexico, and who love to share their favorite Mexican recipes online.
  3. Use spices judiciously. Mexican food is, of course, not always heavily spiced or piquant, but chiles are a common ingredient. They may be raw, smoked, or dried, but are seldom used in their powdered form. Cayenne chili, commonly found in a dried form, is not frequently used in Mexican cooking (cayenne chiles are actually quite hot). Nearly all chiles can be eaten green and are hotter green than their red or yellow counterparts. Jalapeño chiles - particularly those sold these days - are some of the mildest "hot" chiles around. Some ways for using chiles in Mexican cuisine include:
  4. Avoid using canned beans. This could be taken more generally: avoid using canned foods whenever possible. Cooking dried beans allows you to introduce some flavor into the cooking liquid, and canned beans are often heavily salted. Spices vary from region to region and dish to dish, but with beans, you could safely include sauteed onions and garlic, bay, Mexican oregano, and various forms of fresh and cured pork.
  5. Make some corn dishes. Corn is used extensively in Mexican cuisine and there are many ways that you can use it at home. Look for masa harina (flour made from grinding dried corn kernels) which serves as the basis of tortillas, tamales, baked goods, and atole. Here are some suggested recipes to get you started:
  6. Try some traditional Mexican soup dishes. Traditional Mexican soup dishes include corn soup, Make Tortilla Soup, tomato soup (use fresh tomatoes and coriander), vermicelli soup, avocado soup, etc.
  7. Make fish and seafood dishes. Real Mexican cooking makes the most of fish and shellfish, including red snapper, sea bass, mackerel, striped bass, and prawns. The Mexican dish Huachinango a la Veracruzana (red snapper Veracruz style) is a national signature dish. Ceviche, dried salt cod, and Spanish and Portuguese fish dishes are also very popular in Mexico.
    • Prepare Snapper.
  8. Cook using meat and poultry. There is a wide variety of traditional meat dish choices in Mexican cuisine, including turkey, quail, pheasant, chicken, etc. Many meat dishes blend old culture with new cuisine. One of the most traditional dishes is Mole Poblano de Guajolote, which is based on turkey. Some ideas to help you get started:
  9. Make salsa! Salsa is a popular Mexican accompaniment, including salsa chipotle, salsa verde, and green jalapeño salsa. You can find a range of salsa recipes in wikiHow's Salsa.
  10. Try some traditional Mexican baking. Baking is an important part of Mexican cuisine, including desserts and cakes. Some ideas to start you include:
  11. Make or purchase Mexican drinks. To complete your Mexican meal, add some drinks. You can purchase Mexican beer, Mexican wine, tequila, or try making:
    • Horchata
    • Milk coffee.
    • Margaritas.
    • Sangria or sangrita.
    • Tequila cocktails (not all authentic of course but in the spirit of tequila!).
    • Make Mexican Hot Cocoa.
    • Tamarind or rosella drinks.



Tips

  • Cactus pieces also form an important part of Mexican cuisine but may be hard to get hold of in some places. They can be found canned or pickled in specialty grocery stores.
  • Whatever you do, do not add Cheddar to tacos or tostadas. Using Cheddar in a taco is no-sense in Mexico. Use "Queso Fresco"/"Fresh Cheese" or "Queso Asadero". Here you can find a guide for Mexican Cheeses: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/mexicancheeses.htm
  • Buy whole spices (such as cumin seeds) and grind them in a clean coffee grinder before you use them.
  • Buy fresh ingredients whenever possible.
  • Do not fear lard. It is a traditional inclusion in Mexican cooking.

Warnings

  • If it's not sold refrigerated, it's adulterated lard. Manufacturers hydrogenate and add potentially carcinogenic chemicals to lard so that it will keep unrefrigerated. Find a source or render your own from pork (not bacon) fat.
  • For every good Mexican restaurant in most cities in the U.S., there will be many mediocre ones. Family operated restaurants are generally your best bet.

Things You'll Need

  • Mexican cookbooks, recipe sites
  • Fresh ingredients
  • Specialty grocery store for imported items
  • Mexican table furnishings and decorations (optional)
  • Mexican music on your MP3 player (optional)

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Cook_Real_Mexican_Food&oldid=352515"