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455 recipes

Tamales verdes de polloChicken tamales in green salsa

In Mexico City, tamales verdes are breakfast: bought hot from bicycle carts outside metro stations, eaten with a cup of atole, or squeezed into a bolillo roll as a 'guajolota'. Families also make them by the dozen for Candelaria on 2 February and for Christmas. Fluffy corn masa is beaten with fat and broth, spread on soaked corn husks, filled with chicken in a sharp tomatillo and green chilli sauce, then steamed. Fondas often use pork lard; this version uses vegetable shortening. The common mistake is under-beating the masa: it should be light enough that a small ball floats in a glass of cold water. They are done when the husk peels away cleanly from the masa. Cook the chicken to 74 °C before filling. Chef's tip: let the steamed tamales rest in the pot off the heat for 15 minutes; they firm up and stop sticking to the husks.

160 min

Mexican Chicken

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Sopa de albóndigasMeatball soup

Caldo de albóndigas is comfort food in homes across Mexico, from Sonora to Mexico City, served at Sunday lunch or whenever someone has a cold, with warm tortillas and a squeeze of lime. Soft meatballs of beef and pork mince, studded with raw rice and fresh mint, cook gently in a tomato and chipotle broth with carrots, courgette and potatoes; the rice swells inside so the meatballs stay light. This recipe contains pork. The usual mistake is boiling hard: meatballs fall apart in a rolling boil, so keep the broth at a gentle simmer. They are done when they float, feel firm and reach 71 °C in the centre. Chef's tip: wet your hands before rolling each meatball; the mince doesn't stick and the surface comes out smooth, so they hold together in the broth.

70 min

Mexican Soups

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Tinga de polloShredded chipotle chicken

Tinga comes from Puebla, where it is a favourite for weekday lunches, parties and street-side tostada stalls: poached chicken shredded into a sauce of softened onions, tomatoes and smoky chipotle chillies in adobo, until every strand is coated in red. Pile it on crisp tostadas spread with refried beans and top with lettuce, crema, cheese and avocado, or roll it into tacos and quesadillas. The common mistake is adding all the chipotles at once: tins vary a lot in heat, so start with two and taste. The chicken must reach 74 °C in the thickest part before you shred it; it then simmers again in the sauce. Chef's tip: let the onions cook soft and sweet for a full 10 minutes before the tomato goes in; that sweetness balances the smoky heat.

55 min

Mexican Chicken

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Fresas con cremaStrawberries and cream

Fresas con crema is sold in plastic cups at juice stands, markets and park carts all over Mexico, especially in Irapuato, Guanajuato, the country's strawberry capital, and kids beg for it on hot afternoons and after school. Ripe strawberries are folded through a cold, silky cream sweetened with condensed milk and vanilla, so the juice bleeds pink into the cream. The usual mistake is mixing it too early: after an hour the berries weep and the cream turns thin and watery. Mix it up to 20 minutes before eating. Use the sweetest, reddest berries you can find; pale ones taste sour however much sugar you add. Chef's tip: chill the bowl and both creams for 30 minutes first, then whisk only briefly; cold cream thickens slightly on its own and clings to the fruit.

10 min

Mexican Desserts

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Pastel aztecaLayered tortilla and poblano bake

Pastel azteca, also called budín azteca, is the tortilla 'lasagne' of central Mexico, a favourite for family gatherings in Mexico City and Puebla because it can be built the day before and baked when guests arrive. Layers of lightly fried corn tortillas are stacked with roasted poblano strips (rajas), sweetcorn, a cooked tomato sauce, crema and melting cheese, then baked until bubbling, set and golden. Many versions add shredded chicken; this one stays vegetarian. The usual mistake is skipping the quick fry of the tortillas: raw tortillas soak up the sauce and the bake turns to mush. Oaxaca and Chihuahua cheese are often made with animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian mozzarella or melting cheese if needed. It is ready when the edges bubble and a knife slides through the layers easily. Chef's tip: let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting so the layers firm up and slice cleanly.

75 min

Mexican Vegetarian

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ArracheraMarinated grilled skirt steak

Arrachera is the star of the Sunday carne asada in Monterrey and across Nuevo León, where families gather round the grill in the backyard and eat it straight off the board in warm flour or corn tortillas with grilled onions, guacamole and salsa. Skirt steak is a thin, loose-grained cut full of flavour, and a marinade of orange, lime, garlic, soy and Worcestershire sauce seasons and tenderises it. Always marinate it in the fridge. The common mistake is slicing with the grain: the meat turns stringy and chewy. Cut it across the grain into thin strips. Cook it fast and hot to medium-rare or medium (57–63 °C in the centre) and rest it for 5 minutes. Chef's tip: dry the steak well with kitchen paper before it hits the grill; a wet steak steams instead of charring.

25 min

Mexican Meat

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Tortillas de maízHomemade corn tortillas

Across Mexico, from Oaxaca market stalls to family kitchens in Guadalajara, warm corn tortillas arrive at every meal of the day, stacked in a cloth-lined basket next to beans, eggs, stews and salsas. Made fresh, they are soft and pliable with a toasty, sweet corn smell that packaged ones never have, and a good one puffs up like a balloon on the comal. You need only masa harina (nixtamalised corn flour, not cornmeal or polenta), warm water and a pinch of salt. The common mistake is a dough that is too dry: the edges crack when pressed and the tortillas turn stiff as cardboard. The dough should feel like soft play dough and not stick to your palm. They are done when both sides have pale brown freckles and the tortilla has puffed. Chef's tip: stack the cooked tortillas in a clean tea towel inside a lidded basket or pot; they steam each other and stay soft for an hour.

50 min

Mexican Breads & Parathas

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Tacos al pastorSpit-style marinated pork tacos

Tacos al pastor are Mexico City's late-night taco, carved from a spinning vertical spit (trompo) at taquerías from the Centro to Condesa, a dish born from the shawarma brought by Lebanese immigrants in the 1900s. This recipe is made with pork shoulder, marinated in guajillo chilli, achiote, pineapple juice and spices, sliced thin, then roasted and seared at home, and served on small corn tortillas with pineapple, onion, coriander and salsa. Marinate the pork in the fridge, never on the counter. The usual mistake is cutting the meat thick: thick pieces stew instead of caramelising. Slice it about 5 mm thin. The pork is done when the edges are charred and crisp and the thickest pieces reach 71 °C. Chef's tip: freeze the pork for 40 minutes before slicing; firm meat cuts into even, thin sheets with no effort.

60 min

Mexican Meat

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Puerco en salsa verdePork in green tomatillo sauce

Puerco en salsa verde is a staple of Mexico City fondas and family kitchens, the kind of dish that turns up for a weekday comida with rice, beans and a stack of tortillas, and fills tacos the next day. Chunks of pork shoulder are browned, then braised in a sharp sauce of tomatillos, serrano chillies, garlic and coriander until the meat is spoon-tender and the sauce is thick and glossy. Some cooks add potatoes or nopales to stretch it. The common mistake is crowding the pan when browning: the pork releases water and boils grey instead of browning, which robs the sauce of depth. Brown it in two batches. It is ready when the pork breaks apart with a fork and has passed 71 °C. Chef's tip: boil the tomatillos only until they turn from bright to olive green; if they split, they go sour and watery.

110 min

Mexican Meat

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MicheladaSpiced lime beer cocktail

The michelada is the weekend drink of Mexico, poured at beach bars in Mazatlán, cantinas in Mexico City and backyard carne asadas on Sunday afternoons, and it is a drink for adults only. A light Mexican-style lager is mixed with plenty of lime, a dash of hot sauce, a little soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, over ice in a glass rimmed with chilli salt, so it is sour, salty, savoury and very refreshing. Most Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies, so buy a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce. For an alcohol-free version, use alcohol-free lager or sparkling water with a little tomato juice; it tastes almost the same. The common mistake is adding the beer too fast: it foams up over the seasoning and the glass overflows. Tilt the glass and pour slowly. Drink responsibly. Chef's tip: chill the glass in the freezer for 15 minutes; the rim sets crisply and the drink stays cold to the last sip.

5 min

Mexican Drinks

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Chiles toreadosBlistered jalapeños with lime

At taquerías in Mexico City and the carne asada stands of the north, a small dish of chiles toreados sits next to the tacos: whole jalapeños 'fought' in a hot pan until blistered and slumped, tossed with sweet charred onion, lime juice and a splash of soy sauce or seasoning sauce, a habit borrowed from Mexico's Chinese-Mexican cooks. Bite one between mouthfuls of taco or grilled steak. The common mistake is moving the chillies too much: they need to sit still on the heat to blister, or they steam and go grey. They are ready when the skins are blackened in patches and the chillies feel soft when squeezed. Soy sauce contains wheat; use tamari for a gluten-free version. Chef's tip: prick each chilli once with a knife tip before cooking so it doesn't burst and spit hot oil at you.

15 min

Mexican Sides

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Enchiladas rojasCheese enchiladas in red chilli sauce

Enchiladas rojas are what a Mexican home cook in San Luis Potosí or Mexico City makes for a weekday lunch or a Sunday supper: corn tortillas dipped in a brick-red sauce of dried guajillo and ancho chillies, quickly fried, rolled round crumbled cheese and chopped onion, then topped with crema, lettuce and radish. The sauce tastes earthy and fruity rather than fiery. The classic mistake is burning the dried chillies when you toast them: they need only seconds per side, and blackened chillies make the whole sauce bitter. Queso fresco and similar cheeses are often made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian-labelled fresh cheese or feta if you keep vegetarian. Chef's tip: warm the tortillas in hot oil for a few seconds before dipping them in the sauce; they turn supple, roll without tearing and stay intact rather than going soggy.

55 min

Mexican Vegetarian

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Taco placeroTacos with chicharrón and nopal salad

Taco placero is what Mexico City market workers and families put together for a quick supper or a lazy weekend lunch: no cooking, just warm tortillas and a spread of market foods, everyone filling their own. Typical fillings are chicharrón (crisp fried pork skin), fresh panela cheese, avocado, a quick nopal salad and salsa. Chicharrón is pork, so leave it out or swap in fried pumpkin seeds for a meat-free version. The common mistake is serving cold, stiff tortillas, which crack around the fillings. Chef's tip: buy ready-cooked nopales in a jar, rinse them well to get rid of the slime, and dress them with lime and onion so they taste freshly made.

12 min

Mexican Fast Food

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Tostadas de atúnTuna tostadas

Tostadas de atún are a Lent favourite all over Mexico and an everyday late supper when the cupboard is nearly empty: shop-bought crisp tostadas spread with a little mayonnaise and heaped with canned tuna mixed with onion, tomato, chilli and lime. Nothing is cooked, so it is on the table in ten minutes. The common mistake is piling on watery tomato, which turns the tostada soggy before you can eat it. Chef's tip: squeeze the tuna really dry and add the lime and salt only at the last moment so the mix stays crisp and bright.

10 min

Mexican Fish

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Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)

Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.

75 minMiddle Eastern Soups

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Chipa so'oCheese bread with spiced beef

In Paraguay, families bake chipa in the clay tatakua ovens on Holy Wednesday so there is food for Thursday and Good Friday, when cooking stops. Chipa so'o ('chipa with meat') is a cassava-starch and cheese bread wrapped around a little filling of minced beef cooked with onion and egg, then baked until crisp outside and chewy within. It is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: knead the dough until it no longer cracks at the edges when pressed; dry dough splits around the filling.

90 min

Paraguayan Breads & Parathas

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Tostadas de pataTostadas with pickled cow's foot

On the night of 15 September, when Mexicans gather for the Grito and the Fiestas Patrias, the table fills with antojitos: pozole, sopes and tostadas de pata, a favourite of Mexico City and Puebla. Cow's foot is simmered for hours until it turns soft and gelatinous, then sliced thin and pickled in vinegar with onion, oregano and chilli. Piled on crisp tostadas over beans with lettuce, cream and salsa, it is tangy, rich and crunchy all at once. Chef's tip: slice the foot while it is cold from the fridge; warm, it falls apart.

240 min

Mexican Meat

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KalanehWild leek stuffed flatbread

In Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Newroz arrives with the first spring greens on the hillsides, and families gather wild leeks to fold into kalaneh, thin griddle breads cooked over a fire or a hot pan and soaked in melted butter. The dough is plain and soft, rolled very thin around a pile of chopped leek or chives with a little salt and pepper, so the greens steam inside as the bread blisters. Eat it hot, torn into strips, with yogurt and tea at a Newroz picnic. The common mistake is wet greens, which turn the dough soggy and make it tear; dry them well after washing. Chef's tip: brush the butter on the moment the bread leaves the pan so it soaks right in.

65 minMiddle Eastern Breads & Parathas

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Huauzontles capeadosBattered cheese-stuffed greens

In central Mexico, Lent and Holy Week bring meatless Fridays, and huauzontles capeados are a beloved vigil dish. Huauzontle is a leafy, broccoli-like green with tiny seed buds; little bundles of the blanched sprigs are pressed around a piece of fresh cheese, dipped in fluffy egg batter, fried and then simmered briefly in a light tomato and chile broth. If you can't find huauzontle, use tenderstem broccoli tips or quelites. Queso fresco is usually made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian one if needed. Chef's tip: squeeze the blanched greens very dry, as wet greens make the batter slide off.

75 min

Mexican Vegetarian

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Relleno negroTurkey and pork black chilli stew

Relleno negro, or chilmole, is the great fiesta dish of the Yucatán peninsula, cooked for Christmas, New Year and village saints' days. Turkey is simmered in a jet-black broth coloured by recado negro, a paste of chillies charred until black, and served with a 'but', a meatball of minced pork and spices wrapped around hard-boiled egg. Recado negro paste is sold in Mexican shops; it is very hard to make at home safely because the chillies are burnt outdoors. Serve with corn tortillas or in tortas. Chef's tip: dissolve the recado in some of the warm broth first, so it blends smoothly instead of floating in black lumps.

195 min

Mexican Chicken

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Empanadas de vigiliaTuna empanadas

During Cuaresma (Lent) and on the Fridays of Holy Week, Mexican kitchens turn to 'vigilia' food without meat, and fish empanadas are a favourite: tender wheat pastry half-moons filled with tuna (or soaked salt cod) cooked with tomato, onion, olives, capers and pickled jalapeños, a cousin of bacalao a la vizcaína. They are baked here, but can be fried. Chef's tip: cook the filling until quite dry, as a wet filling makes soggy empanadas that leak.

85 min

Mexican Fish

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Gorditas de la VillaSweet corn griddle cakes

Every 12 December, millions of pilgrims walk to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City ('La Villa'), and all around it women cook gorditas de la Villa on clay comales: small, thick, sweet cakes of corn masa with piloncillo, cinnamon and a little anise, wrapped in coloured tissue paper to take home. They are soft and slightly chewy, with toasty spots. They are gluten free. Chef's tip: cook them on a dry, medium-low griddle; too hot and the sugar burns before the middle cooks through.

45 min

Mexican Snacks & Starters

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Almond LondonChocolate-dipped almond cookies

Almond London is a Hari Raya favourite in Singapore and Malaysia, a whole roasted almond hidden in buttery cookie dough, baked, dipped in chocolate and rolled in chopped nuts. Nobody is sure where the name came from, but every Malay household fills a jar of them for Raya visits, and children hunt for the almond inside. They are crunchy, rich and not too sweet. Chef's tip: let the cookies cool completely before dipping, or the chocolate slides off and turns streaky.

75 min

Singaporean Baking

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Pajagua mascadaBeef and cassava patties

Pajagua mascada is a Paraguayan street-food classic that appears on every table for the San Juan festival on 24 June, when bonfires burn and the night is full of games and traditional food. Minced beef is mixed with mashed cassava, onion, garlic and a little egg and flour, shaped into flat patties and fried until crisp. The name comes from Guaraní and refers to the 'chewing' of old Paraguayan cooks, who made it from leftover meat. Chef's tip: dry the boiled cassava well and remove its woody core, which keeps the patties light and crunchy.

60 min

Paraguayan Meat

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