Friday, February 20, 2009

Mexican Food Secrets

By Ida Feihoa

The Mexican table is usually filled with a large assortment of foodstuffs from soups, sauces to stews. Most of the Mexican food recipes are prepared in a wide range of ways, anywhere from slow roasting to quick-fry. Mexican food recipes have some key elements that can be found in virtually all Mexican diets.

Corn is one of the key elements in Mexican food recipes. Some of the recipes that use corn are tortillas and tacos. Tacos are prepared by stuffing tortillas with beef, chicken, fish or cheese. Tamales are also prepared by using corn. They are first stuffed with meat or vegetables and then steamed.

Another key ingredient in almost all Mexican food recipes are chilies. Chilies can be prepared while still fresh or after drying them. The hottest parts of chilies are the seed pods and the white veins. The hotness of Mexican dishes as a result of the chili is a distinguishing mark of Mexican food and most Mexicans regard it as part of the flavor. Some varieties of chilies used include chipotle, poblana, ancho, habanero, jalapeno and cascabel.

Beans are also a common add-on to Mexican food recipes. Bean varieties run from lentils, fava beans to kidney beans and they can be found in many Mexican stews and soups. Some small bean types are served in light broths.

Tomatoes are also another key ingredient in Mexican dishes. Their common usage is in beef and fish servings as well as in salsa Mexican where they are used to spice up the food. Tomatillo salsa is also prepared by use of tomatillos, a type of small green tomato that has a rigid husk. Tomatillo salsa also includes a lot of chilies in it.

Fruits are another key element in Mexican dishes. Fruits are mostly used in desserts and fruit sauces. Common fruit types are papaya, coconut, pineapple and others. In most cases, they are eaten raw. Some fruit types like nopales are used as a vegetable of sorts and are used to add a sweet taste to desserts. Other ingredients in Mexican foods are squash blossoms, pungent herbs like romeritos and epazote, and pumpkin seeds.

When preparing food, Mexican food recipes stipulate how such things as chilies and sauce ingredients need to be cooked. When preparing chilies to be used on a wide variety of foods, roast, clean and peel them, ensuring it is done only along one side so that they can be reconstructed after stuffing. After meat is boiled, add garlic and spices and wait for about 15 minutes after which the chilies are added prior to serving.

Mexican food recipes also demand that water be boiled first and then spices like garlic and onions added during the preparation of sauce. After cooking for approximately 30 minutes, the mixture is drained and the resulting liquid reserved. After this, other ingredients may be added, according to the recipe. This mode of cooking is for both green and red sauce. Mexican foods are thus a favorite for many food enthusiasts.

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