Mexican Food - help needed

[aqua]

OK, since I am not off to offline tonight, and part of that plan was to go for mexican food - I'm planning on cooking some instead for tomorrow

Can someone recommend any recipes? I'm open to what we're going to have at the moment - have found on here a recipe for tortillas so I'll make our own, but other than that, want to try stuff

can anyone recommend a recipe that is online? have you posted something on here before?

I hate tequila so there won't be any of that, but there will be beer, and lots of limes, and some tortillas but other than that I haven't got a clue

I don't have any mexican cookbooks, nor the desire to go to the shops when I feel shit!

 

[Melinda]

*Subscribes*

Check out the last page of the street food thread. That had me drooling.

Ignore the fried insects and head straight for Chilango's gorgeous looking Mexican stuff.

It properly excited me, Im looking for things to do for this weekend.

 

[aqua]

are there recipes on there? linky?

 

[chilango]

Sorry no recipes .

Tell me the sort of thing you fancy and I'll do my best to tell you how to make it or what should be in it.

 

[chilango]

The thread with Mexican street food.

Mmm.

 

[aqua]

I don't know what I fancy as I've only ever had tex-mex stuff

I love flour tortillas, I love lime/chilli/chicken/beef/prawns, and I'm happy to try new stuff I love the things that are wrapped in tortillas and baked (sorry, very tired and can't remember what they're called ), I love things deep fried but for the sake of my arteries think I should avoid those

I have the stuff to make a salsa and guacamole, and am happy to go and buy whatever

 

[chilango]

You could try making tacos.

Fry up some beef with onions and diced green chiles. Serve with salsa, refried beans (I've got a good recipe for them but it takes two days) in the smallest tortillas you can find. Pref corn.

What beer you getting?

 

[aqua]

thats bees' job, but probably just Sol, as it's easy to get and I suspect after offline tonight he won't want to have to think

tacos are good, but something I'm likely to have normally was wanting to try something else

thanks for helping x

 

[tarannau]

If you love flour tortillas, you'll love roti then - remind me when you're next in Brixton and I'll take you to a roti hut. Like tortillas but freshly made, often with chickpeas and/or potato. Much softer, more flavoursome, moister, tastier, bigger etc etc.

To be fair, I think properly made flour tortillas would be great too. I suspect the recipe's similar too - anyone ever made from scratch?

 

[Melinda]

Beef Fajitas http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-chicken-fajitas

The guy's voice is jokes! Its well annoying until 2 mins in when he does the flavouring mix.



Im going for quesadillas and probably fajitas with guacamole/ sour cream.

But Im so tempted by burritos.

 

[tarannau]

BTW Aqua, to give you mexican food a more authentic feel, it's worth using stiuff from these guys at the Cool Chile company http://www.coolchile.co.uk/

You can get epazote for burritos iirc, but also some excellent, properly flavoursome chillis like chipotle (dried smoked jalapenos) and anchos that'll make your food taste much better.

 

[crustychick]

Okay, what I normally do for my Mexican Feast is this:

1. make up a big lot of guacamole - basically just avocado, lemon juice, lots of salt, p'raps some chilli and some black pepper all mashed up...
2. make up a lot of salsa - finely chop tomatoes, and red onion, praps some mango, some lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper and fresh coriander.

For starters I serve nachos:

get some plain tortilla chips, smother with grated cheese, bung in oven for a few minutes until warm and cheese has just started to bubble. Serve with big dollops of sour cream, guacamole, salsa and sprinkle with jalapenos

For main course I serve up enchiladas:

Basically, make up a big pot of chilli of your choice.
Get flour tortillas, put a big splodge of chilli in the middle of the tortilla and fold into parcel. Do, at least one for each guest, some people will want two. Place all parcels in oven dish.
Next, make up a basic tomato sauce. Usually I fry off some onions and garlic and a little chilli in oil, add tinned tomatoes, sugar or sweet chilli sauce to taste, simmer for a bit then blitz with a blender. Bung tomato sauce over folded parcels. finally, cover in lots of grated cheese. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream, rice, salad and re-fried beans.

To make re-friend beans, get some pinto beans, smush up with rolling pin or somesuch, add some spices to taste, e.g. cumin. Fry off. Something like that anyway.

 

[El Jefe]

Burritos..

 

[chilango]

thats bees' job, but probably just Sol, as it's easy to get and I suspect after offline tonight he won't want to have to think

tacos are good, but something I'm likely to have normally was wanting to try something else

thanks for helping x

Sol

You could try making micheladas with them. Lime juice in the bottom of the glass, top up with beer and salt around the rim. Some versions have chile powder in, or even worcestershire sauce with the lime juice.

You could make esquites. Cups of sweet corn in chicken stock with mayo, lime juice and chile powder on the top.

or sopes. Thick corn tortillas with refried beans, chile, shredded lettuce and sour cream on top. You could put chicken on these.

How about chilaquiles? Really a breakfast food, but good. Soak tortilla chips (the plainer the better) in a watered down hot salsa sauce, put onions, sour cream and eggs or chicken on the top?

 

[chilango]

BTW Aqua, to give you mexican food a more authentic feel, it's worth using stiuff from these guys at the Cool Chile company http://www.coolchile.co.uk/

You can get epazote for burritos iirc, but also some excellent, properly flavoursome chillis like chipotle (dried smoked jalapenos) and anchos that'll make your food taste much better.

Chipotle is the best. Mmm smokey.

 

[tarannau]

Agreed. Much tex mex food is shit in this country. Those long life flour tortillas are really quite disappointing. Chipotles on the other hand add so much depth of flavour that you'll really miss them if they're not present.

You can get tomatillos in cans and they're actually quite serviceable. You can get (edible) cactus in cans too.

 

[chilango]

Agreed. Much tex mex food is shit in this country. Those long life flour tortillas are really quite disappointing. Chipotles on the other hand add so much depth of flavour that you'll really miss them if they're not present.

You can get tomatillos in cans and they're actually quite serviceable. You can get (edible) cactus in cans too.

Cool. I don't like cactus (nopales) myself but its a good ingredient.

Where can you get chipotles in the UK?, it'd be good not to have to lug suitcases full of them everytime I come back.

You hardly ever see flour tortillas in Mexico City.

 

[Melinda]

Crusty- you have the perfect ingredients for a 7 layer Mexican dip!

Im really hungry now. Im adding dip to my menu.

 

[tarannau]

Cool. I don't like cactus (nopales) myself but its a good ingredient.

Where can you get chipotles in the UK?, it'd be good not to have to lug suitcases full of them everytime I come back.

You hardly ever see flour tortillas in Mexico City.

You can get chipotles from that Cool Chile Company place - link in my post above. They've a stall in Borough Market and the occasional product sneaks into the larger supermarkets.

I suspect it's fairly easy to make flour or corn tortillas from fresh. Anyone ever tried?

 

[chilango]

You can get chipotles from that Cool Chile Company place - link in my post above. They've a stall in Borough Market and the occasional product sneaks into the larger supermarkets.

I suspect it's fairly easy to make flour or corn tortillas from fresh. Anyone ever tried?

Not yet. Will be buying a tortilla press next I'm in a decent market. Watched loads of people make em however. seems straightforward enough.

 

[tarannau]

A tortilla press? Blimey and I though it'd be more like the Indian/West Indian way of making roti - flour, water, oil, salt and a little kneading, onto a cast iron griddle/tawa and that's about it. May have to check the technique out somehow.

Lazy cheating mexicans with their pressing fripperies.

 

[Ms T]

You can get chipotles from that Cool Chile Company place - link in my post above. They've a stall in Borough Market and the occasional product sneaks into the larger supermarkets.

I suspect it's fairly easy to make flour or corn tortillas from fresh. Anyone ever tried?

I've been told you can get tomatillos and other Mexican-type ingredients in the Colombian place on Pope's Road, but I've yet to investigate.

 

[tarannau]

I've been told you can get tomatillos and other Mexican-type ingredients in the Colombian place on Pope's Road, but I've yet to investigate.

Really. That'll annoy Grant and his colleagues from ElPanzon - I keep seeing them returning bleary eyed from Borough Market first thing in the morning.


I like that little shop mind - if it's the old KwikSave you're referring to.

 

[aqua]

If you love flour tortillas, you'll love roti then - remind me when you're next in Brixton and I'll take you to a roti hut. Like tortillas but freshly made, often with chickpeas and/or potato. Much softer, more flavoursome, moister, tastier, bigger etc etc.

YES YES YES YES and YES!

But Im so tempted by burritos.

WANT!

BTW Aqua, to give you mexican food a more authentic feel, it's worth using stiuff from these guys at the Cool Chile company http://www.coolchile.co.uk/

You can get epazote for burritos iirc, but also some excellent, properly flavoursome chillis like chipotle (dried smoked jalapenos) and anchos that'll make your food taste much better.

marvellous! *goes off to look*

Sol

only for the reasons I stated

I suspect it's fairly easy to make flour or corn tortillas from fresh. Anyone ever tried?

when I started searching for this I found this post http://www.urban75.net/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=2434259&postcount=39 gonna give them a try

 

[Melinda]

Good find Aqua.

I might substitute the lard for veg oil I think.

 

[tarannau]

Yep, that's recipe is a bit like roti. Although roti tends to use gram/chickpea flour and often sandwiches a layer of potato/chana in the middle too. mmm...

Hate to say it, but they're actually quite tough to make well. I've had plenty of shit roti in my time and I expect getting the right consistency/technique with tortillas is similarly difficult.

 

[aqua]

don't get me wrong, I don't expect to get it right its more the having a go tbh, been a while since I did something I've not ever tried before and tortillas fit that bill nicely

if they don't work I'll send bees to the shops

 

[tarannau]

Fairy muff, especially becase the prebought flour torillas are just about passable. It's depressing for me because my old dear and gran made legendary rotis, but mine are maddeningly inconsistent. In fact they're probably closer to bum standard flour tortillas most of the time.

But when they're fresh they're a differnt league, warm, soft and fresh tasting. Definitely worth a go.

 

[aqua]

aye, they're on the list

just not sure what else, maybe burrito, I like burritos unless I find something online some where *goes off to hunt*

 

[chilango]

A tortilla press? Blimey and I though it'd be more like the Indian/West Indian way of making roti - flour, water, oil, salt and a little kneading, onto a cast iron griddle/tawa and that's about it. May have to check the technique out somehow.

Lazy cheating mexicans with their pressing fripperies.

Although often in rural markets etc. you see them made by hand.

I used to live next to a tortilleria that had an industrial press. It was incredibly noisy.

Have you seen blue corn tortillas?

They are