Mexican Cooking: 4 Easy & Authentic Recipes
Inspired by the colour and flavour of traditional Mexican cooking? Read on for 4 of our favourite authentic Mexican dishes!
A cuisine that’s fast becoming a global favourite, Mexican food is as vibrant and punchy as the culture it originates from. Offering bold yet hearty flavours and a whole lot of heat, Mexican cooking seems like a complex tapestry of spices and ingredients at first bite; luckily, it’s actually quite simple to recreate!
Although initially a fusion of the foods of various Mesoamerican groups and tribes – including the celebrated Aztec culture – modern Mexican cooking pays homage to its roots and native ingredients, whilst also drawing techniques and inspiration from Spanish, Asian, and African cuisines also. Its more globalised counterpart known as ‘Tex-Mex’ is a widespread phenomenon in contemporary kitchens around the world.
These 4 traditional Mexican recipes are beloved by locals and visitors alike, giving you a taste of Mexico’s rich, lively culture in each bite. From cheesy chilaquiles to well-stuffed enchiladas, these 4 delicious recipes will allow you to enjoy authentic Mexican cooking at home.
1. Chilaquiles
Traditionally eaten as a breakfast dish, chilaquiles are created using corn tortillas cut into quarters and fried. These are then loaded with toppings which include salsa, scrambled egg, chicken, cream, and a (not so) healthy portion of melted cheese. Chilaquiles can also be topped with traditional refried beans, or frijoles, for an authentic Mexican flavour.
2. Tacos
No guide to Mexican cooking would be complete without mentioning the star of the show: the humble taco. A historically significant dish, the beauty of the taco – a small corn or wheat tortilla – is that it can be filled with almost anything to best suit your tastes. Traditionally, ‘tacos al pastor’ and ‘tacos de pescado’ are the most popular in Mexico, which are filled with seasoned adobo pork steaks and grilled or fried fish respectively, among a spattering of sauces and vegetables.
3. Enchiladas
The enchilada is another well-recognised Mexican recipe with roots as far back as the Aztec times. Although the original enchilada involved the soft tortilla being dipped in a chilli sauce and eaten with no filling, enchiladas today are stuffed with a range of mouth-watering ingredients: most commonly meat, rice, vegetables, beans, and chilli. The filling of your enchilada will depend on the region of Mexico you visit!
4. Tamales
A traditional Mesoamerican dish which has since found its way into contemporary Mexican cooking, a tamale is a corn-based dough wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf and then filled with cheeses, meats, vegetables, or chillies. Tamales can be either sweet or savoury, and were originally invented for Aztec, Inca and Mayan tribes to give them energy for battle.
