Tasty Recipes Straight From Mexico

These authentic and tasty recipes from Mexico have been tweaked a little to better suit the Indian palate.

To begin our edition of best tasty recipes for Mexican food lovers, we have the basic Mexican sauce which can be paired with anything from snacks to the main course, it will leave your guests speechless.

I have carefully selected these tasty recipes that are high on flavour yet healthy. Enjoy the Chilli Bean soup with enchiladas and tacos for days you want to have a fulfilling meal.

Try the Mexican salad bowl after a HIIT session at your gym or Mexican Tacos and Chilli Rellenos when in the mood for Mexican appetizers.

Need tasty easy recipes for lunch or tasty recipes dinner? Mexican rice topped with piping hot sauce and Mexican hot chocolate to the rescue!

“Disfrute de su comida!” (Enjoy your meal!)

 

Tasty Recipes for Mexican Food Lovers

1. Hot Sauce

A basic Mexican sauce to get you started.

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

 

Ingredients:

Salt

6 tsp oil

2 tsp sugar

¼ tsp ajwain

1 onion, chopped

6 red dry chillies

1 kg red tomatoes

Method:

1. Soak the chillies in ½ a teacup of water for at least 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a vessel and fry the onions until translucent. Add the chillies and tomatoes along with the water and cook till tomatoes turn soft.
3. Blend the mixture in a liquidiser and strain the sauce.
4. Add salt, sugar and ajwain and boil until a thick sauce is obtained.

 

2. Chilli Bean Soup

A spicy hot soup to spice up your monsoon.

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

 

Ingredients:

Salt

6 tsp oil

½ tsp chilli sauce

3 tsp sugar

9 tsp white sauce

A small can of baked beans

3 spring onions

1 capsicum, chopped

1 onion, chopped

900 g tomatoes

To serve:

Chilli sauce

Grated cheese

Method:

1. Cut the spring onions with half the leaves into small pieces.
2. Keep aside one whole tomato. Cut the rest into bite-sized pieces and add 5 cups of water and cook. When cooked, take out the soup by passing through a sieve.
3. Chop the remaining onion.
4. Heat the oil in a vessel and fry the onion for a minute. Add the capsicum and spring onions and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add the tomato soup and let it boil for 10 minutes.
6. Toss in the chopped salt, chilli sauce, sugar, white sauce, baked beans, and tomato and cook for a few minutes.
7. Serve hot with chilli sauce and grated cheese.

 

3. Mexican Salad Bowl

A refreshing tossed salad.

 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

No cooking

Serves: 6-8

 

Ingredients:

Pepper

Salt

¼ tsp oregano, crumbled

½ tsp chilli powder

2 tsp sugar

6 tsp white vinegar

4 tbsp salad oil

Garlic croutons

1 head lettuce

1 teacup boiled and diced potatoes

½ teacup celery, sliced

1 teacup carrots, grated

1 onion, sliced into rings

 

Method:

1. Keep the capsicum, carrots, and celery in cold water for 15 minutes.
2. Mix together the croutons, potatoes, carrots, onion, capsicum, and celery.
3. Line a big salad bowl with lettuce leaves and pile the salad in it.
4. Mix the pepper, salt, oregano, chilli powder, sugar, vinegar, and salad oil.
5. Pour the mix over the salad and toss the salad lightly.
6. Serve immediately.

4. Chilli Rellenos

Delicious chilli bhajias stuffed with cottage cheese.

 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6-8.

 

Ingredients:

Salt

4 tbsp grated cheese

Oil, to deep fry

Hot sauce

1 onion

225 g cottage cheese

25 green chillies (capsicum style, broad and short)

 

Method:

1. Finely chop the cottage cheese and onion. Mix together after adding some salt.
2. Remove the tops of the chillies and scoop out the centres. Put in boiling salted water for a minute and then drain the chillies.
3. Stuff the chillies with the cottage cheese mixture.
4. Mix all the ingredients of the batter. Dip the chillies into the batter and deep fry in hot oil.
5. Serve as it is with hot sauce or pour the boiling hot sauce over the fried chillies and serve with grated cheese.

 

5. Baked Corn Chips

A combination of Indian and Mexican cuisines.

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 6-8

 

Ingredients:

Salt

4 tbsp cooking cheese, grated

Hot sauce

6 tsp oil

2 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp dhana-jeera powder

3 onions

3 teacups corn chips, crushed

To prepare the corn chips:

Oil, to deep fry

¾ tsp salt

¾ tsp oil

1 teacup plain flour

1 ½ teacup maize flour

Method:

1. Cut the onions into cubes.
2. Heat the oil in a vessel and fry the onions for at least 3 minutes.
3. Add the dhana-jeera powder along with salt and chilli powder.
4. Cover and cook until the onions turn tender.
5. Spread the onions at the bottom of a greased baking dish.
6. Dip the corn chips in hot water for a few seconds and drain. Spread these cheese over the onions.
7. Pour the hot sauce, sprinkle the cheese and bake in a hot oven at 450° F for 20 minutes.

 

To prepare the corn chips:

1. Mix the flours. Add the salt and oil and make a soft dough by adding water.
2. Use a rolling pin to roll out rounds.
3. Deep fry in hot oil on both sides.
4. Crush into chips.

 

6. Enchiladas

An adaption of the famous Mexican dish.

 

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 8

 

Ingredients:

To prepare the dough:

Oil, to deep fry

¾ tsp salt

3 tsp oil

¾ teacup plain flour

1 teacup maize flour

To prepare the stuffing:

Salt

2 green chillies, chopped

1 onion, chopped

250 g cottage cheese, finely chopped

To bake:

Hot sauce

6 tbsp cooking cheese, grated

 

Method:

1. Mix the flours after adding salt and oil. Knead the dough by adding water.
2. Toss in all the ingredients required for the stuffing in a bowl.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll out rounds.
4. Lightly fry them in oil.
5. Immediately dip them in hot sauce, fill with a little stuffing and arrange on a well greased baking dish.
6. Pour the remaining hot sauce and sprinkle the cheese over it.
7. Bake in a hot oven at 450° F for 20 minutes.
8. Serve hot.

7. Mexican Rice

One of the most delicious versions of the Mexican rice preparations.

 

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

 

Ingredients:

Salt

6 tbsp oil

1 tsp chilli powder

2 tsp soya sauce

1 large tomato, chopped

1 capsicum, sliced

3 tsp ghee

1 teacup shredded cabbage

2 onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, chopped

1 teacup uncooked rice

 

Method:

1. Heat the ghee in a vessel and fry the chopped onion for a little time.
2. Add the crushed garlic and fry for 2 minutes before adding the rice and cooking for another 2 minutes.
3. Add just enough water to cook the rice before adding salt. Cover and cook on low heat.
4. Meanwhile, in a broad vessel, heat the oil and fry the sliced onions till golden brown in colour.
5. Remove the sliced onions, and in the same oil, fry the cabbage for two minutes.
6. Remove the cabbage, and in the same oil, fry the capsicum for a minute.
7. Add salt, chilli powder, soya sauce and tomato to the capsicum.
8. Add rice, cabbage and fried onions. Mix well.
9. Serve hot.

 

8. Mexican Tacos

You will love the crispiness and taste of this internationally renowned dish.

 

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 8-10

 

Ingredients:

To prepare the tacos:

Oil, to deep fry

¾ tsp salt

3 tsp oil

1 teacup plain flour

1 ½ teacup maize flour

To prepare the stuffing (traditional):

Salt

6 tsp butter

6 tsp ghee

2 tbsp tomato ketchup

1 onion, chopped

1 teacup red kidney beans

To prepare the stuffing (simplified):

Salt

½ tsp chilli powder

A large can of baked beans

To prepare the green sauce:

Salt

2 tsp white vinegar

4-5 green chillies

1 onion, chopped

3 large green tomatoes

To serve:

Salta little cabbage, chopped (optional)

3 spring onions, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

2 tsp chilli sauce

½ teacup tomato ketchup

2 teacups lettuce leaves, chopped

Method:

To prepare the tacos:

1. Combine all the flours. Add the salt and oil and knead the dough after adding water.
2. Use a rolling pin to roll out rounds.
3. Deep fry these rounds in hot oil on each side before bending in a “U” shape.
4. Store them in an air-tight container.

 

To prepare the stuffing (traditional):

1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Cook the beans in a pressure cooker. Drain.
3. Heat the ghee in a vessel and fry the onion for a minute.
4. Add salt, butter, tomato ketchup and beans.
5. Lightly mash the beans once cooked.

 

To prepare the stuffing (simplified):

1. Drain the beans and mash a little.
2. Add salt and chilli powder. Warm a little.

 

To prepare the green sauce:

1. Cut the tomatoes into big pieces. Add ½ a teacup of water with green chillies and onion.
2. When cooked, blend in a liquidiser and strain.
3. Add salt and vinegar.

 

To serve:

1. Make the red sauce by combining chilli sauce and tomato ketchup.
2. Mix salt, cabbage, lettuce leaves, spring onions and tomatoes.
3. In the fold of each taco, fill a little stuffing, sprinkle the red and green sauce and fill with the chopped vegetables. Again, sprinkle some red sauce before serving.
4. You can also serve the tacos, chopped vegetables, stuffing, and sauces in separate dishes and let your guests make their own fillings as per their desire.

 

9. Mexican Hot Chocolate

The cinnamon flavoured chocolate makes a delightful and nourishing nightcap.

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

100 g fresh cream

¾ tsp vanilla essence

4 teacups milk

A pinch of salt

½ tsp powdered cinnamon

3 tsp sugar

3 tsp cocoa

Method:

1. Mix salt, cinnamon, sugar and cocoa in a small bowl.
2. Heat a teacup of milk in a vessel. Bring it to a boil before adding the cocoa mixture and beating until the mixture is smooth.
3. Add the rest of the milk and add the cream.
4. Just before serving, beat with a rotary beater till frothy.

 

I’d love to hear from you if you tried any of these tasty recipes or have some tasty recipes for me to try!