Mexico is one of the most vibrant, colorful and emotional countries in the world. Therefore, it is not surprising that Mexican cuisine is filled with hot spices, tart spices and various sauces. Even though it may not look as refined as the French one, the tastes and aromas of Mexican dishes will not leave anyone indifferent.
We have selected 7 traditional Mexican recipes that you can prepare at home.
P.S. Mexican cuisine differs from the rest in a huge number of ingredients and complex preparation. Some products are difficult to find outside South America, or they are quite expensive, so don't be afraid to experiment and replace them with what you have on hand. Don't let the intricacy of preparing Mexican dishes scare you. The taste is guaranteed to compensate for the money and time spent.
Tacos
Ingredients:
1 beef fillet, thinly sliced into steaks
12 tortillas
1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard(lard is better for authentic taste)
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 bunch finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
any spicy or hot sauce
Cooking method:
1. Heat in a frying pan over medium heat vegetable oil. When it gets hot, sear the steaks on both sides.
2. Fry for about two minutes and turn over to the other side.
Tip: if you do a large number of tacos, wrap the cooked steaks in aluminum foil and keep them in the oven to keep them warm.
3. When all the steaks are ready, heat the tortillas in a frying pan over medium heat and wrap them in a kitchen towel.
Tip: If you wish, you can heat the tortillas in the same pan where you fried the meat to add aroma and flavor.
4. Cut the meat into small pieces and mix with spicy or spicy sauce. Divide the meat into equal portions and place in tortillas. Sprinkle each taco with chopped onion and cilantro and start tasting.
Tip: exists great amount varieties of tacos. So feel free to add new ingredients or replace them with others. available products.
Buritto with beans and beef
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
500 g lean ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground chili pepper
400g diced tomatoes
1 red Bell pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup beef broth
300g canned, washed beans
coriander leaves, chopped
8 tortillas
150 g grated cheese(V original recipe Cheddar cheese is used, but you can substitute any kind you like)
sour cream
lettuce leaves, for beautiful serving
Cooking method:
1. Heat the oven to 200°C. IN large frying pan Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add minced meat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until the meat is browned.
2. Add cumin, paprika and ground pepper Chile. Fry all this, stirring, for 1 minute or until pleasant spicy aroma. Throw chopped tomatoes, capsicums, tomato paste and broth into the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. At the end, add beans, coriander and mix thoroughly.
3. Heat the tortillas in a dry frying pan without oil. Divide the meat mixture between the tortillas and place only along the center. Wrap the tortillas so that the filling does not fall out. Place the finished burrittos in a large, greased baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
4. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream and lettuce.
Mexican tomato soup
Ingredients:
6 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, halved, cored
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1-2 liters low fat chicken broth(the amount of broth depends on the size of the pan and how much soup you want to make)
2 cups tomato juice
1 Bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (or half) chicken fillet, cut into thin strips
4 green onions (white part only)
1/2 cup lime juice (or add citric acid taste)
a couple of sprigs of chopped fresh cilantro (can be replaced with any other herbs)
Cooking method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200° C. Grease the tortillas with olive (or vegetable) oil on one side only. Cut the flatbreads in half and cut them crosswise into strips 1 cm thick. Place the strips in one layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden color. Don't forget to turn them from side to side.
2. Meanwhile, heat the frying pan over high heat for two minutes. Add the tomato halves and cook, turning occasionally, for 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Using a blender or food processor, grind them into homogeneous mass.
3. Fry the onion in 1 tbsp. spoon hot oil (over medium heat) for 3 to 5 minutes or until done. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Mix the onions and tomatoes in a food processor until there is no residue left. large pieces.
4. Cook the tomato mixture again over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the broth and tomato juice. Add bay leaf, ground cumin, coriander and red pepper. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally.
5. Add chicken pieces. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
6. Throw away the bay leaf. Sprinkle the soup green onions, cilantro and add lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the soup into bowls, place tortilla strips on top and safely serve.
Chicken Enchiladas
Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs without skin (or chicken fillet)
fresh cilantro, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 pack low-fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 chopped onions
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chicken broth
2/3 cup of salsa sauce (you can look for this sauce in the supermarket, make it yourself using the recipe that you will find at the end of the article, or replace it with any other tomato sauce)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped pickled pepper (originally, this is jalapeno pepper, but you can replace it with what you have on hand or omit it from the recipe altogether, if desired)
9 corn tortillas
100-150g grated cheese (the original recipe uses cheddar cheese, but you can safely choose any you like)
Cooking method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Fry the chicken pieces for 4 minutes on each side. Place the pan in the oven. Bake at 200° for 10 minutes or until done. Place the chicken on a plate and let stand for 15 minutes. Separate the meat from the bone and grind it.
Tip: If you choose chicken fillet for the recipe, cut it into thin steaks before frying.
3. Place the chicken in a bowl, add cilantro, defrosted corn, low-fat cream cheese, ground red pepper, cumin and salt. Stir everything to combine the ingredients.
4. Return to the frying pan. Fry one finely chopped onion for 5 minutes. Add 3 minced garlic cloves and fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Pour the chicken mixture into the pan and mix thoroughly.
5. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine remaining chopped onion, garlic, broth, 1/4 cup water and black pepper. Bring to a boil and low heat cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let the dish sit for 15 minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender, add 2 tablespoons of cilantro (optional) and blend until smooth.
6. Heat the tortillas in a large frying pan, 1 minute on each side. Cut them into quarters.
7. Pour 1/2 cup of Salsa sauce into a glass or ceramic baking dish. Place 12 tortilla slices on top. Cover them with a thin layer chicken mixture. Alternate layers so that the top layer is tortillas. Pour the remaining salsa over everything and sprinkle evenly with cheddar cheese. Bake at 200° for 15 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. Sprinkle cilantro on top, if desired, and serve.
Mexican scrambled eggs
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3 slices swiss cheese or cheddar cheese
1 cup hot or spicy sauce
1 tablespoon butter
salt to taste
2 wheat tortillas
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Cooking method:
1. Grease a frying pan with butter and heat over medium heat until the surface is hot enough for the eggs to immediately begin to fry.
2. Break 2 eggs directly into the frying pan, at some distance from each other, and add salt to taste. Fry the egg first on one side and then turn it over to the other.
3. As soon as we turn the scrambled eggs, quickly put 1 tablespoon of sauce on it and sprinkle with grated cheese. Fry over low heat until the cheese melts.
4. Place the scrambled eggs on the tortillas, sprinkle with chopped cilantro or tomatoes, and start tasting.
Taco Salad
Ingredients:
16 tortillas
1 kg ground beef
3 tablespoons taco seasoning (or any meat seasoning)
1 jar of tomato paste
salt to taste
1 can of canned beans
0.5 cups hot water
lettuce leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup salsa sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
hot sauce (to taste)
Cooking method:
1. Preheat the oven. Place tortillas on a baking sheet and bake on low for 10 minutes or until crispy.
2. Heat the frying pan, put the minced meat on it and fry on medium until it is browned. Sprinkle taco seasoning on top and mix thoroughly.
3. Add tomato paste to the meat mixture and simmer everything together for several minutes. Then add to the pan canned beans and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle salt on top to taste.
4. Pour the meat mixture into a saucepan or leave it in a frying pan, add hot water and cook until it thickens.
5. Cut the lettuce leaves into thin strips, and cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
6. Make the sauce. To do this, in a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, sour cream, a little ketchup and salsa sauce.
7. Coarsely grate the cheese.
8. Place chopped lettuce leaves on tortillas. Put it on top chopped meat with beans and pour over hot sauce. Sprinkle with cheese, add a couple of pieces of cherry tomatoes and pour sauce over the salad homemade from mayonnaise.
9. Serve everything on a large plate, decorated with vegetables and herbs.
Salsa sauce from ripe tomatoes
Ingredients:
3 large tomatoes
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 chili pepper
1 bunch cilantro (washed, dried and finely chopped)
3 tbsp. l. Lemon juice
salt to taste
0.5 tsp. ground pepper (preferably freshly ground)
Cooking method:
1. Wash the tomatoes and make a cross-shaped cut on each fruit. Then we pour boiling water over them and remove the peel from them.
2. Cut the tomatoes into small cubes.
3. Peel and finely chop the onion. Mix with tomatoes.
4. Clean the chili pepper, remove the seeds and cut into small cubes. Crush the garlic with the side of the knife. Add the ingredients to the tomato mixture.
5. Salt to taste and sprinkle with plenty of ground pepper.
6. Add cilantro to the sauce and lemon juice taste. Mix thoroughly and serve as an addition to dishes.
Happy culinary experiments!
1. Pico de Gayo dish
Ingredients needed to prepare this characteristic Mexican cuisine sauce ( more like a salad) , a few, but they are all important. Spiced tomatoes and onions form the base of a popular Mexican sauce that can be served with wheat or corn tortillas. diverse with different fillings. Fresh tomatoes, fragrant garlic and cilantro make the seasoning healthy and surprisingly tasty. In its own way it is a variety Mexican salsa sauce.
Pico de Gayo can be served with different dishes, but it goes especially harmoniously with grilled meat, which includes kebabs and steaks. The seasoning is also suitable as a light snack on its own.
This one is being prepared sauce So:
Tomatoes and onions need to be cut into small cubes of about 0.5 cm, add finely chopped garlic and hot pepper without seeds to them, chop the cilantro and combine with the rest of the ingredients, squeeze out the juice of one lemon, pepper and salt the dish, and then mix everything thoroughly . Pico de Gayo ready to eat. Bon appetit!
Lovers healthy eating will be able to evaluate beneficial features salad dressing, since it is prepared without heat treatment with complete preservation of all vitamins in products.
2. Guacamole recipe
Guacamole sauce in Mexico it is used as often as mayonnaise in European countries, being the main component for many dishes. IN classic guacamole includes avocado, lime or lemon, which explains its rare use in Russia, since avocados are quite expensive here. Mexican guacamole has a calorie content significantly lower than our respected mayonnaise, which affects its unconditional health benefits. Guacamole ingredients plant origin allow people who are fasting to use it.
Making guacamole consists of the following steps:
Cut the avocado and separate the seeds from the pulp, and use a spoon to release the pulp from the skin. To prevent the pulp from becoming dark, you should immediately sprinkle it with lime juice and then grind it in a blender to a puree consistency. Squeeze lemon or lime juice into the resulting mass, add ground black pepper, salt, a couple of tablespoons of sour cream and three tablespoons of olive oil to taste and mix again in a blender until smooth. Your guacamole ready!
It harmonizes perfectly with tomatoes, all types of meat, toppings for shawarma, pita bread and many other dishes.
3. Burrito recipe with beef and cheese sauce
Burrito. Mexican cuisine
Burrito- This is a meat dish, very tasty and nutritious. Can cook chicken burrito, and we will tell you how it is done with beef meat. To prepare the dish you will need the following products:
200 g beef, 100 g each rice and beans, mexican tortilla, two tomatoes and chili peppers, a head of red onion, 100 g of cheddar cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, ground black pepper, parsley, 100 ml of cream and white wine and onions.
You need to boil the rice until tender and drain in a colander. For cooking sauce You should randomly chop the cheese and beat it in a blender with the addition of cream, white wine and a small amount of starch. The meat, previously cleaned, is cut into strips. Tomatoes with the stems cut out are first immersed in boiling water and then in low temperature water so that the peel can be removed. Tomatoes are cut into four slices, seeds and pulp are removed, after which they need to be cut into cubes, which are laid out in a deep plate. Chopped tomatoes are added chilli, onion and parsley, the resulting mass is salted, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and mixed.
A frying pan with vegetable oil is heated, into which beef, pepper and garlic are laid out. Don't forget to add salt, pepper and mix the ingredients. When the meat is almost ready, you need to add boiled rice, pre-mashed canned beans, cheese sauce and mix the resulting mass. The burrito filling is ready. Place it in the center tortillas and wrap it in a flatbread. Above Burrito greased with vegetable oil and fried on all sides. The dish is served on a warm plate, topped with cheese sauce and concasse tomatoes. Garnished with jalapeno pepper, onion and parsley. Eat for your health!
4. Fajitas
Mexican fajitas were considered food for cowboys, who had the right to take the leftover meat for their work after slaughtering cattle. The name of this meat dish, which is very popular with all fans, comes from the word “faja”, which means “strip” in translation. Mexican cuisine For cooking fajitas also needed tortillas. In establishments Mexican cuisine in St. Petersburg or Moscow You can also try chicken fajitas or beef. It turns out no less tasty pork fajitas.
To prepare the dish you will need:
half a kilo of meat, eight tortillas, three tomatoes, a large onion, 50 g of hard cheese, 1 avocado, leaf salad and seasonings in the form of salt, ground pepper, cumin and paprika.
Cut the onion into small pieces and fry in a small amount of vegetable oil until transparent. Then add the meat, cut into small strips, to the onion and fry over high heat. Tomatoes with peeled and cut into small cubes are added to the meat with onions. Salt and pepper the dish and add the planned seasonings. Bring the resulting mixture to a boil, then continue to simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes.
While cooking the meat, heat the tortillas in the oven with temperature conditions 180 degrees (about 10 minutes). Grate the cheese and chop the avocado with a knife. Alternatively, you can cook Avocado guacamole.
Fajitas are served as follows:
tortillas, meat filling with sauce, guacamole, grated cheese, lettuce leaves - all separately. At the table, everyone wraps their own ingredients in tortillas.
5. Quesadia recipe
Word " quesadia" or " quesadilla" literally means " cheese tortilla" The dish consists of two Mexican tortillas With various fillings, an indispensable ingredient of which is cheese. Tortillas are fried in boiling oil, due to which the cheese located inside melts and securely connects the two tortillas to each other. Alternatively, fold one corn tortilla in half. Most popular among tourists and lovers of Mexican dishes chicken quesadilla, mushroom quesadilla, minced meat quesadilla. Instead of classic tortillas, lavash or pita bread is often used in Russia.
For the filling you can use any type of meat, vegetables, mushrooms and cheese. To the table quesadia served cut into four pieces hot sauces like salsa or sour cream. A light vegetable salad goes well with this dish.
Classic quesadia recipe as follows:
The tortilla is fried in a hot frying pan for half a minute, then it is filled with grated cheese mixed with finely chopped onions, pre-fried meat of any kind, sour cream and chili pepper, and covered with a second tortilla. The tortilla is fried on both sides for two minutes (one minute on each side). During this time, the cheese inside should melt; the more cheese, the stronger the tortillas will be connected. The dish can be cut into pieces of any size. Bon appetit!
6. Ceviche recipe
There are many ways to prepare this wonderful Mexican dish, required ingredients which are seafood. The main feature of ceviche is raw fish and shrimp marinated in lemon juice. Can cook salmon ceviche and shrimp ceviche. For of this dish Many varieties of red and white fish mixed with other seafood are suitable. We'll tell you how cook ceviche from white fish and shrimp.
We will need the following components:
approximately 800 g fillet of any white fish without bones;
300-350 g shrimp;
half each green and red sweet pepper, and half hot pepper;
a large onion, preferably red;
lemon;
salt, coriander, a little sugar, ground pepper.
We thoroughly wash the fish and cut it into small pieces. We defrost frozen fish in the refrigerator; it is not recommended to do this using a microwave. To the fish add shrimp, boiled until half cooked, and onion, cut into half rings and soaked a little in salted water. Finely chop the pepper and coriander, removing all the grains, and add to the dish. Season the resulting mass with salt, ground pepper, lemon juice and sugar, which will help make the taste of the dish less sour and spicy. Leave it in the refrigerator for half an hour, then seafood ceviche Can be served with white wine. Bon appetit!
7. Zopa Azteca
Widely used in Mexican cuisine all kinds of pepper, known to the local population since ancient times. Sopa Azteca fully meets the ideas of foreigners about spicy, juicy and unusual dishes from distant exotic countries. But you can cook it in our usual conditions to feel the tart national flavor in your kitchen new food. Recipe for this healthy Mexican vegetarian soup uncomplicated. To prepare it you need to take a quarter of an avocado, two onions, three tomatoes in fresh, one sweet bell pepper, three canned tomatoes, two pickled jalapeno pepper, vegetable oil, salt and ground pepper.
Coarsely chop the onion and bell pepper, divide the tomatoes into four parts. Canned tomatoes Mash, finely chop the jalapeno peppers, removing the seeds. Simmer all the resulting ingredients for 20 minutes. vegetable oil, adding salt and ground pepper at the end. Grind the resulting mass in a blender to a puree.
Place avocado slices in each serving and pour ready dish on plates. The soup is good served with fried tortillas. Eat for your health!
8. Sopa de Lima
All types of legumes are widely used in Mexican cuisine, allowing you to diversify the menu with products high in plant proteins. This is what a tasty and healthy recipe looks like vegetable soup with beans, which can be cooked not only with meat, but also in a vegetarian version.
In order to get a real one Sopa de Lima in Mexican style you need to take 400 g of pumpkin, 1 cup of fresh frozen peas, 1 cup of white beans, two onions, 1 cup of red lentils, several garlic cloves, salt, curry seasoning, vegetable oil (preferably olive), ground black pepper and any herbs .
Boil the beans soaked in water until half cooked, cut the pumpkin into cubes, and finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry the onion in oil, then add pumpkin, garlic and curry to it and continue to fry over high heat until yellow. Place the washed lentils in the bowl where the beans are cooked, boil for five minutes, then add the pumpkin with onions and garlic and green pea. We continue to cook over medium heat until all components of the soup are completely soft for 5 to 10 minutes, and then leave the dish covered. Sopa de Lima is ready!
Those who love hearty and tasty food should like the recipe for traditional Mexican soup with pork, it is often offered to their visitors by restaurants and cafes serving Mexican cuisine. The soup recipe combines meat and vegetables in a balanced manner, so its health benefits are undeniable.
To cook, you need to prepare a jar canned corn, two kilograms pork meat, chopped into cubes, an onion, several garlic cloves, salt and 150 g of dried pepper.
The soup is prepared like this:
Chop the pepper, removing the seeds and stems, and cook until soft. In a thick-walled pan, fry the meat in oil for several minutes, then add the onion and garlic to the pork, water to cover the food, and cook over low heat.
Pour the pepper decoction into the soup, and grind the pepper itself to a puree in a blender. Add corn and pepper to the soup. If the consistency of the dish is too thick, add more water. Cook until all ingredients are ready.
Serve Sopa de Pozole with lime, chopped cabbage and tortilla chips. Eat for your health!
10. Fried nopal
Nopal- This is the symbolic plant of Mexico, depicted on its coat of arms, the most common type of cactus in this country. Fried nopal– exotic food that all fans of Mexican cuisine will be interested in trying. The cactus is useful because it helps get rid of excess fat. Preparing this dish is not too difficult.
To enjoy fried nopal you need to take a glass of water, a few garlic cloves, a teaspoon of cumin, a bouillon cube, an onion, three nopal leaves, a glass of flour, four tomatoes, a glass of vegetable oil, a little salt to taste, half a kilo of hard cheese, one piece jalapeno pepper, ground pepper and four chicken eggs.
You need to remove the hard peel from the nopal leaves with a knife, simmer the vegetables with the addition of seasonings for about 20 minutes and mix in a blender until pureed. Boil the cactus in salted water until tender (about 40 minutes), and then dip it in batter - beaten eggs with flour. Fry the nopal leaves in oil on both sides (8 minutes each). Serve exotic dish to the table with vegetable sauce and grated cheese. Bon appetit!
11. Chili con carne
A thick soup with meat and chili peppers, con carne, is loved by residents on the borders of Mexico. To taste it, you need to prepare the following products:
800 g beef fillet;
vegetable oil;
two heads of red onion;
allspice and black peppercorns;
two chili peppers;
several garlic cloves;
four fresh tomatoes(they can be replaced tomato paste or canned tomatoes);
400 g red or green green beans;
spices: cumin, cloves, oregano;
cilantro;
lemon or lime;
bitter chocolate;
two spoons of cocoa;
salt;
sour cream for dressing.
Cut the meat into small cubes (optionally using a food processor). Grind the spices thoroughly in a mortar. We cut the sweet pepper into small strips, and remove the seeds from the chili pepper and chop it with a knife. Pour the vegetable oil into a frying pan and put it on the fire. Fry the meat in oil until a crust appears and the water evaporates. Then put it in a deep pan with thick walls or a cauldron and simmer over low heat until soft (it’s good to add a little red wine). Fry the onion thoroughly in oil, then add vegetables and simmer everything together with seasonings.
Place in the pan with the meat vegetable stew, beans, tomatoes or paste made from them. At the end, add lemon juice, heated chocolate and cocoa to the dish, carefully combining all the components into a homogeneous mass. When serving, season the soup with sour cream, crushed garlic and herbs. Chili con carne soup eaten with tortillas, Mexican chips nachos, boiled rice and, of course, tequila.
12. Tortillas with filling
Tortiyas - Mexican tortillas
Mexican tortillas can be cooked with any meat, vegetable and cheese fillings, there are a great many recipes for this traditional dish. We invite housewives to get acquainted with one of the options for delicious tortillas stuffed with chicken and vegetables. This wonderful snack can be made for a picnic or travel. Because it is delicious both cold and warmed up.
Let's prepare 200 g of chicken or turkey fillet, 150 g of sweet bell peppers and tomatoes, 100 g of cucumbers and lettuce, leeks and five Mexican tortillas.
For the sauce you will need 300 g of tomatoes, 150 g of onion, a little garlic, vegetable oil, salt, ground pepper and herbs to taste.
Let's start preparing the dish with the sauce. Finely chop the onion and garlic, tomatoes release remove the skin and cut into small pieces, finely chop the greens. Fry in vegetable oil, onion and garlic, add tomatoes to them and continue frying for about 3 minutes. Add greens to the resulting sauce and remove fire.
Finely we cut chicken fillet and fry in oil for a quarter of an hour, season with salt and pepper.
Tomatoes and cucumbers cut small pieces, leeks in rings and mix vegetables with meat, adding tomato sauce, salt to taste.
We spread the resulting filling onto the tortilla and wrap it on both sides. Fry the tortillas with filling on both sides in a frying dish or on the grill. Your dish is ready!
You don't have to travel far to experience the distinct Mexican culture and taste Mexican cuisine. Food is an integral part of the national flavor; after drinking strong tequila and tasting a well-prepared Mexican dish, you can immerse yourself in exotic world this amazing and mysterious country for the European consciousness.
Mexican cuisine recipes, despite their unique taste, are not difficult for hardworking and skilled housewives From Russia. IN Mexican restaurants food preparation is carried out by highly qualified experienced chefs who create real miracles from ordinary products. All traditional dishes They offer many options, so don’t despair if one or another ingredient is not at hand. It can easily be replaced with another product. All Mexican recipes are designed for the inexhaustible imagination of housewives who, having fallen in love national traditions distant country, will do everything possible to please guests and relatives with wonderful, helpful and delicious dishes.
Friends! If you have any questions - don't hesitate! - ask them in the comments below or write to me on social networks!
Mexican cuisine is characterized by originality, originality and uniqueness of dishes. Here they combine the incompatible - sweet and spicy, and get gourmet dishes, which are considered the pinnacle of culinary art.
Mexican cuisine: features
Mexican cuisine has rich history and lies in adaptation best traditions African, Caribbean and South American cuisines under the hot temperament of the Mexican people.
A feature of Mexican cuisine can be called temperament: dishes are distinguished by both sharpness and spice.
Another characteristic feature is Mexican table etiquette. He orders to take dishes national cuisine hands.
History and traditions of Mexican cuisine
A world-famous cuisine, recognized and revered throughout the globe, originated in literally from pasture. Cacti, snakes, lizards and insects - that’s what stood at the origins.
The characteristics and traditions of the Aztecs roaming the desert changed only slightly and were supplemented with the beginning of sedentary life on the shores of Lake Texcoco. Having erected the city of Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs began to comprehend agriculture: they grew Bell pepper, amaranth, corn, potatoes, pumpkin, legumes. The meat diet, previously consisting of everything that flies and crawls, began to be supplemented with meat from farmed livestock. But boiled and baked crawling creatures even now often become part of the menu of indigenous Mexicans.
Grilling has become the favorite method of cooking meat. This delicacy is usually served with a side dish of beans, beans, salsa or guacamole.
“Barbarians” surprised even the most avid gourmets of that time – the Spaniards – with their skillful culinary combinations. A characteristic feature of the kitchen, both then and now, is the skillful combination of traditional national products: beans, potatoes, corn, avocado, pumpkin, beans - with spices.
List of national products
Mexican cuisine is unthinkable without:
- corn tortilla, which can be served as separate dish, and as a component of a snack;
- Tabasco sauce – spiciness is one of the most important “tricks” of Mexican cuisine;
- nachos – corn chips which are eaten as a snack with sauces.
Now it’s worth talking in more detail about corn, which in Mexico is considered not only the queen of the fields, but also the mistress culinary world. Tortillas, nachos, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas and even desserts are prepared on its basis. It is commonly added as an ingredient to many traditional dishes.
Another must-have product: hot peppers. It is not only used for sauces, but also added to salads and served with meat and fish.
Did you know? The fashion for drinking tequila with salt and lime was invented purely for tourists! The Mexicans themselves frankly do not understand how anything can spoil the extraordinary taste of their food. traditional vodka from agave.
Restaurants and cafes serving Mexican cuisine
Almost at every point globe You can try dishes that are prepared based on the characteristics of Mexican cuisine. Of course, they are slightly adapted, but they still contain notes of burning Mexican passion.
If you want to taste a whole taste symphony of the most popular dishes of Mexico, buy a ticket to the sultry sandy country and immediately head to the Don Chon restaurant. There you can taste dishes prepared according to old recipes preserved from antiquity. Ant and caterpillar larvae, fried iguana, baked armadillo lizard and other popular dishes indigenous Mexicans - that's what awaits the restaurant's visitors.
Recipes of the most popular dishes
Many recipes used in our time have reached us in their original form. What can I say - even the cooking method remains the same: for example, it is still recommended to grind spices in a mortar.
Burrito - a traditional Mexican dish
If your trip to Mexico is postponed, prepare a dish that meets the characteristics and traditions of this country yourself.
For 5 servings you will need:
- 5 tortillas (flatbread made from corn flour);
- 3 small chicken breasts;
- 2 tomatoes;
- fresh cucumber;
- Bell pepper;
- onion head;
- sauce (mayonnaise is possible);
- spices and herbs.
Another popular cuisine of the world that I was able to try while vacationing in Mexico is Mexican cuisine. I must admit, her main and characteristic feature is the addition of chili pepper to almost all dishes, so all dishes are so spicy that they had to be washed down with refreshing drinks.
I learned about Mexican cuisine and its history from, where they make incomparable tequila, be sure to read this article. As the guide, whom I met through other tourists, told me, Mexican cuisine began its ascent at the beginning of the 16th century, thanks to the reunification of Spanish and Indian traditions.
The first dishes of the Mexican forge did not have a very rich selection; they included only beans and corn tortillas, tomatoes and dishes made from chili peppers and other spices. Then it was the Spaniards who brought new products to this country, such as wheat, rice, meat, herbs, wine and even cheese products.
Since the end of the 16th century, Mexican cuisine has been known throughout the world for its delicious dishes and traditional recipes preparations. Currently, all recipes for preparing traditional Mexican dishes have not changed.
Basic ingredients of Mexican cuisine
As I have already said, all the recipes for traditional dishes have not changed and are prepared from the same ingredients as in the early 16th century. All Mexican cuisines have their own traditional ingredients: beans, corn, hot chili peppers and its varieties, many hot spices, cactus, meat, cocoa...
On the coast of Mexico there is a contrast of seafood dishes with the same listed ingredients. The main ingredient in Mexican dishes is beans. various types, in each individual region of this country several dozen of this crop grow and each type of bean has its own taste. Having tried four types of black beans, I did not feel any difference, as for me the taste is the same, as they say, “beans are beans in Africa.”
The most important place in traditional Mexican cuisine is occupied by corn; all the abundance of dishes in this cuisine consists mostly of the ingredient - corn in any of its forms. As for chili peppers, this is the second ingredient in the cuisine; there are more than 78 varieties of it in Mexico.
As for meat, before Indian cuisine learned Spanish innovations, the variety was game (snakes, beetles, birds, iguanas...). Nowadays you won’t find such dishes anymore; now the meat we are all familiar with is prepared here; fish dishes are especially delicious, for example, swordfish with lemon or cod with garlic.
- By the way, everything about prices, reviews and other aspects of a vacation by the sea can be found on a separate page.
Of all traditional drinks Mexico, of course, is worth highlighting tequila, the only country where you can taste real tequila. In other countries where I was able to try tequila, I was disappointed; a truly authentic and traditional Mexican drink called tequila can only be made in its homeland.
I don’t know why I remember the taste of tequila in Mexico, but I will say one thing: you must drink tequila freshly prepared. Yes, there are also drinks with barrel aged a few years ago, but they don’t taste the same anymore. By the way, on an excursion in France I learned a lot of useful things about barrels for wine fermentation and other alcoholic drinks, it turns out that the quality of the material and the method of assembling the barrel greatly affects the taste, you can read about this in a separate section.
Another drink that belongs to the cuisine of Mexico is the traditional drink “Mezcal”, to be honest, it is the same as tequila, but for some reason it is considered a separate drink here, I thought it tasted a little more content alcohol, and the color is a little cleaner.
In fact, to check the quality of the Mezcal drink, traditionally they put a caterpillar in a glass, then pour the drink, if the caterpillar does not dissolve, then the drink is considered high quality, but I don’t know who will drink it after the caterpillar. After learning this tradition, I never touched the Mexican drink Mezcal again!
Mezcal is one of the traditional drinks of Mexico
As for Mexican wines, all the wines that are produced here are made using European technologies. You won’t find traditional Mexican wines here, but you can try drinks such as Don Pedro brandy, which you will really like, and real Mexican Corona beer.
The most popular traditional dishes of Mexican cuisine
In order to avoid your misunderstanding of all Mexican dishes, I will explain a little what a tortilla is. Almost all Mexican cuisine consists of tortillas. A tortilla is a soft and thin wheat or corn tortilla.
Burrito - tortilla flatbread stuffed with minced meat (beans, avocado, rice, cheese...)
Tacos are a tortilla dish filled with various fillings - beef, pork, chicken, seafood...
Quesadilla
Enchilada
Nachos are tortilla chips with various additives, Mexican appetizer
A bunch of dishes made from the diversity of all the flora and fauna that live in Mexico, the most important thing that shocked me is that you won’t find imported products here like in Russia, here everything is prepared from our own!
Names of Mexican dishes traditional cuisine You can see them in any restaurant in your city; there is not enough space to list them, because one dish may have a composition of ingredients, but if you add one spice, this dish will have a different name. I advise you to learn less theory and try more Mexican cuisine along with the site, do not forget to subscribe to latest articles about tourism.
Mexico, figuratively speaking, can be called a hot, passionate and very temperamental country. National Mexican cuisine and recipes for its dishes, as part of the national culture of this state, can be characterized by the same epithets. Mexican cuisine is rightfully considered one of the most colorful, and has been popular all over the world for centuries.
Lovers meat dishes, acute and bright flavors They really appreciate this cuisine. It invigorates, surprises and delights. Mexican recipes dishes deserve to be known more about them, so that every housewife has several of the most popular and delicious recipes precisely from this emotional and hot in every sense of the state.
Another advantage is that the products necessary for preparing Mexican dishes can be freely found on the shelves of our stores, and they are not expensive. The simplicity and at the same time sophistication of this kitchen is captivating.
I would also like to note the amazing consistency of Mexican cooks, because in almost every dish they have at least one of the ingredients such as corn, beans and the constant hot pepper.
We present to your attention several of the most popular recipes Mexican cuisine with photos.
All the dishes presented below use special flatbreads - tortillas. Therefore, it is quite logical that the approach to Mexico should begin with the preparation of these tortillas. They are used in many Mexican dishes. In addition, they can be used instead of bread and are quite easy to prepare at home. But still there are some tricks.
Ingredients:
- wheat flour – 300 g;
- corn flour – 250 g;
- olive oil – 4 tbsp;
- purified water – 250 ml;
- salt – 2 tsp.
Cooking features:
- If you don't have olive oil, you can use vegetable oil.
- If you use cornmeal alone, your tortillas will crumble a lot. This is due to the fact that corn flour does not contain sufficient quantity gluten If you take just wheat, they will be too hard and unleavened. Therefore, the combination of these two varieties is an ideal solution.
- When rolling out the cakes, if you wish, you can even out their edges using a plate or other round object. Or you can leave it with uneven edges. This will not affect the taste of the dish.
Preparation:
- IN warm water dissolve the salt. This will allow it to be distributed evenly throughout the dough.
- Gradually pour water into the sifted flour. The dough will turn out quite stiff. If you feel like the dough is too hard, you can add a few more tablespoons of water.
- Mix everything into the resulting mass with olive oil.
- Divide the dough into 15 - 16 pieces of the same size, roll each into a ball. Cover them with gauze and let stand for about 20 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, take a rolling pin and two sheets of parchment. Place each cake between parchment leaves and gently roll out with a rolling pin. The diameter of each cake should be about 15 cm.
- Fry the flatbreads in a dry frying pan for less than a minute on each side.
- After frying is finished, stack the cakes and cover them with a towel so they can rest. Bon appetit!
Step-by-step quesadilla recipe
For cooking Mexican quesadilla you will need two main ingredients - tortillas and hard cheese. As already noted, tortillas are flatbreads made from wheat and corn flour. Simply put, it's a type of pita bread, so it's perfectly acceptable to use it in place of traditional Mexican flatbreads.
A quesadilla consists of two tortillas with a spicy filling between them. Cheese in this dish is necessary as a binding ingredient. The ingredients can be varied, it all depends on your imagination.
Let's consider classic version quesadilla recipe - meat.
Ingredients:
- tortilla – 4 pcs.;
- fresh minced meat – 300 g;
- boiled or pickled corn – 150 g;
- sweet bell pepper – 1 pc.;
- red hot pepper – 1 pc.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- butter – 3 tbsp;
- vegetable oil – 3 tbsp;
- salt;
- spices.
Cooking features:
- First, we need to clarify some points regarding the ingredients.
- You can use absolutely any meat at your discretion. A good option it will be if you take beef and pork in equal parts. This will give additional juiciness to our dish. You can also make quesadillas with chicken and even seafood.
- Instead of corn, you can use boiled or pickled beans, or combine these two flavors.
- Select spices at your discretion. If you are comfortable with spicy dishes, you can also add freshly ground black pepper. In addition, it is recommended to use cumin, nutmeg, and coriander.
Preparation:
Prepare the minced meat.
- Peel the onion and fry in vegetable oil until soft.
- Add the chopped meat to the onion and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove seeds from hot and sweet peppers and cut into squares. Hot peppers can be cut slightly smaller than sweet peppers.
- Add beans or corn and chopped peppers to the minced meat.
- Salt and add spices to taste.
- Mix everything well and simmer under the lid for another 15 minutes.
- Cover the minced meat and set it aside. It is important to ensure that the filling does not cool down.
Preparing the quesadilla:
- Grate hard cheese on a coarse grater.
- Place a teaspoon of butter in a heated frying pan. The secret to a crispy quesadilla is minimal amount oil used.
- When the oil is hot enough, place the flatbread in the pan.
- Sprinkle cheese over the entire surface of the tortilla and immediately spread the filling onto half the area of the tortilla. For 1 tortilla you should need about a glass of prepared filling. You shouldn't take more, otherwise it will simply fall apart.
- After 1 - 2 minutes, when the cheese begins to melt, carefully cover the minced meat with the second part of the flatbread with a spatula. Press lightly with a spatula and immediately remove from heat.
And here it is - a fragrant, hot, nutritious quesadilla is ready. Most likely, you have already prepared something similar in your kitchen. But you didn’t even know what you were cooking National dish Mexico - quesadilla. Bon appetit!
Mexican taco recipe
The most common dish in Mexico can be called tacos. This dish can be prepared at home without any problems. The taco filling can be either meat or vegetable, or a combination of your choice. We offer a recipe for tacos with meat filling from chicken meat. To prepare this dish, we will again need tortillas - special Mexican flatbreads.
Ingredients:
- taco shells – 3 pcs.;
- chicken fillet – 300 g;
- tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
- bell pepper – ½ piece;
- hot pepper – 1 pc.;
- sharp hard cheese – 90 g;
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- onion – 1 head;
- taco spices;
- greens to taste.
Cooking features:
- Taco shells are already prepared tortillas, folded in half, but not all the way.
- The tortillas for tacos must be warm. If you don’t have such flatbreads, you can safely use pita bread.
- The true taste of a taco is very spicy. If you are not a particular fan of spicy foods, adjust the heat to taste.
Preparation:
- Grind the chicken meat with a knife or twist it in a meat grinder. We also chop onions, garlic, sweet and hot peppers, tomatoes and herbs. We cut everything quite finely.
- Three cheeses on a coarse grater.
- Lightly fry the minced chicken in vegetable oil.
- Add the onion and 1/3 of the total garlic. Season with spices and simmer for 5 minutes.
- We put our tomatoes - ½ of the total quantity and peppers - sweet and hot into the minced mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add to almost ready minced meat remaining tomatoes, garlic and herbs. And immediately remove the pan from the heat.
- We form the tacos: put the filling in a taco shell, like in an envelope, and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bon appetit!
How to make real fajitas
I would like to dwell on one more dish of Mexican cuisine, which amazes with its taste qualities, and simplicity. These are very famous in Mexico - fajitas. The step-by-step recipe below is closest to the original of this dish in its homeland. However, you can always modify it by replacing some ingredients with others.
Ingredients:
- tortilla – 4 pcs.;
- beef tenderloin – 400 g;
- tomatoes – 3 pcs.;
- sweet bell pepper different colors- 2 pcs.;
- hot chili pepper – 1 pod;
- purple onion – 1 head;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- hard cheese – 100 g;
- juice of half a lemon or lime;
- olive oil – 4 tbsp;
- spices;
- greenery.
To submit:
tequila – 30 ml.
Cooking features:
- The meat for this dish requires marinating. It is best to do this overnight or at least for 3 hours, soaking it in grape wine or any marinade you prefer.
- Tequila is indicated in the recipe for the purpose of aesthetic presentation of the dish. Original presentation made in a frying pan. In front of the guests, tequila is poured into a frying pan with meat and set on fire. It looks impressive.
- It is better to take salty varieties of cheese, such as Parmesan or salted cheddar.
- From green to in this case Cilantro or parsley, basil and oregano will go well with the dish.
Preparation:
- We clean the meat from film and veins, cut into thin strips. This condition is mandatory.
- Let's start preparing the vegetables: chop the onion and bell pepper into fairly large strips. We also cut tomatoes in large pieces free form. Chop the garlic and chili pepper very finely. If you do not want the taste of the dish to be too aggressive, then the chili pepper must first be cleared of seeds.
- On two different pans Fry the meat and vegetables separately over high heat. Tomatoes should be added to vegetables 2 - 3 minutes before the end of frying.
- Remove the pans from the heat. Add chopped garlic and lime or lemon juice to the vegetables.
- Mix the contents of the pans, season with spices to taste and put on the fire for another 5 - 7 minutes.
Fajitas are served directly in the container in which they were prepared, with tortillas, hot sauces such as chili or guacamole, sour cream and grated cheese. The guest must take a tortilla, choose the filling, season the tortilla with their own sauces and sprinkle with cheese. Use with hot tequila. Bon appetit!
Mexican enchiladas recipe
Enchiladas are traditional meat patties baked in the oven. The tenderness and aroma of tortilla combined with spicy filling will not leave you indifferent. Enchiladas, like many other Mexican dishes, leave a very pleasant aftertaste. Once you try to make this dish once, you will definitely not stop there.
Ingredients:
- tortilla – 3 pcs.;
- chicken fillet – 350 g;
- cheese durum varieties– 200 g;
- tomatoes – 2 pcs.;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- chicken broth – 250 g;
- olive or vegetable oil for frying;
- butter – 1 tbsp;
- hot chili ketchup – 5 tbsp. or ½ pod of hot chili pepper;
- salt and spices to taste;
- greens for decoration.
Preparation:
- Boil chicken fillet in lightly salted water. Cool and cut into small cubes.
- If you use chili peppers, remove the seeds.
- Chop the onion into quarters of rings, and chop the garlic as finely as possible.
- On a heated mixture of vegetable and butter fry the onion until soft.
- Add the chopped meat, season with spices and continue frying for about 5 - 7 minutes.
- Mix ketchup and broth until smooth and pour this mixture over the minced meat.
- Add garlic and simmer the whole mass for about 10 minutes.
- Strain the finished filling and place it in a colander to remove excess moisture. We use the resulting sauce in further preparation.
- Grate the cheese on a coarse grater.
- Place the filling on one edge of the flatbread, sprinkle cheese on top and wrap it in a roll.
- Pour onto a foil-lined baking sheet a small amount of tomato sauce, which we had left after straining the minced meat. Place enchiladas rolls on top in even rows. Pour the remaining sauce over it and sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top. Cover the baking sheet with another piece of foil on top, as if sealing the baking sheet.
- Place the dish in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. The temperature should be within 180 °C. After 15 minutes, remove the top layer of foil and continue baking until the cheese is browned.
- Place the dish on serving plates and decorate with herbs. Bon appetit!
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