Mexico has given the world the most inventive and spicy cuisine. It incorporates ancient Aztec recipes and hot Spanish motifs. The world’s favorite hot chocolate originated from Mexico; by the way, it can even have pepper there. In addition to spices, Mexican recipes often use corn, beans, lime, avocado and meat.
1. Tortilla flatbread
Tortillas are an integral part of many recipes in this cuisine. They are the basis of any Mexican meal, often replacing cutlery, sauces, meat dishes, salads are filled with them, and fillings are wrapped in them. To prepare tortillas you will need 100 g of corn flour, 50 g of wheat flour, 10 g of salt, 50 ml of vegetable oil, 120 ml of warm boiled water.
Equipment includes a pancake frying pan and polyethylene. Mix dry ingredients. Roll it into an elastic ball and leave for half an hour. Then divide the dough into 6-8 parts, roll into small flat cakes between two pieces of polyethylene and fry in a hot pancake pan without adding oil for one and a half minutes on each side. The tortilla will turn yellow and may become bent or warped. Bonus: nacho chips are made from them; to do this, you just need to cut the finished tortilla into 6 pieces and fry a little in vegetable oil.
2. Guacamole
For the most popular sauce you will need: 3-4 avocados, 1 lime, 1 large onion, 2 tomatoes, 1-2 chili peppers, cilantro, 1 clove of garlic. Peel the tomatoes and grate them, mix with finely chopped cilantro and chopped lime zest. Remove the seeds from the pepper, peel the avocado, combine them and pass through a blender. Then send to the tomatoes, pour 2 tbsp. into the mixture. l. water and squeeze out lime juice, stir. Serve with nacho chips or tortillas.
3. Fajitas
Ingredients: 300 g beef, 200 g canned or boiled beans, 5-6 tortillas, 2 large bell peppers, 1 lime, 1 chili pepper, 70 g tomato paste, 90 ml vegetable oil. The beef should be cut into thin oblong pieces and marinated in lime juice for 1 hour. Then fry along with the vegetables cut into strips, after 15-20 minutes add tomato paste and beans, stir. It is customary to eat fajitas using tortillas instead of spoons.
4. Chili con carne
For a thick dish of beef, beans and vegetables you need: 0.5 kg of ground beef, 0.5 liters of beef broth, 2 chili peppers, 1 onion, 1 bell pepper, 0.5 kg of tomatoes, 400 g of canned or boiled red beans, vegetable oil, cocoa, a pinch of marjoram, cumin, sugar, paprika. Fry chopped peppers, onions and garlic along with spices. Grate the tomatoes.
In a separate pan with a thick bottom, fry the minced meat for about 15 minutes, then pour in the broth, tomatoes, frying, add sugar, 1 tsp. cocoa, salt and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer. After 20 minutes, add the beans and leave to simmer. After 10 minutes, remove from heat, cover with a lid and let steep for about half an hour.
5. Salsa sauce
Ingredients for salsa: 5 tomatoes, 1 onion, 3 cloves of garlic, cumin, 1 lime, 60 ml of vegetable oil. Mix everything, add salt, add cumin, season with lime juice and oil.
6. Burrito – filling for tortillas
You will need: 0.5 kg of minced chicken, 80 g of tomato paste, 3 tomatoes, 100 g of rice, 100 g of hard cheese, 2 bell peppers, 1 onion, parsley, cilantro, vegetable oil. Boil the rice, grate the cheese, fry the minced meat in oil until the color changes.
Add chopped onions, peppers, tomatoes and tomato paste to the meat in a frying pan, add salt, and keep on low heat under the lid for 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly, mix with rice, cheese and chopped herbs.
7. Quesadilla Ingredients:
12 tortillas, 300 g hard cheese, 100 g minced meat, 50 ml sour cream, 1 chili pepper, 1 onion, vegetable oil. Fry the minced meat, add salt and cool. Then mix with grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onion and chili pepper. Place the flatbread in a heated frying pan with oil for 30 seconds, then remove, fill with cheese and meat filling, cover with another flatbread, return to the frying pan and keep on fire for 1 minute on each side. Do this with all the tortillas.
8. Ceviche
Ingredients: 200 g shrimp, 0.5 kg white fish fillet, 1 bell pepper, 1 chili pepper, 2 limes, 1 onion, sugar, coriander. Boil the shrimp, divide the fish into slices and marinate in lime juice for 15 minutes, chop the pepper and onion. Mix the ingredients, salt, add 1 tsp. sugar and coriander. Can be served.
9. Posole soup
For the soup you will need: 1 kg of pork, 1 onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 200 g of boiled corn, 4 bell peppers, vegetable oil. Boil the seeded peppers in a small amount of water, grind them in a blender, do not throw out the broth. Cut the meat into cubes and fry for 10-15 minutes, add chopped onions and garlic, pour in 300 ml of broth with peppers, add salt and simmer over low heat. After 10 minutes, add corn and pepper puree. Cook until the meat is completely cooked, adding water if necessary.
10. Fried bananas
For dessert you will need: 6 bananas, 90 g brown sugar, 50 ml cream, 100 g butter, 30 g sesame seeds. Fry sesame seeds in a dry frying pan. Cut the bananas in half, and then cut each half lengthwise, sprinkle them with 40 g of sugar, lightly fry in butter, and place on a plate. While the fruits are cooling, melt 60 g of butter in a frying pan, add sesame seeds and the remaining sugar, pour in the cream. Simmer for 3-4 minutes. Pour the resulting sweet sauce over the bananas.
