Monday, March 16, 2009

Mexican Food at Home

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.

One of the key elements is corn. Corn is commonly used while preparing tortillas or tacos. Tacos are actually tortillas with fish, beef, chicken or cheese stuffed in it. Corn is also a key element in tamales. This dish is prepared by stuffing the tamales with meat or vegetables and cooking it by steaming.

Chilies are also an important ingredient in any Mexican food recipe. Chilies are cooked in either their dried-up or in their fresh state. The hottest parts of the chilies are the white veins and the seed pods. Mexicans regard the hot taste as a distinguishing part of the flavor. As a result, they use a wide variety of chili varieties, from chipotle, jalapeno, cascabel to varieties like ancho and poblana.

Beans also make up a key element in Mexican dishes. There are a wide variety of bean types used in Mexican food recipes. Some of these are fava, kidney beans and lentils. Some small varieties of beans are added in light broths.

Tomatoes are another key element in Mexican food recipes. One common example of their use is in the preparation of salsa Mexicana. They are also used in beef and fish servings to spice them up. A small green tomato type called tomatillo that has a stiff husk is used in making tomatillo salsa. The recipe also includes lots of chilies to spice up the food.

Another key element in Mexican food recipes are fruits. Their use is commonly seen in desserts and sauces. The common ones are coconut, papaya, mango and pineapple. Fruits are generally eaten raw. A fruit like nopales is a vegetable of sorts and is used to sweeten desserts. Other special ingredients found in certain Mexican food recipes are squash blossoms, herbs like romeritos, pumpkin seeds and a form of fungus called huitlacoche.

When serving chilies, Mexican food recipes specify that they first have to be cooked. Chilies are used for cooking a variety of foods. However, they first need to be roasted, cleaned and peeled along one side so that they can easily be reconstructed after stuffing. Meat is first boiled, and then spices and garlic are added after which the chilies are added, 15 minutes later 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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