Favorite Mexican Dishes

My mom was born and raised in Mexico. She is an authentic cook who learned to cook traditional Mexican food by “watching” my grandmother, who learned by watching her mom, and so on! When my mother and father obtained their American citizenship, they married and decided to leave their birthplace behind and officially move to America, where I would be born and raised. Thankfully, my mom carried with her the knowledge and experiences she obtained of the Mexican cuisine. My gratitude comes for the simple reason that I grew up and woke up to the smell of posole, menuda, caldo…and all other varied and traditional Mexican foods in my American home. It was through my experiences with food that that I developed most of my understandings of the Mexican culture and way of life.

I know how to cook Mexican food, but not the “complicated” meals that require cloves, garlic, oregano, roasted chiles, peanuts, and sun flower seeds, or the addition of only hot water or only cold water to certain flour or corn mixes, etc. My mom says cooking is not complicated. Yet, when I ask her to tell me all the ingredients and measurements needed to make tamales, posole, menudo, and the skills needed to make tortillas that don’t look like Africa, Europe, or Hawaii she responds with a, “But I don’t have a recipe for you. You just have to give it a good guess and be patient” or “No one ever taught me how to cook. I learned by watching.”

I have watched my mom cook a variety of times and I still can’t seem to get all her recipes memorized. Not to mention that in our house, we have no sense of measurements when it comes to cooking. 

Here are a few dishes I still need practice on:  

Enchiladas: My favorite Mexican meal 

Menudo: A traditional Mexican soup made with beef stomach and a red chilli base 

(it sounds gross, but tastes wonderful)

Mole: A thick sauce made from chille pablano's, served over cooked chicken and a side of Mexican rice

 Tamal: A dish made of corn dough spread over a corn husk and stuffed with meats, cheese, or veggies, and layered with a Mexican chilli sauce

 Mexican rice: Yes. I still can't seem to get Mexican rice right. I am much better, but I still need to work at it.

All these dishes are basically the most traditional Mexican dishes. They are the ones you are likely to be served at a Christmas celebration or such. They are the main course dishes. This means that these dishes take more time to cook. Also, the fresher the ingredients, the tastier. 

Mexican Rice Recipe

Mexican rice is a colorful and tasty side dish. I accompanies most home cooked Mexican meals.

Typically, my family has a side of rice or re-fried beans with every main course, along with our traditional corn tortillas.

*Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4 spoonfuls of sunflower oil
• 2 cups of rice moistened in hot water, then rinsed in cold
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 white onion
•  1 garlic clove, peeled
•  Salt and pepper added to taste
• 1 stalk celery
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1/2 cup tender peas
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots
•  2 whole jalapeno peppers
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 lemon juice

Procedure:

1. Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Strain and set aside.
2. Fry the rice in the oil.
3. Add the blended mixture (from step 1)
4. Fry until crisp.
5. Add the celery, peas, carrots, jalapenos, parsley, chicken broth, and lemon juice, with salt added to taste.
6. As it begins to steam, cover and continue cooking with low heat.
7. Cook until done (about 30 minutes).
8. Serve.

TIP: leave it alone! It is tempting to stir and mix while the rice is cooking, but too much stirring can negatively impact the grains and lead to a rice that is too soft or sticky.