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Mexican dish for a novice
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29-08-2012 3:17pm#1
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Outkast_IRE wrote: »Nope i grow my own peppers and chillis so am slowly growing immune
what i should of said is the recipe i linked too isnt too hot , it would be a milder type of chilli.
What they probably meant was that Chili is not a Mexican food staple. It was first brought over from Spain and adopted by early Texans. In the US, it is considered a Texas or Tex Mex food. Though Texans consider it Texan(tex mex VS Texan VS Mexican would require a whole other post from this Texan). You would be very hard-pressed to find it in Mexico.
As for suggestions - The Old El Paso kits are OK. But I would get flour tortillas if you could, the corn tortillas in the kits are TexMex - hard corn tortillas are a Texas invention, and again are rarely if ever found in Mexico. And, honestly, never found in Texas any more except at Taco Bell. I use the packets from Old El Paso kits as sometimes the spices are difficult to track down in Ireland. I was told there were some corn tortillas in Tesco's that actually will fry up OK, so you may want to have a look. Mexicans prep raw corn tortillas by frying them in oil(often beef shortening) just long enough so they have texture, but not so much they are hard. Usually 10-20 seconds is enough.
Making flour tortillas is easy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhbWgd11OcM
Sorta like making pizza dough with baking powder VS yeast
Spices that Mexican food use:
Mexican Oregano and Cumino(Cumin) are heavy in the dishes.
Paprika is used generously
Fresh Cilantro(Coriander) is diced and proliferously used both in the food and as a condiment(I'm actually nearly addicted to the stuff)
Where Europeans use Lemons, Mexicans use limes.
Garlic and onions are also a staple
Chilis and chili powder of all sorts, Poblano, Chipotle(smoked pickled Jalapeno which is freakin incredible), jalapeno, adobo
'Secret' seasonings in Mexican food are usually the addition of a tiny touch of cloves or cinnamon.
Salt, pepper, etc
A typical Mexican food/taco mix would be, Paprika, chili powder, oregano, salt, ground garlic, cumin, (and a pinch of ground coriander/cilantro if you do not use fresh diced). In that order of something like 3:2:1 and garlic and cumin in 1/2's as cumin can be bitter if you add too much. Many use a LOT of garlic, though. Mexican Oregano is much more earthy than Med, so you may get away with more cumin if no Mexican Oregano is available.
A typical condiment would be pico de gallo - Tomatoes, white Onions, Cilantro/Coriander blended in and with lime and salt to taste. Some like to add jalapenos, others prefer red chilis, I also enjoy tomatillos(red or green, especially green). But, at that point it wanders more into the 'salsa' territory depending on how much you blend it - which theres nothing wrong with that. Salsas tend to be more soupy and pico de gallo tends to be more chunky.
Diced onions with cilantro, some salt and lime are a very typical side item as well, and my favorite, especially for burritos and tacos. I can nearly it it alone with a spoon.
Do not substitute lemon for lime whatever you do. It simply is not the same.
Serve the food with Mexican beer if possible,with sliced limes on the side. Or make Margueritas(In which case lemons are ok) with sea salt and lime on the side.0 -
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dee dubliner wrote: »But when the Spanish were invading Mexico........Texas was Mexico!! So it doesn't make sense saying the spanish brought chillies into Texas?
Why would the truth not make sense? Is Guinness Irish or English? At the time, the area currently known as Texas(well, it was even larger back then) was known as Tejas - the original Native American name, which the Spanish spelled as 'Texas'.
Bear in mind you are not arguing with an Irishman. I am a Texan, and I have spent a lot of time in Texas and Mexico. Unless it is a Tex-Mex menu, you will not find Chili(the soup) on it. Chili has evolved to basically become an American dish, and you will not find it in traditional Mexican restaurants or at their dinner tables. Thus, if you present a bowl of Chili to some modern day Spaniards or Mexicans, what you are doing is presenting them with an American dish. If you wish to make something more authentic, you'll have to look elsewhere than a bowl of chli. And if you DO serve a bowl of Chili, please have the decency to at least serve it with some corn bread.
And most Texans would argue that if you want it to be Texas-style, you would omit the beans. 0 -
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