When you’re craving a bowl of soul-soothing warmth, nothing but a steaming bowl of frijoles charros (cowboy beans) will do. Sometimes referred to as Mexican charro beans or Mexican cowboy beans, this tasty stew delivers authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine with every spoonful.
What are Frijoles Charros?
Frijoles charros is a hearty, traditional Mexican dish named after Mexican cowboys, or charros. It is said that, after a long day on the ranch, charros would gather together to share a meal of beans, vegetables, sausage, and anything else they had on hand, cooked over an open fire. Reward your own hard day’s work with a delicious bowl of frijoles charros using our step-by-step recipe.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This frijoles charros recipe uses bayo beans cooked in broth as its star, so you’ll need to whip up a pot of frijoles de la olla (beans in a pot) first. Feel free to substitute pinto, black beans, or Flor de Junio (June flower) as we do in our own frijoles de la olla recipe. Once the beans are cooked, all you need to do is chop the veggies and meat, sauté, add the beans and garnish with a bit of cilantro. Heat up some fresh corn tortillas or a nice, crusty bread and you’re ready to eat!
How the Frijoles Charros Recipe Is Structured
This recipe is broken down into three simple sections:
Chopping the Vegetables and Meat
Cooking the Veggies, Meat and Beans
Serving and Eating
Are you ready to make a steaming pot of Mexican charro beans?
The first step to great-tasting Mexican cowboy beans is to prepare the veggies and meat. Dice the bacon, remove the casing and shred the chorizo, and slice the sausage into ¼ inch rounds. Then, dice the tomato and onion, and finely chop the garlic and chilis.
Cook the Meat, Veggies and Beans
Heat a pot over high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat is released.
Next, add the chorizo to the bacon and grease. Stir and cook for two minutes.
Stir the sausage into the pot and cook for two to three minutes.
Sprinkle the onion into the pot, stir, lower the heat to medium, and cook for one minute.
Add the serrano chilis to the pot, stir to combine, and cook for one minute.
Next, sprinkle in the garlic, stir, and cook for a minute.
Spoon the diced tomatoes into the pot and simmer until the tomatoes release their juices and the liquid reduces slightly.
Our Mexican charro beans are shaping up nicely! Here’s what your dish should look like after the juice has reduced slightly.
Next, spoon in the beans, stir, and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. No need to cover, but be sure the liquid doesn’t reduce down too much.
This is what your Mexican cowboy beans should look when they’re ready. Mmmm!
Looks so good!
Serve and Eat
Ladle your frijoles charros into a bowl and top with freshly chopped cilantro.
Heat up a stack of fresh corn tortillas for dipping, and enjoy!
Dragon fruit grows in Mexico, Central, and South America and is a variety of prickly pear cactus fruit. It gets its name from its appearance, with its vibrant, scaly skin resembling that of a dragon. It looks spectacular and a bit daunting but is very easy to work with and is delicious. In Spanish, dragon fruit is called the pitaya or pitahaya.
In Mexico, many cactus fruits are eaten like the “tuna,” the sweet fruit of one type of prickly pear cactus and the xoconostle, the sour fruit of another. The two most common types of dragon fruit are the white-fleshed and red-fleshed varieties. The white-fleshed dragon fruit, also known as Hylocereus undatus, is characterized by its creamy flesh speckled with tiny black seeds. On the other hand, the red-fleshed dragon fruit, known as Hylocereus costaricensis, has a colorful magenta interior and a slightly sweeter taste. Both varieties are visually appealing and have a refreshing, mildly sweet flavor that is often likened to a blend of kiwi and pear. The seeds are edible.
How to Cut Dragon Fruit
The fruit looks a little scary and tough but it is easy to cut and clean. Slice the fruit in half lengthwise.
Use a small knife to separate the flesh of the fruit from the outer skin. Discard the skin.
Once you have removed the flesh from the outer skin, cut the fruit into slices or cubes depending on how you plan to use it.
Dragon fruit slices with the skin on make a beautiful garnish.
How to Choose Dragon Fruit
Look at the exterior of the fruit. A ripe dragon fruit will have a bright and evenly colored skin, free from any blemishes or soft spots. The color can vary between vibrant pink, yellow, or red, depending on the variety. Choose a fruit with a skin that feels firm but not overly hard. Give the fruit a gentle squeeze. A ripe dragon fruit should give slightly when pressed, but it should not be too soft. If the fruit feels too soft or mushy, it may be overripe.
Pay attention to the scales or spikes on the fruit’s skin. The scales should be firm, without any signs of wilting or drooping. Avoid fruits with scales that appear shriveled or withered, as they may be past their prime..
How to Use Dragon Fruit
One of the simplest ways to enjoy dragon fruit is by slicing it open and scooping out the flesh with a spoon. The bright magenta or white interior of the fruit is soft and juicy, with a texture reminiscent of kiwi or pear.
Dragon fruit can be blended into refreshing smoothies, aquas frescas or added to homemade sorbets and ice creams. Its naturally creamy texture lends itself well to frozen desserts. Experiment with combinations of dragon fruit, coconut milk, and other fruits like mango or pineapple. It’s also a great addition to a Mexican fruit salad.
Looking for a new dip to try? You’ll love this recipe from our photographer Andrés that’s filled with happy childhood memories. When he was growing up, his aunt in Cuernavaca would make this warm chipotle bean dip regularly for all the kids. It’s fast, filling, and delicious. Three ingredients set it apart, chipotle, epazote, and a touch of mayonnaise which give it its unique taste. The chipotle adds smoky spice that’s not too hot, the epazote adds an herbal touch, and the mayonnaise brings it all together. I know mayonnaise and beans sound odd together but the combination works.
Ways to Use the Bean Dip
There’s more than one way to use this dip. It’s great served with corn chips or totopos. You can use it as sandwich spread and it is perfect for making tortas. It’s also delicious to make some quick bean tacos. Just warm some corn tortillas and spread about a tablespoon of dip on each tortilla and add a pinch of cheese.
How to Make
With just a few ingredients and very little chopping, you’ll be dipping into this recipe in no time.
Ingredients:
4 cups refried beans: homemade or packaged both work well
1.5 canned chipotles en adobo. Add a little more chipotle if you prefer a spicier dip, add a little less for a more mild dip.
3 fresh epazote leaves or 1 teaspoon dried epazote
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
¼ cup shredded cheese of your choice (Oaxaca, asadero, mozzarella, cheddar, all work well)
A few tablespoons of warm water if needed to blend
Step 1 – Prepping the Chipotle
Start by chopping the chipotle. This helps it blend better. If you prefer a spicier dip, add a bit more chipotle. Add a little less if you prefer a more mild dip.
Step 2 – Heating the Beans
Then heat the refried beans in a pan.
Step 3 – Blending the Dip
Add all of the ingredients except the cheese to the blender.
Blend until smooth. If needed to blend, add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time until you are able to blend to the desired consistency. Taste and add salt if needed.
Step 4 – Serve and Enjoy
Pour the beans dip into a serving bowl and top with the grated cheese.
1.5chipotles in adoboadd a little more chipotle if you prefer a spicier dip, add a little less for a more mild dip
3epazote leavesyou can substitute 1 tsp. dried epazote
1tablespoonmayonnaise
salt to taste
Instructions
Chop the chipotle
Heat the beans in a pan
Blend all of the ingredients except the cheese. If needed to blend, add 1 tablespoon of warm water at a time until you are able to blend to the desired consistency
Pour into a serving dish and top with the cheese
Serve warm and enjoy
Notes
Substitutions:You can substitute 1 tsp. dried epazote for the fresh epazote.
Our morita salsa is a mild to medium-hot salsa with a note of smokiness from the morita peppers which are ripe red jalapeños that have been dried and smoked, similar to chipotle chiles but with a less pronounced smokiness.
All of the ingredients you need for your morita salsa are commonly available at most supermarkets. You may already have everything in your pantry. You can also order the chilis online if you are unable to find them locally.
Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes
¼ medium onion
3 dried morita chili peppers
1 clove garlic
2 or 3 sprigs cilantro
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon black pepper (optional)
2 cups water for soaking the chilis
1st Step – Seed and Devein the Morita Peppers
Remove the seeds and veins from the morita peppers. Discard the seeds and veins. Doing this reduces the heat of the salsa to get a mild to moderately hot salsa. Leave the seeds and veins in if you prefer a hotter salsa. The seeds and veins will also give your salsa more texture.
Tips for handling chili peppers: Peppers contain capsaicin which is transferred to your skin during handling. Capsaicin can cause a burning sensation on your skin or eyes. Some people are more sensitive than others. Wear kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers to prevent the burning sensation. Always wash your hands well after handling chilis to remove as much of the capsaicin as possible.
2nd Step – Soak the Peppers in Hot Water
In a small pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil then turn off the heat. Place to deveined chiles into the hot water and soak for 10 minutes. Soaking them rehydrates them and gets them ready for blending. Save the soaking water because you will need a few tablespoons to blend the salsa.
3rd Step – Pan Roasting the Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic
While the morita chiles are soaking it’s time to pan roast the vegetables.
Chop the tomatoes and onions into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves. Preheat a dry pan to medium hot. Then add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to your pan. Cook the vegetables turning occasionally until the they brown. The more you brown the vegetables the deeper the flavor of your salsa will be.
4th Step – Blending the Salsa
Add all of the ingredients plus 3 tablespoon of the soaking water to your blender jar.
Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until you get a medium smooth salsa like shown in the photos below. If your salsa isn’t blending well add 1 tablespoon of the soaking water at a time until it blends smoothly.
5th Step – Adjust the Salt
After blending, taste to check the saltiness and add more salt until you get the desired flavor.
Salsa making tip: When we are adjusting the salt level in a salsa we tend to make it a little on the salty side because when you add the salsa to your food the saltiness will even out.
Our morita salsa is a mild to medium-hot salsa with a note of smokiness from the morita peppers which are ripe red jalapeños that have been dried and smoked, similar to chipotle chiles but with a less pronounced smokiness.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: morita, salsa, salsa roja
Servings: 6
Calories: 22kcal
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
1 Cutting board
1 Kitchen knife
1 Blender
1 Serving bowl
1 Small pan
Ingredients
4Roma tomatoes
¼white onionmedium
3morita chili peppers
3sprigscilantro
½teaspoonMexican oregano
¼teaspoonblack pepperoptional
2cupswater
Instructions
Remove the seeds and veins from the morita pepper. Discard the seeds and veins
In a small pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil then turn off the heat. Place to deveined chiles into the hot water and soak for 10 minutes. (Save the soaking water. You will need a few tablespoons to blend the salsa)
Chop the tomatoes and onions into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves. Preheat a dry pan to medium hot. Then add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to your pan. Cook the vegetables turning occasionally until the they brown
Add all of the ingredients plus 3 tablespoons of the soaking water to your blender jar. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until you get a medium smooth salsa like shown in the photos below. If your salsa isn't blending well add 1 tablespoon of the soaking water at a time until it blends smoothly.
After blending, taste to check the saltiness and add more salt until you get the desired flavor.
Notes
Salsa making tips: When we are adjusting the salt level in a salsa we tend to make it a little on the salty side because when you add the salsa to your food the saltiness will even out.If your salsa tastes a little bland add a pinch at a time until it brings out the flavors you are looking for.Tips for handling chili peppers: Peppers contain capsaicin which is transferred to your skin during handling. Capsaicin can cause a burning sensation on your skin or eyes. Some people are more sensitive than others. Wear kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers to prevent the burning sensation. Always wash your hands well after handling chilis to remove as much of the capsaicin as possible.
Mexico has a nearly infinite number of unique salsas. A type you may not have tried before is a “salsa borracha,” which is any salsa prepared with an alcohol base.
The name translates as “drunk salsa” or “drunken salsa” but what it really means is delicious. For our recipe use pasilla chilis and a light Mexican lager beer as the base.
Pasilla Chili Peppers
Pasilla chiles are a mild to moderately hot chili that has a fruity sweet smell, a bit like raisins. It has a meaty texture that thickens salsas, sauces, and stews very well.
Which Mexican Beers to Use
Lighter Beers – Cerveza Clara
For our recipe use a lighter Mexican lager beer as the base. Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, Estrella Jalisco, Tecate, and Sol Cerveza are all good beer choices and are easy to find at most supermarkets.
Darker Beers – Cerveza Obscura
You can also choose a darker Mexican beer for even more depth of flavor. Negro Modelo and Dos Equis Ambar are also good choices and are generally easy to find.
Even though the recipe calls for beer. It is a family friendly salsa because the alcohol cooks off while the pasilla peppers are being simmered.
How to Make Salsa Borracha
All of the ingredients you need are commonly available at most supermarkets. You may already have everything you need in your pantry.
Remove the seeds and veins from ½ of the pasilla peppers. Doing this reduces the heat of the salsa to get a mild to moderately hot salsa. Leave the seeds and veins in if you prefer a hotter salsa or remove them all if you prefer a milder salsa.
Tips for handling chili peppers: Peppers contain capsaicin which is transferred to your skin during handling. Capsaicin can cause a burning sensation on your skin or eyes. Some people are more sensitive than others. Wear kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers to prevent the burning sensation. Always wash your hands well after handling chilis to remove as much of the capsaicin as possible.
2nd Step – Toast the Pasilla Chilis
The toasting process is an important step because toasting the peppers adds a lot of depth of flavor to the salsa.
Preheat a dry pan to medium-hot. Add the pasillas to the pan and move frequently for about two to three minutes to toast them to where they become aromatic and smell what I call “toasty sweet.” If you toast them too long the smell and taste becomes notably acrid. During the toasting process if they start to smell burnt remove them from the heat immediately.
3rd Step – Simmer the Pasillas in the Beer
Add the toasted chili peppers and the beer to a pan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a medium simmer.
Simmer for about 10 minutes. You can see in the photo that the liquid is starting to reduce.
The chilis are ready when almost all the liquid has evaporated. The mixture should look like this.
4th Step – Pan Roasting the Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic
While the pasillas are simmering it’s time to pan roast the vegetable.
Chop the tomatoes and onions into quarters. Peel the garlic cloves.
Preheat a dry pan to medium hot. Then add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic to your pan.
Cook turning occasionally until the vegetables are well browned.
When the tomatoes and onions look like the picture above you are ready to blend the salsa.
5th Step – Blending the Salsa
Add the toasted peppers, roasted vegetables, and cilantro to your blender then squeeze in the juice of the two oranges.
Add the oregano.
Add the salt. You will make the final adjustment of the salt just before serving.
Pulse the blender just until you get a coarse salsa. Add water one tablespoon at a time if needed to blend. Do not over blend.
This is the texture your finished salsa should have. Don’t worry if you have blended it smoother. The taste will still be delicious.
6th Step – Adjust the Salt
After blending, taste to check the saltiness and add more salt until you get the desired flavor.
Salsa making tip: When we are adjusting the salt level in a salsa we tend to make it a little on the salty side because when you add the salsa to your food the saltiness will even out.
7th Step – Serve Your Salsa
Uses for Salsa Borracha
This salsa is great on any of the following dishes:
It’s really versatile. Use it on any dish that you’d like.
Pro tip: Your salsa will be even better if you let it rest in the refrigerator for one day before serving. This gives it time for the flavors to meld and deepen.
How to make salsa borracha with Mexican lager beer.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Mexican salsa
Servings: 8
Calories: 61kcal
Author: Douglas Cullen
Equipment
1 Kitchen knife
1 Cutting board
1 Blender
1 medium serving bowl
Ingredients
1Mexican lager beer12 oz. bottle or can
10Pasilla chilis
1White onionmedium
5Roma tomatoes
2Oranges
1Bunchcilantro
3Clovesgarlic
1teaspoonoreganopreferably Mexican oregano
½teaspoonsalt+ salt to taste
Instructions
Preparing the Chili Peppers
Seed and devein 5 of the pasilla peppers
Toast all of the pasilla peppers in a medium hot dry pan for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant. Do not allow the peppers to burn.
Add the toasted chili peppers and the beer to a pan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a medium simmer. Simmer the pasilla peppers in the beer until most of the liquid has reduced. About 10 minutes
Preparing the Tomatoes, Onions, and Garlic
Chop the tomatoes and onions into quarters then peel the garlic cloves
Pan roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic turning frequently until well browned
Assembling the Salsa
Add the toasted peppers, roasted vegetables, cilantro and salt to your blender
Squeeze the juice of the 2 oranges into your blender
Pulse the mixture until you have a coarse textured salsa
Adjusting the Seasoning and Serving
Taste and add more salt as needed
The salsa can be served immediately and it is even better if it rests for 1 day in the refrigerator before serving
Notes
Tips for handling chili peppers: Peppers contain capsaicin which is transferred to your skin during handling. Capsaicin can cause a burning sensation on your skin or eyes. Some people are more sensitive than others. Wear kitchen gloves when handling chili peppers to prevent the burning sensation. Always wash your hands well after handling chilis to remove as much of the capsaicin as possible.
Eating a bowl of birria is like discovering the richness of Mexican cuisine all over again. Originally from the state of Jalisco, Mexico, birria combines a rich broth with slow-cooked meat, garnished with lime, cilantro and onions, and served with tortillas. While the original recipe calls for goat meat, each region has created unique variations.
Birria is typically eaten as a soup, but in this recipe, we’ll show you how to make beef birria stuffed in a corn tortilla turnover (tetela) with the broth on the side for dipping.
Authentic Mexican Birria
Inside these tetelas, you’ll find juicy, slow-cooked beef birria. Tetelas hail from the Mixtec region of Mexico (which includes Puebla and Oaxaca). The savory birria broth is the perfect companion.
What to Expect from This Recipe
Birria features a salty, slightly spicy broth. In this beef birria recipe, we slow-cook beef ribs, then chop the meat and reserve the broth for dipping. The meat is then placed in the tetela and topped with Adobera cheese — a fresh cheese from Guadalajara made from cow’s milk. The tetela is then folded, sealed and heated until crispy, and is served alongside the broth for dipping.
How the Recipe Is Structured
This beef birria recipe is broken down into the following sections:
Marinating the Ribs
Steaming the Ribs
Making the Broth
Preparing the Tetelas
Assembling and Serving
When ready to eat, dip the meat- and cheese-filled delight into the broth and get ready for a flavor explosion!
Meet the Chef
This recipe is another creation from Chef Alex Torres, executive chef and founder of Naakary restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. (See his recipe for Crispy Ribeye Tacos.)
Devein your chilis and add them to the blender jar, followed by the garlic powder.
Next, add in the thyme.
Then the ginger powder.
Next, add in the pepper.
Then the salt.
Next, add the cloves.
Pour in the vinegar.
Finally, add the fermented garlic scape and vegetable oil to the jar.
Now your marinade is ready to blend.
Blend all the ingredients until smooth. The marinade should be a deep red-orange color.
Sear and Marinate the Ribs
Before we marinate the ribs, we’ll sear them to make sure the meat stays juicy. Place the ribs on a preheated grill or griddle and sear for about two minutes. Flip and sear the other side for two minutes.
Transfer the ribs to a bowl.
Pour the marinade over the ribs.
Stir to cover the entire surface of the ribs with marinade.
Let the ribs marinate for 30 minutes.
Steam the Ribs
Now it’s time to steam the ribs. First, add the water to a medium-sized pot.
Next, add the bay leaves. Tip: If you don’t have a traditional steamer or a basket that fits snugly into your pot, place a small, inverted metal cup into the water, and then add the basket. The cup will serve as a base and keep the basket from sagging or moving around.
Place the marinated ribs in the steamer basket in the pot and cover.
Put the pot on the stove and steam over medium-low heat for an hour.
Make the Broth
Now we’ll make the broth. After steaming, we’ll cook the ribs in this broth for a few hours until the meat is nice and tender. First, slice the Roma tomatoes into wedges.
Next, slice off the green stem of the spring onion and reserve for another use. Then, slice the white portion in half lengthwise.
Add the yellow pear tomatoes to the jar.
Then add the tomatoes and spring onions to the jar.
Blend all ingredients until you have a deep, smooth broth mixture.
Cook and Chop the Ribs
Cook the Ribs
Once the ribs have finished steaming, uncover the pot.
Using kitchen tongs, remove the steamer basket with the ribs.
Put the ribs back into the same pot with the existing broth.
Now pour the newly prepared broth mixture into the pot.
Cover the pot.
Cook over low heat for three to four hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Chop the Meat
Once the meat is ready, place on a cutting board and remove the bones.
Now chop the meat.
Looks so juicy and tasty!
Prepare the Tetelas
Shape and Press the Dough
Now we’re ready to shape the tetelas that will hold the meat. First, grab your pre-made dough.
Place the dough into a mixing bowl and pinch off chunks to make about 10 golfball-sized balls.
One at a time, place a ball of dough on a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap and flatten the dough slightly with your hand.
Close the tortilla press to flatten the dough.
Transfer the tetela with the plastic wrap to a cutting board and prepare to fill. It looks like a tortilla now, but soon we’ll fold it into a little triangular package.
Fill the Tetela
Place about two tablespoons of meat into the center of the dough.
Slice the adobera cheese.
Criss-cross three slices of cheese on top of the meat.
Fold the Tetelas
Now we’ll fold into a triangular shape. Supported by your plastic wrap or bag, fold one third of the dough over the filling toward the center of the circle.
Pick up the plastic to fold over the second side, making a triangular point at the top of the two folds.
Finally, fold the bottom up to complete your triangle.
Your tetela is now ready to heat!
Heat and Eat
Heat the Tetelas
Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Gently place the tetela on the griddle seam side up.
Heat for 3-5 minutes or until toasted on one side. Then flip and heat the other side.
Serve and Enjoy
Transfer three of the heated tetelas to a serving plate with a small bowl for the broth.
Ladle the birria broth into the bowl.
Top the broth off with a squeeze of lime and garnish your dish with cilantro sprigs.
To eat, dip the tetela into the broth and take an amazing, juicy bite. Be sure to have napkins handy!
Learn how to make beef birria stuffed in a corn tortilla turnover (tetela) with the broth on the side for dipping.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time4 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: beef birria, birria recipe, how to make birria
Servings: 4
Calories: 640kcal
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
Blender
Large pot and lid
Griddle
Steamer basket
Kitchen Tongs
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Tortilla press
Plastic Wrap
Ingredients
For the Beef and Marinade
1.25 lbs.Beef rib meat
4Guajillo or mirasol chilis
1teaspoonGarlic powder
1teaspoonThyme
1teaspoonGinger powder
1teaspoonPepper
2large pinchesCoarse grain salt
8tablespoonWhite vinegar
6 ½cupsWater
2 Bay leaves
For the Broth
½lbRoma tomatoes
3 ozsYellow pear tomatoes
3 ozs Spring onion
For the Tetela, Filling and Garnish
¾lbCorn masa (dough)
1 ½ozsAdobera cheese
2 ozsFresh cilantro
Instructions
Make the Marinade
Devein the chilis and add them to the blender jar.
Then add the garlic powder, thyme, ginger powder, pepper and coarse grain salt.
Next add the cloves, fermented garlic and oil.
Blend all the ingredients until smooth. The marinade should be a deep red-orange color.
Sear and Marinate the Ribs
Before we marinate the ribs, we’ll sear them to make sure the meat stays juicy. Place the ribs on your grill or griddle and sear for about two minutes. Flip and sear the other side for two minutes.
Transfer the ribs to a bowl and pour the marinade over the ribs.
Stir to cover the entire surface of the ribs with marinade.
Let the ribs marinate for 30 minutes.
Steam the Ribs
Add the water to a medium-sized pot or steamer.
Tip: If you don't have a traditional steamer or a basket that fits snugly into your pot, place a small, inverted metal cup into the water, and then add the basket. The cup will serve as a base and keep the basket from sagging or moving around.
Next, add the bay leaves.
Place the marinated ribs in the steamer basket in the pot and cover.
Put the pot on the stove and steam over medium-low heat for an hour.
Make the Broth Mixture
After steaming, we’ll cook the ribs in this broth for a few hours until the meat is nice and tender. First, slice the Roma tomatoes into wedges.
Next, slice off the green stem of the spring onion and reserve for another use. Then, slice the white portion in half lengthwise.
Add the yellow pear tomatoes, Roma tomatoes and spring onions to the jar.
Blend all ingredients until you have a deep, smooth mixture. Reserve.
Cook and Chop the Ribs
Once the ribs have finished steaming, remove them from the steamer basket using kitchen tongs and place them back inside the cooking water.
Now pour the newly prepared broth mixture into the pot.
Cover the pot and cook over low heat for three to four hours, or until the meat is very tender.
Once the meat is ready, place on a cutting board, remove the bones and chop the meat.
Shape and Press the Tetelas
Place pre-made corn masa (dough) into a mixing bowl and pinch off chunks to make about 10 golfball-sized balls.
One at a time, place a ball of dough on a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap and flatten the dough slightly with your hand.
Close the tortilla press to flatten the dough.
Transfer the tetela with the plastic wrap to a cutting board and prepare to fill. It looks like a tortilla at this point, but soon we’ll fold it into a little triangular package.
Fill and Fold the Tetelas
Place about two tablespoons of meat into the center of the dough.
Slice the adobera cheese and criss-cross three slices of cheese on top of the meat.
Supported by your plastic wrap or bag, fold one third of the dough over the filling toward the center of the circle.
Pick up the plastic to fold over the second side, making a triangular point at the top of the two folds.
Finally, fold the bottom up to complete your triangle.
Your tetela is now ready to heat!
Heat and Eat
Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Gently place the tetela on the griddle seam side up.
Heat for 3-5 minutes or until toasted on one side. Then flip and heat the other side.
To serve, transfer three of the heated tetelas to a serving plate with a small bowl for the broth.
Ladle the birria broth into the bowl.
Top the broth off with a squeeze of lime and garnish your dish with cilantro sprigs.
To eat, dip the tetela into the broth and take an amazing, juicy bite. Be sure to have napkins handy! Mmmmmm!
Empanadas are one of my favorite versatile Mexican snacks. In Mexico, you’ll find them stuffed with ground beef, potato, cheese, fruit and everything in between! In this article, we’re going to teach you how to make pineapple empanadas or empanadas de piña. These pockets of delight are perfect for breakfast, an afternoon coffee break, or an on-the-go snack.
Empanadas de Piña
These sweet empanadas are so tempting. Just look at that filling!
What to Expect from This Recipe
The crispy crust of these dessert empanadas balances out the syrupy sweet filling. Together, they create a delectable pastry you’ll want to serve again and again. First, you’ll make the dough, then the mix up the filling, assemble the empanadas and bake. 30 minutes out of the oven and you’ll have a fresh, warm dessert ready to eat!
How the Recipe Is Structured
This pineapple empanadas recipe is broken down into the following sections:
Making the Dough
Preparing the Filling
Cutting the Dough
Assembling and Baking
Serving and Savoring
This combination of crispy pastry and gooey filling is like no other!
Meet the Chef
This recipe comes to us from Chef Roxana Prieto, originally from Guadajalara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. She started out making desserts for family and friends, perfected her techniques in luxury hotels like the Four Seasons Punta Mita, earned her degree in gastronomy from the Universidad del Valle de Mexico, and now creates delectable desserts and pastries at Naakary restaurant in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Learn How to Make Pineapple Empanadas
Ingredients
For the Dough
2 cups flour
1 cup vegetable lard
4 tsps sugar
½ cup cold water
Pinch of salt
For the Filling
1 lb. pineapple
½ cup sugar
¼ cup flour
½ tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
Make the Dough
Combine the Ingredients
First, you’ll combine the dry ingredients. Pour the flour into a medium mixing bowl and add the salt to the flour.
Next, add in the sugar.
Finally, add the vegetable lard in chunks to the bowl with the dry ingredients.
Mix the Dough
Using your fingers, combine the vegetable lard with the dry ingredients.
Add one third of the water to the dough. In the next steps you’ll alternate adding water and mixing until you’ve used up all the water.
Work the water into the dough with your hands.
Add another third of the water to the dough.
Work the second portion of water into the dough using your hands. You can see that the dough is now starting to come together.
Add the last of the water to your dough.
Work the last of the water into your dough. Coming together nicely! If the dough is too sticky, add flour little by little until it no longer sticks to your fingers when mixing.
Once the dough is no longer sticky, turn it out onto a floured surface.
Shape the Dough
Begin to shape the empanada dough into a ball.
Gently roll as you’re shaping.
Once you have a nice ball of dough like you see below, let it rest while you prepare the filling. But before you move on, preheat your oven to 356 degrees.
Prepare the Filling
Peel and Cut the Pineapple
It’s time to prepare the filling. First, assemble your tools and ingredients. Get your cutting board, pineapple and a sharp knife ready.
Carefully cut the peel from the pineapple.
Cut off the pineapple core.
Cut the pineapple into thin strips.
Then dice.
Add the diced pineapple to a medium-sized bowl.
Mix In Dry Ingredients
Sprinkle the flour on top of the diced pineapple.
Next, add in the sugar.
Sprinkle in the cinnamon.
Then the nutmeg.
Stir to combine all ingredients.
Keep stirring until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Then set aside.
Cut the Dough
Roll the Dough
Now we’ll shape our empanadas. First, flour your cutting board or work surface.
Next, place your reserved ball of dough on the cutting board.
Using a rolling pin, begin to roll out your dough.
Keep rolling out into a rectangular shape, taking care not to roll too thinly or the dough will break.
When ready, your dough should be about the thickness you see in the photo below.
Cut Out Your Circles You’re now ready to cut your dough.
Using a 2 ½” to 3” round cookie cutter, cut rounds from the dough.
Remove the excess dough from the empanada rounds.
Assemble and Bake
Fill the Empanadas
Let’s assemble our empanadas. Add a tablespoon of filling to the center of each round.
The dough should yield about 10 empanadas.
Fold and Seal
Now you’re ready to fold. Gently pick up a filled round and fold in half.
Next, begin pinching the edges to seal.
Continue pinching the edges until the empanada is completely sealed.
Your empanadas should all be formed into a half-moon shape as you see below. Almost ready to bake!
Dust with Sugar
Now we’ll add the final touch. Dust your empanadas with sugar.
Place the empanadas onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or sprayed with non-stick spray and bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the crust has turned golden brown.
Serve and Savor
Once your empanadas have cooled, transfer them to a serving tray. Serve with your favorite coffee or hot beverage. Sooo sweet!
These dessert empanadas feature a gooey pineapple filling with a crispy outer crust for the perfect sweet Mexican treat.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 10
Calories: 352kcal
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Mixing Bowls
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Kitchen spoon
Cookie Sheet
Round Cookie Cutters (2 ½" to 3")
Silicon Mat Optional
Ingredients
For the Dough
2cupsFlour
1cupVegetable Lard
4teaspoonSugar
½cupCold water
Pinch of salt
For the Filling
1lb.Pineapple
½cupSugar
¼cup Flour
½tablespoonCinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
Make the Dough
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
Then add the vegetable lard.
Using your fingers, mix in the lard with the dry ingredients.
Add a third of the water to the mixture and mix to incorporate.
Repeat this process of adding water and mixing two more times, adding a third of the water each time until all of the water has been used.
If the dough is too sticky, add flour little by little until it reaches the desired consistency.
Once the dough is no longer sticky, turn it out onto a floured surface and let rest while you prepare the filling.
Preheat your oven to 356 degrees.
Prepare the Filling
Peel and core the pineapple.
Cut into thin strips and dice.
Sprinkle in the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, and mix until incorporated.
Set aside as you cut the dough.
Cut the Dough
Roll out your ball of dough onto a floured surface.
Roll into a rectangular shape, taking care not to roll too thinly or the dough will break.
Using a 2 ½” to 3” round cookie cutter, cut about 10 rounds from the dough.
Remove the excess dough around the circles.
Assemble and Bake
Add a tablespoon of filling to the center of each round.
Gently pick up a filled round and fold in half.
Next, pinch the edges until the empanada is completely sealed.
Repeat until you’ve sealed all your empanadas.
Dust with sugar, place on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone mat or sprayed with non-stick spray, and bake for 30-35 minutes in your preheated oven until the crust turns golden brown.
Serve and Eat
Once your empanadas are ready, let them cool.
Transfer to a serving plate and serve with your favorite coffee or hot beverage
There’s nothing better than a juicy ribeye steak—except when it’s crispy and piled high on a corn tortilla. It was love at first sight when we saw and tasted these amazing steak tacos, a fusion of flavors from Chef Alexis Torres. Topped with a grilled tomato salsa and tangy cabbage and cilantro garnish, you’ll never want a plain ribeye again!
Chicharrón de Ribeye
Are these the best steak tacos? They just might be. Let us know!
What to Expect from This Recipe
The star of this recipe is a juicy ribeye that is seared, chopped and fried to crispy perfection. Next, you’ll grill the veggies and mix up the salsa. Then, chop cabbage and cilantro for the garnish and squeeze in some lime. Pile it all onto a heated corn tortilla and you’re ready to eat. So easy and so good.
Note: You want to use a fatty cut of meat such as ribeye because the meat will remain juicy after cooking due to the fat. A leaner cut of beef will end up too dry.
How the Recipe Is Structured
This steak tacos recipe is broken down into the following sections:
Making the Salsa
Cooking the Ribeye
Chopping the Garnish
Assembling Your Tacos
And enjoying every crispy bite!
Meet the Chef
Alexis Torres is executive chef and founder of Naakary, a restaurant dedicated to sustainable practices and organic dishes, located on the road to Jalpa in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico. At Naakary, Chef Torres explores flavors straight from the garden, making the most of what the land has to offer and changing his menu with the seasons.
Learn How to Make Crispy Ribeye Tacos
Ingredients
For the Salsa
11 yellow tomatoes (yellow pear heirloom or other yellow cherry tomatoes)
1 Roma tomato sliced in half lengthwise
½ white onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt to taste
1 jalapeño chili pepper (optional)
For the Ribeye
1 Ribeye steak (1-inch thick)
Cooking oil
Salt to taste
For the Garnish
½ handful of fresh cilantro leaves
½ small cabbage, thinly sliced
½ Lime
Salt to taste
Corn tortillas
Make the Salsa
Grill the Veggies
First, we’ll char the vegetables for the salsa. Place the whole yellow cherry tomatoes, Roma tomato halves (cut side up), onion (cut side up) and whole jalapeño (if using) on a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat.
After two minutes, or when the skin begins to blacken, flip the vegetables using kitchen tongs.
Break up the onion and grill for about two more minutes, or until all pieces are evenly charred.
Transfer veggies into a bowl and let cool.
Mix Up the Salsa
Once the vegetables have cooled slightly, remove the onion from the bowl and dice. If you’re using a grilled jalapeño, do the same with the chili.
Now we’re ready to mix up the salsa!
Sprinkle garlic powder over the charred tomatoes in the bowl.
Next, add the salt.
Stir to combine. Remember that this salsa is supposed to be chunky, so stir gently.
Add the grilled onions.
Gently stir your salsa again. Getting close!
Your grilled tomato salsa is ready! It looks so good, we could just eat it out of the bowl! But trust us, it’s much tastier on the taco.
Cook the Ribeye
Sear the Ribeye Filet
First, we’ll sear the filet to seal in the juices. Place the ribeye on a grill, griddle, skillet, or frying pan over medium-high heat and press salt onto the meat. Note: You can add the salt before placing on the griddle if you like.
After one minute, flip over the ribeye using kitchen tongs. You can see it has a nice sear on this side!
Sear the other side for one minute. Then remove the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute and the ribeye stays tender and moist.
Fry the Ribeye
Once the ribeye has rested, cut into 1-inch cubes with a sharp knife, using kitchen tongs to steady the meat.
Now we’re ready to fry the ribeye. It looks so juicy!
Transfer the cubes to a plate or rimmed pan.
Add the ribeye pieces to a griddle or frying pan heated to medium-high.
Now pour the cooking oil over the meat. You can add as much as you like depending on how quickly it’s absorbed and how crispy you’d like the meat. For crispier meat, add oil as it’s absorbed.
Here you can see the amount of oil the chef has added. Our ribeye is sizzling!
Be sure to constantly stir the meat to ensure every side is good and crispy. This should take about 5 minutes.
Once fried, transfer back to your plate or rimmed pan.
This ribeye has been fried to perfection. So juicy!
Prepare the Garnish
Cut the cabbage in half.
Thinly slice one half only. Reserve the other half for another use.
Place the cabbage in a bowl of cold water to keep it crispy and to reduce the pungency.
After a few minutes, drain the cabbage completely and add it another bowl, along with the cilantro leaves.
Squeeze half the lime over the cabbage and cilantro.
Sprinkle with salt to taste and stir to combine. Your garnish is ready!
Assemble and Serve
Heat the corn tortillas on a griddle or in a frying pan for about 10 seconds each side.
Place the tortilla on your serving plate.
Pile about 10 chunks of the fried ribeye on the tortilla.
Next, spoon on the salsa.
Finally, top with the cabbage garnish.
Look at that pile of crispy goodness. Buen provecho!
Juicy, crispy, pan-fried ribeye steak tacos, topped with a grilled tomato salsa, tangy cabbage and a cilantro garnish with a squeeze of lime juice.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4
Calories: 161kcal
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Griddle or frying pan
Mixing Bowls
Cutting board
Spatula
Kitchen spoon
Kitchen knife
Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
For the Salsa
11Yellow tomatoes (yellow pear heirloom or other yellow cherry tomatoes)
1Roma tomatosliced in half lengthwise
½White onion
1teaspoonGarlic powder
Salt to taste
1Jalapeño(optional)
For the Ribeye
1Ribeye steak(1-inch thick)
Cooking oil
Salt to taste
For the Garnish
½handful fresh cilantro leaves
½small Cabbagethinly sliced
½Lime
Salt to taste
Corn tortillas
Instructions
Make the Salsa
First, we’ll grill the vegetables for the salsa. Place the whole yellow cherry tomatoes, Roma tomato halves (cut side up), onion (cut side up) and whole jalapeño (if using) on a griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat.
After two minutes, or when the skin begins to blacken, flip the vegetables using kitchen tongs.
Break up the onion and roast for about two more minutes, or until all pieces are evenly charred.
Transfer veggies into a bowl and let cool.
Once the vegetables have cooled slightly, remove the onion from the bowl and dice. If you’re using a roasted jalapeño, do the same with the chili.
Sprinkle garlic powder and salt over the grilled tomatoes in the bowl and stir gently to combine. The salsa should be chunky.
Add the grilled onions and stir again. Your salsa is now ready!
Cook the Ribeye
First, we’ll sear the filet to seal in the juices. Place the ribeye on a grill, griddle or frying pan over medium-high heat and press salt onto the meat. Note: You can add the salt before placing on the griddle if you like.
After one minute, flip over the ribeye using kitchen tongs.
Sear the other side for one minute. Then remove the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes so the juices can redistribute and the ribeye stays tender and moist.
Once the ribeye has rested, cut into 1-inch cubes with a sharp knife, using kitchen tongs to steady the meat.
Transfer the cubes to a plate or rimmed pan.
Add the ribeye pieces to a griddle or frying pan heated to medium-high.
Now pour the cooking oil over the meat. You can add as much as you like depending on how quickly it’s absorbed and how crispy you’d like the meat. For crispier meat, add oil as it’s absorbed.
Be sure to constantly stir the meat to ensure every side is good and crispy. This should take about 5 minutes.
Once fried, transfer back to your plate or rimmed pan.
Prepare the Garnish
Cut the cabbage in half and thinly slice only one half. Reserve the other half for another use.
Place the cabbage in a bowl of cold water to keep it crispy and to reduce the pungent taste.
After a few minutes, drain the cabbage completely and add it another bowl, along with the cilantro leaves.
Squeeze half the lime over the cabbage and cilantro, sprinkle with salt to taste and stir to combine.
Assemble and Serve
Heat the corn tortillas on a griddle or in a frying pan for about 10 seconds each side.
Place the tortilla on your serving plate.
Pile about 10 chunks of the fried ribeye on the tortilla.
Next, spoon on the salsa and top with the cabbage garnish.
Take a big, crispy bite and enjoy!
Notes
Cooking Notes
This method of cooking the meat works well fatty cuts such as ribeye because the meat will remain juicy after cooking because of the fat. It won’t work well with leaner cuts of meats which will end up too dry.
Mexican meatballs are a hot, hearty meal easy enough to pull together on any day of the week. Albondigas, which is the Spanish word for meatballs, are the stars of this dish, bathed in a thick, smoky chipotle salsa that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
How Is This Recipe Different from Mexican Meatball Soup?
While there are many albondigas soup recipes out there, our Mexican meatballs are meant to be eaten as an entrée, alongside rice, vegetables or other side dishes of your choice. That’s because the sauce is thicker than a typical soup broth.
What to Expect from This Recipe
For this recipe, you’ll pan roast and blend a few veggies, then cook the salsa to a smoky perfection. Next, mix up and roll the meatballs. Finally, you’ll cook the meatballs in the sauce, serve with your favorite side dish, spoon on some extra sauce and dig in. The flavors of the roasted vegetables, chipotle and cilantro will take you directly to the streets of Mexico!
A Surprise Inside!
We add a surprise inside our meatballs for extra flavor and protein—hard boiled egg! Note that we don’t include rice inside our meatballs because it tends to soak up too much of the salsa, giving the meatballs a sticky texture.
How the Recipe Is Structured
The recipe is broken down into three simple sections:
Preparing the Salsa
Making the Meatballs
Serving and Savoring
Let’s make a batch of albondigas!
Recipe Video
Learn How to Make Albondigas
Ingredients
For the Salsa
5 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, skin removed
4 cups beef broth (or chicken broth)
¼ white onion
1 chipotle chili (from a can of chipotle chilis)
¼ cup water
¼ cup vegetable oil
For the Meatballs
1 ¾ lbs. ground beef
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 large egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ white onion, finely chopped
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Prepare the Salsa
Roast the Vegetables
First, we’ll roast the vegetables. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the tomatoes, onions and garlic.
Roast the vegetables for 10 minutes, turning so that each side is evenly roasted. Be sure to only roast the garlic for two minutes. Any longer and it will taste bitter. Once each side has blackened and the skin on the tomatoes has blistered, remove from the heat.
Blend the Salsa
Place the veggies into your blender, along with ¼ cup of water and one chili from a can of chipotle chilies.
Blend for 30 seconds or until very smooth. You shouldn’t be able to see any pieces of tomato skin. Important: Cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel and hold the top in place as you blend. Because the vegetables are hot, the pressure could cause the top to pop off and splash the hot ingredients.
Cook the Salsa
Pour ¼ cup of vegetable oil into a large pot heated over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is very hot, slowly pour the blended salsa into the pot. The salsa might splatter as you’re pouring, so work carefully.
Next, pour in the beef broth (or chicken broth).
Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium and simmer until the tomato sauce darkens but doesn’t reduce. Meanwhile, make the meatballs.
Make the Meatballs
Make the Mixture
Dice ¼ onion and finely chop the cilantro. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, large raw egg, diced onions, breadcrumbs, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Mix all ingredients using a wooden spoon or combine with your hands. Don’t overmix, as this will make the meatballs tough.
Roll the Meatballs
Break off a chunk of ground beef and roll into a rough ball.
Make a well with your finger in the meat.
Place a chunk of hard-boiled egg in the well.
Close the well and roll into a ball.
Repeat until you’ve rolled all the ground beef into balls. These are ready to cook!
Cook the Meatballs
Using kitchen tongs, place the raw meatballs into the hot salsa.
Cook for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through so the meatballs are evenly cooked.
Now you’re ready to eat!
Serve and Savor!
Place your meatballs on a plate and spoon over the salsa.
Serve with a side of rice, bread or tortillas. So tasty!
Mexican meatballs are made with cilantro and hard boiled eggs, bathed in a thick, smoky chipotle salsa and served with a side of rice, tortillas or bread.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Blender
Large frying pan or skillet
Large pot
Mixing Bowls
Prep Bowls
Wooden spoon
Kitchen Tongs
Ingredients
For the Salsa
5Tomatoes
2Garlic clovesskin removed
4cupsBeef broth or chicken broth
¼White onion
1Chipotle chili from a can of chipotle chilis
¼cupVegetable oil
¼cupWater
For the Meatballs
1 ¾lbs.Ground beef
3Hardboiled eggschopped into ¼-inch pieces
1Large egg
¼cupBreadcrumbs
¼White onionfinely chopped
½cupCilantrofinely chopped
1tablespoonSalt
1 teaspoonBlack pepper
Instructions
Prepare the Salsa
Roast the Veggies
Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the tomatoes, onions and garlic.
Roast for 10 minutes, turning so that each side is evenly roasted. Be sure to only roast the garlic for two minutes. Any longer and it will taste bitter.
Once each side has blackened and the skin on the tomatoes has blistered, remove from the heat.
Blend the Salsa
Place the veggies into your blender, along with ¼ cup of water and one chili from a can of chipotle chilies.
Blend for 30 seconds or until very smooth. You shouldn’t be able to see any pieces of tomato skin. Important: Cover the top of the blender with a kitchen towel and hold the top in place as you blend. Because the vegetables are hot, the pressure could cause the top to pop off and splash the hot ingredients.
Cook the Salsa
Pour ¼ cup vegetable oil into a large pot heated over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is very hot, slowly pour the blended salsa into the pot. The salsa might splatter as you’re pouring, so work carefully.
Next, pour in the beef broth (or chicken broth).
Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium and simmer until the tomato sauce darkens but doesn’t reduce. Meanwhile, make the meatballs.
Make the Meatballs
Dice the ¼ onion and finely chop the cilantro.
In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, large raw egg, diced onions, breadcrumbs, cilantro, salt and pepper.
Mix all ingredients using a wooden spoon or combine with your hands.
Roll the Meatballs
Break off a chunk of ground beef and roll into a rough ball.
Make a well with your finger in the meat and place a chunk of hard boiled egg in the well.
Close the well and roll into a ball. Repeat until you’ve rolled all the ground beef into balls.
Cook the Meatballs
Using kitchen tongs, place the raw meatballs into the hot salsa.
Cook for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through so the meatballs are evenly cooked.
Serve and Savor!
Place your meatballs on a plate and spoon over the salsa.
Serve with a side of rice, bread or tortillas.
Notes
Place any leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to four days.
Freeze the meatballs and salsa together in a Ziploc bag for up to three months. Let thaw in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
More Yummy Mexican Ground Beef Recipes from the Blog
When you’re in the mood for a flavorful, satisfying Mexican meal, but short on time, these vegetarian tacos with fresh cheese hit the spot. Crispy, fried corn tortillas filled with warm cheese are topped with a refreshing cabbage slaw, perfect for a light lunch or dinner. And they’re easy enough to put on your weekly menu!
What to Expect from This Recipe
This queso fresco tacos recipe is quick, tasty and vegetarian! Queso fresco is a soft, Mexican cheese with a salty, slightly tangy flavor. Just slice a few veggies and stir up the cabbage slaw. Then fry the tortillas, add the cheese, top the tacos, and your meal is served!
How the Recipe Is Structured
This recipe is broken down into three simple sections:
Making the Cabbage Slaw
Frying the Tacos
Serving and Eating
Let’s make some Queso Fresco Tacos!
Learn How to Make Vegetarian Tacos with Fresh Cheese
Ingredients
For the Cabbage Slaw
¼ head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
¼ of an onion, finely chopped
4 chilies from a can of chilies in vinegar, finely chopped
Thinly slice the cabbage and place into a large mixing bowl. Then add the chilies.
Next, sprinkle in the oregano.
Then the salt.
Now, pour in the liquid from your chilies in vinegar.
Mix until well combined and set aside.
Make the Tacos
Fry the Tacos
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. You should have just enough oil to cover a tortilla. Carefully place the tortilla in the hot oil and fry for five seconds.
Using kitchen tongs, flip the tortilla.
Immediately add the fresh cheese while the tortilla is in the oil.
Using kitchen tongs and a spatula, carefully fold the taco in half and fry for 10-15 more seconds. Flip over one more time without letting the taco get too brown.
Drain the Tacos
Using kitchen tongs, remove the taco from the oil and let the excess oil drip off.
My first memories of Mexican buñuelos date back about 45 years to my Aunt Carmela’s house in Cuero, Texas. Originally from San Miguel de Allende in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, I remember helping my aunt dust the buñuelos with sugar in her kitchen and thinking how sweet those flat disks of fried, crispy delight would taste when I bit into them.
Warm Mexican Buñuelos in About an Hour
In Mexico, buñuelos are typically eaten during celebrations or on holidays, but some markets sell them year round. The nice thing about this authentic Mexican dessert is that you can make it at home with just a few ingredients in about an hour.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This buñuelos recipe is made with flour, sugar, baking powder, butter and salt. The dough is shaped into balls, rolled out and fried in hot oil, giving you a light and crispy treat which looks like a fried tortilla. The warm buñuelos are dusted with a sugar and cinnamon topping and drizzled with a sweet syrup made from piloncillo and cinnamon stick. Piloncillo is a raw form of pure cane sugar and its caramel-like flavor adds a special sweet touch to this traditional Mexican dessert.
How the Recipe Is Structured
The recipe is broken down into the following sections:
Making the Syrup
Mixing the Topping
Making the Dough
Shaping the Dough
Rolling the Dough
Frying the Buñuelos
Serving and Eating
So light, crispy and sweet!
Learn How to Make Buñuelos
Ingredients
For the Syrup
1 piloncillo
1 stick cinnamon
Water
For the Topping
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoon cinnamon (optional)
For the Dough
1 cup flour
1 cup water
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oil, butter or margarine, melted, room temperature
2 pinches salt
Vegetable oil for frying
Make the Syrup
Pour water into a heavy-bottomed pot and add the cinnamon stick and piloncillo. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly.
Continue stirring until the piloncillo has melted and the syrup thickens. Then set aside. You’ll pour the syrup over the buñuelos just before serving.
Mix the Topping
Pour ½ cup of sugar into a plate and add 2 tablespoon cinnamon.
Mix well and set aside. You’ll use this mixture to dust your buñuelos after frying.
Make the Dough
Melt the Butter
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.
Swirl the pan while the butter melts, ensuring it doesn’t turn brown.
Pour the melted butter into a small bowl and set aside.
Mix the Dough
Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add the baking powder, salt and sugar to the flour.
Use a fork to combine.
Pour in the melted butter.
Stir to combine.
Add a little water.
Stir the dough.
Repeat until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. If it’s too wet, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little more water. It might take you a few tries to get the dough just right. This dough looks perfect!
Shape the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and shape into a ball.
Your dough should now be shaped into a nice, round ball.
Pinch off a chunk of the dough—slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.
Roll the dough into a small ball.
Repeat until you have about 10 balls of dough.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll the Dough
Dust a flat surface or cutting board with flour and roll out the balls of dough one at a time into a completely flat, almost transparent disk. Place each onto a dry cloth.
Your buñuelos should be very thin and look like this. The edges will be a little rough. They don’t have to be perfectly rounded. Now you’re ready to fry!
Fry the Buñuelos
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Carefully slide the buñuelo into the pan with your hand. The oil might jump, so be sure to move your hand away quickly.
Use a spatula to gently submerge the buñuelo into the oil and fry until the bottom is crispy. You’ll see bubbles form on the surface of the buñuelo when it’s time to flip.
Slide the spatula under the buñuelo, and use a pair of kitchen tongs to hold the buñuelo in place as you gently flip. Be sure to only flip one time.
Fry the other side until crispy. When ready, both sides should look lightly toasted.
Using kitchen tongs, remove the buñuelo from the pan.
Place vertically side by side in a mesh sieve to drain and repeat with the remaining buñuelos.
Serve and Eat!
While the buñuelos are warm, dust each with the cinnamon and sugar topping you made previously.
Stack the buñuelos in a serving plate. Mmmm!
Serve each buñuelo in a plate and drizzle with the syrup just before eating.
Buñuelos are a light, crispy treat dusted with sugar and cinnamon, and drizzled with a sweet syrup made from piloncillo and cinnamon stick.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 10
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Mixing Bowls
Prep Plates
Sauce pan
Frying pan
fork
Spoon
Spatula
Kitchen Tongs
Rolling Pin
Mesh Sieve
Plastic Wrap
Kitchen Cloth
Ingredients
For the Syrup
1Piloncillo
1Cinammon Stick
Water
For the Topping
½cupSugar
2tablespoonCinnamon(Optional)
For the Dough
1cupFlour
1 cupWater
½teaspoonBaking powder
½teaspoonSugar
1tablespoonOil, butter or margarine, melted(Room temperature)
2pinchesSalt
Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Make the Syrup
Pour water into a heavy-bottomed pot and add the cinnamon stick and piloncillo. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly.
Continue stirring until the piloncillo has melted and the syrup thickens. Then set aside. You’ll pour the syrup over the buñuelos just before serving.
Mix the Topping
Pour ½ cup of sugar into a plate and add 2 tablespoon cinnamon.
Mix well and set aside. You’ll use this mixture to dust your buñuelos after frying.
Make the Dough
Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter.
Swirl the pan while the butter melts, ensuring it doesn’t turn brown.
Pour the melted butter into a small bowl and set aside.
Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl.
Add the baking powder, salt and sugar to the flour.
Use a fork to combine.
Pour in the melted butter and stir to combine.
Add a little water and stir.
Repeat until the dough no longer sticks to your fingers. If it’s too wet, add a little more flour. If too dry, add a little more water. It might take you a few tries to get the dough just right.
Shape the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a cutting board and shape into a ball.
Pinch off a chunk of the dough—slightly smaller than a ping pong ball.
Roll the dough into a small ball and put on a plate.
Repeat until you have about 10 balls of dough.
Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.
Roll the Dough
Dust a flat surface or cutting board with flour and roll out the balls of dough one at a time into a completely flat, almost transparent disk.
Place each onto a dry cloth. The edges will be a little rough. They don’t have to be perfectly rounded. Now you’re ready to fry!
Fry the Buñuelos
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Carefully slide the buñuelo into the pan with your hand. The oil might jump, so be sure to move your hand away quickly.
Use a spatula to gently submerge the buñuelo into the oil and fry until the bottom is crispy. You’ll see bubbles form on the surface of the buñuelo when it’s time to flip.
Slide the spatula under the buñuelo, and use a pair of kitchen tongs to hold the buñuelo in place as you gently flip. Be sure to only flip one time.
Fry the other side until crispy. When ready, both sides should look lightly toasted.
Using kitchen tongs, remove the buñuelo from the pan.
Place vertically side by side in a mesh sieve to drain and repeat with the remaining buñuelos.
Serve and Eat!
While the buñuelos are warm, dust each with the cinnamon and sugar topping you made previously.
Stack the buñuelos in a serving plate. Mmmm!
Serve each buñuelo in a plate and drizzle with the syrup just before eating.
In the Mexican culture, tamales mean bringing family and friends together, carrying on tradition and enjoying a hearty meal at home. Typically served around the holidays, tamales (or “tamal” – singular) are pudgy parcels of delight — a hot filling of chicken, beef, pork or even fruit surrounded by a spongy masa or dough made of corn flour — all wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf depending on the region.
Cook Your Own Homemade Tamales
But you don’t have to wait for the holidays or go to a restaurant to enjoy the authentic taste of the ultimate Mexican comfort food. Here we show you step-by-step how to make homemade tamales in your own kitchen.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This tamales recipe brings together shredded chicken and sautéed onions in a flavorful green sauce made with tangy tomatillos and mildly spicy Poblano chili, surrounded by corn flour dough, and wrapped in a corn husk for steaming. Tamales are a labor of love, and even though the process involves many steps, our recipe takes you through each one in detail, with photos so you can be sure you’re doing all the right things!
How the Recipe Is Structured
This tamales recipe is broken down into the following sections:
Soaking the Corn Husks
Preparing the Chicken and Broth
Making the Salsa
Preparing the Filling
Making the Masa Dough
Assembling Your Tamales
Steaming
And finally, serving and eating!
You’ll be glad you completed all the previous steps to get to these fabulous tamales!
Meet the Chef
My name is Eugenia Cárdenas and I’ve had a love of Mexican cooking since I was 10 years old. My mother would provide the cook in our house with the tastiest recipes that, for generations, had become part of our family tradition. As the chef was cooking, she would allow me to help her in the kitchen. That’s how I knew at a young age that cooking would become an important part of my life.
Eugenia Cardenas is originally from Mexico City and now lives in San Miguel de Allende, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico.
Learn How to Make Tamales Verdes
Ingredients
For the Tamales
1 package of corn husks
1 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup vegetable broth
2 cups of corn flour (also called masa harina or Maseca brand)
2 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
For the Tamale Filling
1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 lb. tomatillos
2 cups water
1 white onion
1 Poblano chili
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Soak the Corn Husks
First you’ll soak the corn husks so they soften up and will be easier to fold. Place the corn husks in a large pot of hot water.
Press the husks into the water to ensure they’re completely covered.
Soak the husks for 20 minutes, drain and set aside to dry.
Prepare the Chicken and Broth
Slice the Veggies
Thinly slice the white onion.
Stack a few slices at a time, cut slices into quarters and set aside.
Cut the garlic in slices.
Then dice and set aside.
Heat the Chicken and Veggies
Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch chunks.
Heat a pot over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil.
Add the onions.
Cook the onions over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add salt and stir.
Add the garlic and cook until onions are soft.
Next, add the chicken to the onions and garlic.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt.
Stir and cook over medium heat until the chicken has browned.
Make the Broth
Pour in the water to cover the chicken and vegetables completely. Bring to a boil and lower the heat.
Simmer for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The broth will darken as the chicken cooks. You’ll use the broth for the masa in the steps below.
When the chicken is ready, your broth will look like this.
Shred the Chicken
Drain the chicken and vegetables and reserve the chicken broth.
Separate the chicken and the vegetables into different plates.
Finely shred the chicken using your hands.
Your shredded chicken is ready! Set aside the chicken and onions for the filling.
Make the Salsa
Cut the Vegetables
Slice the tomatillos in half.
Then in quarters, and reserve.
Slice the Poblano chili lengthwise. Tip: Remember not to touch your eyes or face when working with chilis.
Remove the veins and seeds.
Your deveined chili should look nice and clean.
Slice the chili into 1” pieces.
Cook the Vegetables
Place the tomatillo quarters and the Poblano chili slices into a pot of water.
Add salt.
Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables change color.
Once cooked, drain the veggies.
Press the veggies into the strainer to be sure you remove all the broth. Reserve the broth to use in the Make the Masa step below.
Blend the Salsa
Pour the drained vegetables into your blender.
Blend until smooth.
Your salsa is now ready!
Prepare the Filling
Pour the shredded chicken into a large bowl.
Now add the cooked onions.
Next, pour the salsa over the chicken and onion mixture.
Stir to combine the filling.
Your filling is now ready. Looks tasty!
Make the Masa Dough
Blend Shortening and Dry Ingredients
Place your room-temperature vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Alternatively you could use a hand mixer or beat by hand but the stand mixer makes it so easy.
Beat until light and fluffy.
The texture of your shortening once beaten should look nice and smooth.
Pour the baking powder into the bowl with the shortening.
Add the corn flour.
Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of salt.
Mix until combined.
Mix In the Liquids
Pour in about ½ cup of the reserved vegetable broth from the Make the Salsa step above and mix until combined. Note that the liquid measurements are just a guide. Keep an eye on the dough to ensure it’s not too wet or crumbly.
Pour in ½ cup of the chicken broth little by little, being careful not to add too much liquid.
Mix until combined. The dough should be spongy, not wet. Follow the next step to test the texture of your masa. If you’ve added too much liquid, you can balance out the dough with more corn flour.
Test the Masa
Fill a glass with warm water and take a small chunk of the masa from the mixing bowl.
Drop the masa into the glass of water. If it floats, your masa is perfect! If not, beat in a little more shortening for about a minute and then test again.
Assemble Your Tamales
Trim the Corn Husks
Take your corn husks and cut straight across the top or bottom edge.
When you unfold the husk, the top edge should be wide and straight, and the bottom edge longer.
Fill the Husks
Lay a corn husk flat in your hand with the straight, wide edge facing toward you. With the other hand, scoop about 2 to 3 tablespoons of masa into the husk.
Spread the masa evenly about ⅔ across the straight edge of the husk and halfway down. You’ll need the empty space to fold the tamales over.
Scoop about a tablespoon of chicken filling and place on top of the masa in the husk.
Spread the chicken filling evenly in the center of the masa.
Fold the Tamale
Fold over one half of the corn husk toward the center to cover the filling.
Then fold over the other half. Almost finished folding!
Fold the bottom of the corn husk under your tamale.
You now have a perfectly folded tamale!
Place your folded tamale in a plate and repeat with the remaining corn husks.
Steam Your Tamales
Add a few cups of water to a steamer pot and heat until the water is hot.
Tip: Once the water is hot, drop a few coins in. If you hear the coins rattling as you heat your tamales, that means there’s enough water in the pot. Once the coins stop rattling, it’s time to add more water to the pot.
You’re now ready to place the steamer rack in the pot and heat your tamales. Alternatively you could use a stockpot with a steamer basket as long as you can get a good seal when you cover your pot.
Place your tamales into the steamer upright with the open part of the husk at the top, being careful not to crush them.
Once you’ve added all of your tamales to the steamer, cover and steam over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serve and Eat Your Tamales!
Your tamales are now ready to eat! Serve with a side of white rice or beans, or eat them as they are. They’re a perfect main dish accompanied by a nice, warm atole drink. Enjoy!
This tamales verdes recipe brings together shredded chicken and sautéed onions in a flavorful green sauce made with tangy tomatillos and mildly spicy Poblano chili, surrounded by a corn flour dough — all wrapped in a corn husk for steaming.
Prep Time45 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Calories: 531kcal
Author: Eugenia Cárdenas
Equipment
Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
Mixing Bowls
Prep Bowls
Prep Plates
Wooden spoon
Blender
Sauce pan
Large pot
Steamer with Basket
Kitchen Knives
Scissors
Mesh Strainer
Measuring Cup
Tall Glass
Coins
Ingredients
For the Tamales
1Package of corn husks
1cupVegetable shorteningRoom temperature
½cupChicken brothMade in this recipe
½cupVegetable brothMade in this recipe
2cupsCorn flour (also called masa harina, masa flour, or Maseca brand)
2tablespoonBaking powder
1tablespoonSalt
For the Tamale Filling
1Chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1lb.Tomatillos
2cupsWater
1White onion
1Poblano chili
1cloveGarlic
1tablespoonSalt
1teaspoonPepper
Instructions
Soak the Corn Husks
First you’ll soak the corn husks so they soften up and will be easier to fold. Place the corn husks in a large pot of hot water.
Press the husks into the water to ensure they’re completely covered.
Soak the husks for 20 minutes, drain and set aside to dry.
Prepare Chicken and Broth
Thinly slice the white onion. Stack a few slices at a time, cut slices into quarters and set aside.
Slice and dice the garlic.
Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch chunks.
Heat a pot over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil.
Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Add salt, then the garlic and cook until onions are soft.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Stir and cook over medium heat until the chicken has browned.
Next, pour in the water to cover the chicken and vegetables completely. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The broth will darken as the chicken cooks.
Drain the chicken and vegetables and reserve the chicken broth for use in the masa.
Separate the chicken and the vegetables into different plates and finely shred the chicken with your hands.
Set aside the chicken and onions for the filling.
Make the Salsa
Slice and quarter the tomatillos.
Slice the Poblano chili lengthwise, remove the veins and seeds, and cut into 1-inch slices.
Place the tomatillo quarters and the Poblano chili slices into a pot of water and add salt.
Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables change color.
Once cooked, drain the veggies by pressing into the strainer to be sure you remove all the broth. Reserve the broth to use in the Make the Masa step below.
Pour the drained vegetables into your blender and blend until smooth.
Prepare the Filling
Pour the shredded chicken into a large bowl and add the onions.
Next, pour the salsa over the chicken and onion mixture and stir to combine. Your filling is now ready!
Make the Masa
Place your room-temperature vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Alternatively you could use a hand mixer or beat by hand.
Beat until light and fluffy.
Pour the baking powder into the bowl with the shortening.
Then add the corn flour.
Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of salt and mix until combined.
Pour in about ½ cup of the reserved vegetable broth from the Make the Salsa step above and mix until combined. Note that the liquid measurements are just a guide. Keep an eye on the dough to ensure it’s not too wet or crumbly.
Pour in ½ cup of the chicken broth little by little, being careful not to add too much liquid.
Mix until combined. The dough should be spongy, not wet. Follow the next step to test the texture of your masa. If you’ve added too much liquid, you can balance out the dough with more corn flour.
Test the Masa
Fill a glass with warm water and take a small chunk of the masa from the mixing bowl.
Drop the masa into the glass of water. If it floats, your masa is perfect! If not, beat in a little more shortening for about a minute and then test again.
Assemble Your Tamales
Take your corn husks and cut straight across the top or bottom edge.
When you unfold the husk, the top edge should be wide and straight, and the bottom edge longer.
Lay a corn husk flat in your hand with the straight, wide edge facing toward you. With the other hand, scoop about 2 to 3 tablespoons of masa into the husk.
Spread the masa evenly about ⅔ across the straight edge of the husk and halfway down. You’ll need the empty space to fold the tamales over.
Scoop about a tablespoon of chicken filling and place on top of the masa in the husk. Spread evenly in the center of the dough.
Fold over one half of the corn husk toward the center to cover the filling, then fold over the other half.
Fold the bottom of the corn husk under your tamale. You now have a perfectly folded tamale!
Place your folded tamale in a plate and repeat with the remaining corn husks.
Steam Your Tamales
Add a few cups of water to a steamer pot and heat until the water is hot.
Tip: Once the water is hot, drop a few coins in. If you hear the coins rattling as you heat your tamales, that means there’s enough water in the pot. Once the coins stop rattling, it’s time to add more water to the pot.
You’re now ready to place the steamer rack in the pot and heat your tamales. Alternatively you could use a stockpot with a steamer basket as long as you can get a good seal when you cover your pot.
Place your tamales into the steamer upright with the open part of the husk at the top, being careful not to crush them.
Once you’ve added all of your tamales to the steamer, cover and steam over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serve and Eat Your Tamales!
Your tamales are now ready to eat! Serve with a side of white rice or beans, or eat them as they are. Enjoy!
Notes
You can freeze your uncooked tamales in freezer bag to eat later for up to six months. When ready to eat, thaw and steam as directed in the recipe.
When you’re craving a light, refreshing salad, look no further than salpicón. A cold Mexican salad made with shredded beef, chicken or fish, you can serve salpicón as a main dish on tostadas, or on the side of your favorite Mexican meal. Our salpicón recipe is prepared with beef and makes a whole bowl, so invite your friends over to share!
What to Expect from This Recipe
This salpicón recipe combines shredded beef, pickled chili peppers (or chiles en vinagre), lettuce, tomato, avocado, panela cheese and a squeeze of lime for just the right tang. Just cook and shred the beef, chop the veggies, and toss it in a bowl. It’s an impressive dish without all the prep time.
Learn How to Make Salpicón
Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 ¼ pound skirt steak
4 Roma tomatoes, finely chopped
½ head iceberg or Romaine lettuce
3 limes
2 avocados
½ cup pickled chilis (chiles en vinagre)
4 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
⅓ red onion, finely chopped
4 ozs panela cheese, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the Beef
Slice the beef against the grain into 1-inch chunks.
Fill a pan halfway with water and add the sliced beef. Cook over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Chop the Veggies
While the beef is cooking, finely chop the garlic and put in a small prep bowl.
Finely chop the red onion and set aside.
Finely chop the parsley and place in a separate prep bowl.
Chop the lettuce and place in a large mixing bowl. You’ll use this bowl to mix the salad.
Chop the tomatoes and place in a separate prep bowl. Do the same with the pickled chilis.
Chop and Shred the Remaining Ingredients
Cut the avocado in half, around the pit. Score each half into squares.
Scoop the avocado into a bowl.
Shred the panela cheese into a plate and set aside.
Shred the Beef
After cooking the beef, the water will reduce and the broth will darken. It should look like this in the pan.
Remove the beef from the broth and shred using a knife and fork. You can let it cool and shred with your hands, but it will be easier to shred while hot.
Assemble Your Salad
Start with your large bowl of shredded lettuce.
Add the shredded beef.
Add the chopped onion.
Scoop in the avocado.
Spoon in the chopped tomatoes.
Sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
Add the pickled chilis.
Sprinkle in the parsley.
Then the garlic.
Top With Spices, Lime and Oil
Sprinkle in the pepper.
Then the salt.
Squeeze in the limes.
Finally, pour in the olive oil.
Toss and Serve
Carefully toss all ingredients in the mixing bowl, being careful not to crush the avocado.
Mmmm! Can’t wait to taste that salpicón!
Serve as a side salad or on your favorite tostadas for a crunchy, tasty treat!
Salpicón is a light, refreshing Mexican salad made with shredded beef, pickled chilis (or chiles en vinagre), lettuce, tomato, avocado, panela cheese and a squeeze of lime for just the right tang.
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Calories: 429kcal
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowls
Cheese Grater
Plate
Serving spoon or tongs
Large pot
Fork and Knife
Ingredients
¼cupOlive oil
1 ¼lbSkirt steak
4Roma tomatoesFinely chopped
½headIceberg or Romaine lettuce
3Limes
2Avocados
½cup Pickled chilis (chiles en vinagre)
4tablespoonParsleyFinely chopped
⅓Red onionFinely chopped
4ozsPanela cheeseGrated
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Beef
Slice the beef against the grain into 1-inch chunks.
Fill a pan halfway with water and add the sliced beef. Cook over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Chop the Veggies
While the beef is cooking, finely chop the garlic, red onion and parsley and put into separate prep bowls.
Chop the lettuce and place in a large mixing bowl. You’ll use this bowl to mix the salad.
Chop the tomatoes and place into another bowl. Do the same with the pickled chilis.
Chop and Shred Remaining Ingredients
Cut the avocado in half, around the pit. Score each half into squares and then scoop the avocado into a bowl.
Shred the panela cheese into a plate and set aside.
Shred the Beef
After cooking the beef, the water will reduce and the broth will darken.
Remove the beef from the broth and shred using a knife and fork. You can let it cool and shred with your hands, but it will be easier to shred while hot.
Assemble Your Salad
Start with your large bowl of shredded lettuce.
Add the shredded beef, then the chopped onion.
Scoop in the avocado and spoon in the chopped tomatoes.
Sprinkle on the shredded cheese.
Add the pickled chilis, then sprinkle in the parsley and garlic.
Top with Spices, Lime and Oil
Sprinkle in the pepper and salt.
Squeeze in the limes.
Finally, pour in the olive oil.
Toss and Serve
Carefully toss all ingredients in the mixing bowl, being careful not to crush the avocado.
Serve as a side salad or on your favorite tostadas for a crunchy, tasty treat!
Mole Poblano is a thick, rich red or brown sauce made with chilis, fruit, nuts, seeds and Mexican chocolate. While there are many different types of mole made throughout Mexico, mole poblano hails from Puebla, a region famous for its culinary delights, colonial architecture and Talavera pottery.
Frequently served during Mexican celebrations, you can bring the flavors of this classic dish into your home by following our step-by-step mole poblano recipe.
What to Expect from This Recipe
The sweet and spicy flavors in mole poblano are a perfect combination to serve over all kinds of dishes, including chicken, beef and even enchiladas (also called enmoladas). While this mole poblano recipe takes a little longer to make than other Mexican dishes, it’s well worth the wait. And there’s minimal chopping involved!
You’ll start by boiling the chicken. Next, you’ll make the mole sauce. After preparing the chilis and chopping the onions and bread, you’ll alternate frying and draining the ingredients in the lard. Then you’ll toast the seeds and spices, blend it all up, and spoon over your chicken!
Note: If you’re pressed for time and have a Mexican market near you, you can always work with a store-bought mole paste. But be sure to give this recipe a try when you have more time. There’s nothing like homemade!
Learn How to Make Mole Poblano
Ingredients
For the Chicken
1 chicken cut into pieces
8 cups of water
For the Mole Sauce
1 corn tortilla
1 slice of day-old bread
1 ½ cup dried chilies (ancho, mulato, pasilla) lightly fried in oil
1 small white onion
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup raisins
1 cup peanuts
1 cup almonds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves, whole
3 large black peppercorns, or 5 small
1 disc of Mexican table chocolate
4 cups chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 ½ tablespoon vegetable or pork lard
2 tablespoon salt
* The amount of salt listed here is only a suggestion. Many times you’ll need to add more salt — a little at a time until you get just the right flavor.
Prepare the Chicken
Place the chicken into a large cooking pot and pour in water to cover the chicken about an inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink inside.
Make the Mole Sauce
Fry the Chilis
Before we blend the chilis, we lightly fry them in lard to make sure they don’t taste bitter. First, cut the tops off the dried chilis, and remove the seeds and veins.
Place a large pot over medium-high heat. A clay pot will give you the best flavor, but if you don’t have one, just use any large pot. Add 2 tablespoons of lard to the pot.
Wait for the lard to melt.
Add the dried chilis to the pot in batches. You may see some of the chile seeds you missed release into the oil.
Cook over medium heat for about a minute, drain and reserve the chilis.
Blend the Chili Purée
Add the fried chilis to the blender or food processor.
Set the blender on purée and blend the chilis into a paste.
Periodically press the chilis down into the blender to ensure a smooth paste.
Your chili paste should be a deep red color with a nice, smooth consistency.
Fry the Nuts and Seeds
Heat the same large pot over medium-high heat and add another tablespoon of lard.
Once melted, lower the heat to medium and pour the almonds into the pot.
Next, add the peanuts to the pot.
Then, the pumpkin seeds. Stir carefully as the pumpkin seeds tend to pop as they plump up.
Stir constantly while toasting the nuts and seeds.
Once the seeds have darkened (about two minutes), use a strainer to drain the nuts and seeds. You’ll be left with the juices that the nuts and seeds have released in the pot.
Pour the drained nuts and seeds into a bowl and set aside.
Fry the Bread and Garlic
Add the bread to the pot and fry for one minute.
Stir constantly while cooking the bread.
Once the bread has turned dark brown, remove from the pot with kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
Next, add the three peeled garlic cloves to the pot.
Once the garlic has darkened, drain, remove from the pot and set aside.
Fry the Cinnamon and Raisins
Add the cinnamon stick to the same pot.
Once the stick has darkened, remove and set aside.
Add the raisins to the pot.
Fry the raisins for about 30 seconds or until plump.
Drain raisins in a strainer and set aside.
Fry the Tortilla
Add the tortilla to the liquid in the pot.
Heat the tortilla for 10 seconds, flip and heat another 10 seconds.
Remove tortilla with tongs, let excess liquid drip into the pot and set aside.
Carefully pour the liquid from the pot into a bowl and set aside.
Toast the Seeds and Spices
Add the sesame seeds to the pot.
Stir and toast the seeds for about 30 seconds.
Next, add the peppercorns, cloves and coriander seeds.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the seeds and spices have darkened.
Blend the Mole Paste
Once the seeds and spices have toasted, transfer to a blender.
Break up the fried tortilla and add to the blender.
Add toasted bread to the blender.
Pour in the cooked raisins.
Add the fried cinnamon stick and garlic cloves.
Sprinkle in the salt.
Add in half of the toasted nuts and seeds.
Purée the ingredients.
Add chicken broth as needed to make a paste.
Your paste should be a deep reddish brown color. Looking good!
Pour the paste into a bowl and set aside
Blend Another Batch!
Add the remaining toasted nuts and seeds to the blender.
Blend the nuts and seeds.
Press the mixture down to ensure a smooth paste.
Your paste should look like this. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Fry and Blend the Onions
Cut the onion into slices and then heat ½ tablespoon of lard in your pot.
Once the lard has melted, add the sliced onions.
Sauté the onions until golden brown.
Transfer onions to the blender and blend until smooth.
Cook the Mole Sauce
Pour the second batch of seed and nut paste into the pot.
Next, pour in the half of the first batch of mole paste.
Stir to combine.
Break up the tablet of Mexican chocolate and add to the pot.
Stir to combine.
Add the chicken bouillon cubes and stir until cubes melt.
Add the other half of the mole paste to the pot.
Add chicken stock to thin out the paste and stir.
Your sauce should have a medium consistency — not too thick and not too runny.
Sprinkle in more salt.
Simmer the mole sauce over medium heat until reduced by about an inch.
Serving Mole Poblano with Bone-In Chicken
Add the cooked chicken to the pot with the mole sauce and turn to cover with the sauce. If you prefer to serve over shredded chicken instead, skip down to the next section.
Place a piece of chicken on the plate, spoon over more sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Your chicken with mole is ready to eat!
Serving Mole Poblano with Shredded Chicken
Separate the meat from some of your cooked chicken pieces and add to a plate. Spoon over the mole sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
You’re ready to dig into your mole poblano with shredded chicken! So good!
Mole Poblano is a thick, rich red or brown sauce made with chilis, fruit, nuts, seeds and Mexican chocolate. It's the perfect mix of sweet and spicy for topping chicken, meat or enchiladas.
Total Time2 hourshrs
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Blender
Kitchen spoon
mixing bowl
Serving bowl
Large pot or Dutch oven
kitchen tongs or spatula
Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
For the Chicken
1Whole chicken cut into pieces
8cupsWater
For the Mole Sauce
1Corn Tortilla
1Slice day-old bread
1 ½cupDried chilis (mulato, pasilla or ancho chiles)
1Small white onion
3Garlic cloves, peeled
1cupRaisins
1cupAlmonds
1cup Peanuts
½ cupPumpkin seeds
½ cupSesame seeds
¼teaspoonCoriander seeds
1Cinnamon stick
2Cloves, whole
3Large black peppercorns, or 5 small
1discMexican table chocolate
4cupsChicken broth
2Chicken bouillon cubes
3 ½tablespoonVegetable or pork lard
2tablespoonSalt
Instructions
For the Chicken
Place the chicken into a large cooking pot and pour in water to cover the chicken about an inch.
Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until no longer pink inside.
For the Mole Sauce
Fry the Chilis
Before we blend the chilis, we lightly fry them in lard or oil to make sure they don’t taste bitter. First, cut the tops off the dried chilis, and remove the seeds and veins.
Place a large pot over medium-high heat. A clay pot will give you the best flavor, but if you don’t have one, just use any large pot. Add the lard or cooking oil to the pot and wait for it to melt.
Add the dried chilis to the pot in batches. You may see some of the chile seeds you missed release from the chilis in the oil.
Add the dried chilis to the pot in batches. You may see some of the chile seeds you missed release from the chilis in the oil.
Cook over medium heat for about a minute, drain and reserve the chilis.
Blend the Chili Purée
Add the fried chilis to the blender or food processor.
Set the blender on purée and blend the chilis into a paste, pressing down on the chilis periodically to ensure a smooth paste.
Your chili paste should be a deep red color, and nice and smooth.
Fry the Nuts and Seeds
Heat the same large pot over medium-high heat and add another tablespoon of lard.
Once melted or heated, lower the heat to medium and pour the almonds into the pot, followed by the peanuts and pumpkin seeds.
Stir constantly while toasting the nuts and seeds.
Once the seeds have darkened (about two minutes), use a strainer to drain the nuts and seeds. You’ll be left with the juices that the nuts and seeds have released in the pot.
Pour the drained nuts and seeds into a bowl and set aside.
Fry the Bread and Garlic
Add the bread to the pot and fry for one minute.
Stir constantly while cooking the bread.
Once the bread has turned dark brown, remove from the pot with kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
Next, add the three peeled garlic cloves to the pot.
Once the garlic has darkened, drain, remove from the pot and set aside.
Fry the Cinnamon and Raisins
Add the cinnamon stick to the same pot.
Once the stick has darkened, remove and set aside.
Add the raisins to the pot and fry for about 30 seconds, or until plump.
Drain raisins in a strainer and set aside.
Fry the Tortilla
Add the tortilla to the liquid in the pot.
Heat the tortilla for 10 seconds, flip and heat another 10 seconds.
Remove tortilla with tongs, let excess liquid drip into the pot and set aside.
Carefully pour the liquid from the pot into a bowl and set aside.
Toast the Seeds and Spices
Add the sesame seeds to the pot and toast for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Next, add the peppercorns, cloves and coriander seeds.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the seeds and spices have darkened.
Blend the Mole Paste
Once the seeds and spices have toasted, transfer to a blender.
Break up the fried tortilla and add to the blender.
Add the toasted bread, cooked raisins, fried cinnamon stick and garlic cloves.
Sprinkle in the salt, then add in half of the toasted nuts and seeds.
Purée the ingredients, adding chicken broth as needed to make a paste.
Your paste should be a deep reddish brown color.
Pour the paste into a bowl and set aside.
Blend Another Batch!
Add the remaining toasted nuts and seeds to the blender.
Blend the nuts and seeds, pressing down the mixture periodically to ensure a smooth paste.
Transfer the paste to a large bowl and set aside.
Fry and Blend the Onions
Cut the onion into slices and then heat ½ tablespoon of lard in your pot.
Once the lard has melted, add the sliced onions.
Sauté the onions until golden brown and then transfer to the blender. Blend until smooth.
Cook the Mole Sauce
Pour the second batch of seed and nut paste into your pot.
Next, pour in the half of the first batch of mole paste and stir to combine.
Break up the tablet of Mexican chocolate, add to the pot and stir to combine.
Add the chicken bouillon cubes and stir until cubes melt.
Add the other half of the mole paste to the pot and stir, pouring in chicken stock until you've reached the desired consistency. Your mole should be of medium consistency — not too thick, not too runny.
Sprinkle in more salt, then simmer the mole sauce over medium heat until reduced by about an inch.
Serve Mole Poblano with Bone-In Chicken
Add the cooked chicken to the pot with the mole sauce and turn to cover with the sauce. If you prefer to serve over shredded chicken instead, skip down to the next section.
Place a piece of chicken on the plate, spoon over more sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Your chicken with mole is ready to eat!
Serve Mole Poblano with Shredded Chicken
Separate the meat from some of your cooked chicken pieces and add to a plate. Spoon over the mole sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
You’re ready to dig into your mole poblano with shredded chicken! So good!
Mango salsa is a chunky, fruity salsa with just the right touch of spice — perfect for topping your favorite tortilla chips, tacos or chicken dish. And it couldn’t be easier to make. Just chop, squeeze and stir, and in 15 minutes you have heaven in a bowl.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This mango salsa recipe brings together sweet mangos, tangy lime juice, spicy jalapeños and creamy avocados for the ultimate chunky salsa fusion. Served cold, it’s a great summer salsa you can serve with appetizers or your main dish. Cooking and cleanup is fast, too. Mix and serve in the same bowl!
Place the mango on its side on a cutting board with the stem facing away from you. Cut in half, being careful to cut around the pit. Repeat the cut on the other side so you’re left with two halves. Cut the remaining mangos in the same way.
For each half, use a kitchen knife to score the mango into squares.
Use a spoon to scoop the mango out of the skin into a mixing bowl.
Prepare the Onion and Jalapeño
Finely mince the red onion and add to the bowl with the mango.
Cut the top off of the jalapeño. Then slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins. Remember not to touch your eyes or face when working with chilis. If you’re sensitive to chilis, you might want to wear gloves for this step.
Finely chop the jalapeños and add to the bowl with the mango and onion.
Chop the Remaining Ingredients
Cut the avocado in half, around the pit. Score each half into squares the same way you did with the mango and scoop into the same bowl.
Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem.
Finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.
Add the Finishing Touches
Squeeze the lime on the salsa.
Sprinkle on the salt.
Stir the salsa gently, being careful not to crush the mango or avocado.
Serve Your Salsa
Serve immediately and save time by serving your salsa in the same bowl you used to do the prep. Pile onto a tortilla chip and enjoy!
Mango salsa is a chunky, fruity salsa with just the right touch of spice — perfect for topping your favorite tortilla chips, tacos or chicken dish.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
mixing bowl
Kitchen spoon
Ingredients
3Mangos, dicedmedium ripe
1Avocado, diced
½Red onion, chopped
¼cupFresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1Jalapeño, seeded and minced
2Limes, juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
Instructions
Dice the Mango
Place the mango on its side on a cutting board with the stem facing away from you. Cut in half, being careful to cut around the pit.Repeat the cut on the other side so you’re left with two halves. Cut the remaining mangos in the same way.
For each half, use a kitchen knife to score the mango into squares.
Use a spoon to scoop the mango out of the skin into a mixing bowl.
Prepare the Onion and Jalapeño
Mince the red onion and add to the bowl with the mango.
Cut the top off of the jalapeño. Then slice in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins. Remember not to touch your eyes or face when working with chilis. If you’re sensitive to chilis, you might want to wear gloves for this step.
Finely chop the jalapeños and add to the bowl with the mango and red onion.
Chop Remaining Ingredients
Cut the avocado in half, around the pit. Score each half into squares the same way you did with the mango and scoop into the same bowl.
Remove the cilantro leaves from the stem.
Finely chop the cilantro and add to the bowl.
Add Finishing Touches
Squeeze the lime on the salsa.
Sprinkle on the salt.
Stir the salsa gently, being careful not to crush the mango or avocado
Serve Your Salsa
Save time by serving your salsa in the same prep bowl.
Chipotle salsa is one of my favorite, smoky salsas. It goes with everything — from beef and chicken to tacos and eggs. Made with canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, this chipotle salsa recipe is one of the easiest, tastiest you’ll ever make!
What to Expect from This Recipe
Our homemade chipotle salsa recipe is made with pan-roasted tomatoes, onion and garlic. It’s blended and cooked to a smoky, slightly spicy perfection. You’ll need some canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, which you can find in any Mexican grocery store or online. The adobo makes this salsa a bold companion to many dishes.
If you’re looking for a fiery-hot, yet fruity salsa for your chicken, fish or pork dish, then this pineapple salsa recipe is for you. Made with one of the hottest types of chilis in Mexico — the habanero — this salsa de piña packs on the heat and the flavor, bringing your everyday dishes to life!
What to Expect from This Recipe
This uncooked salsa made with fresh pineapples and habanero chilis, is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy (heavy on the spicy!). But, if you prefer less heat, simply use fewer habaneros. The recipe calls for two, but you can use one, a half or even less depending on your taste.
This easy pineapple habanero salsa recipe comes together in only 15 minutes. Simply chop the ingredients, squeeze a couple of limes, throw it all in the blender, and you’ve got yourself a beautiful, tasty topping for your next meal.
Learn How to Make Pineapple Habanero Salsa
Ingredients
1 lb. fresh pineapple chunks
2 habanero chili peppers, seeds removed and deveined
½ red onion
¼ cup cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic
2 limes, juice only (Key limes are best)
½ teaspoon salt*
How Much Salt?
* Start with ½ teaspoon salt. If your salsa tastes a little flat, add a little salt at a time and taste until the flavor pops. Many times you’ll need to add more salt than you think.
Prepare and Chop the Ingredients
Pineapples: Peel and cut the pineapple into chunks. You’ll only use 1 lb. for this recipe. Save the rest in the refrigerator for another use.
Chilis: Carefully cut the habanero chilis in half lengthwise and use the knife to remove the seeds and veins. Then set aside. Note that these chilis are very hot.
Do not touch your eyes or face after handling the chilis because you may get burned. If you’re sensitive to working with chilis, we recommend you wear gloves. Also, if you prefer a little less heat, use only one chili or less.
Cilantro: Pull the cilantro leaves from the stem and place into a small bowl.
Onion and Garlic: Chop the onion and quarter the garlic clove.
Limes: Squeeze the juice from the two limes into a small bowl and set aside, removing any seeds that may have fallen into the juice.
Blend the Salsa
Add all of the ingredients to the blender and blend for 15 seconds, or until the ingredients are combined.
Your salsa should be smooth with a nice, yellow color.
Don’t skip this step: Let the salsa sit for two hours so the flavors can meld.
Serve the Salsa
Once you’ve allowed the flavors in your salsa to meld, serve your pineapple salsa at room temperature. Don’t serve it cold or it will taste flat.
Enjoy your salsa on fish, tamales, shrimp, chicken and pork. Because this salsa is so sweet, it’s not a good dip for chips, so stick with it as a topping for main dishes. Let us know what you topped with your salsa and how it tasted!
Made with fresh pineapples and habanero chilis, this salsa is the perfect combination of sweet and spicy to top your chicken, fish or pork dish.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: pineapple salsa
Servings: 6people
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Prep Bowls
Blender
Serving bowl
Ingredients
1lbfresh pineapple chunks
2habanero chilisseeds removed and deveined (This salsa is very hot. For a milder taste, use only 1 chili.)
½ red onion
¼cupcilantro leaves
1clovegarlic
2limesjuice only (Key limes are best)
½teaspoonsaltIf the flavor doesn't pop, keep adding salt and tasting until it does.
Instructions
Prepare and Chop the Ingredients
Pineapples: Peel and cut the pineapple into chunks. You’ll only use 1 lb. for this recipe. Save the rest in the refrigerator for another use.
Chilis: Carefully cut the habanero chilis in half lengthwise and use the knife to remove the seeds and veins. Then set aside. Note that these chilis are very hot. Do not touch your eyes or face after handling the chilis because you may get burned. If you’re sensitive to working with chilis, we recommend you wear gloves. Also, if want a little less spice, use only one chili or less.
Onion and Garlic: Chop the onion and quarter the garlic clove.
Cilantro: Pull the cilantro leaves from the stem and place into a small bowl.
Lemons: Squeeze the juice from the two lemons into a small bowl and set aside, removing any seeds that may have fallen into the juice.
Blend the Salsa
Add all of the ingredients to the blender and blend for 15 seconds, or until the ingredients are combined. Your salsa will have a nice, yellow color.
Let the salsa sit for two hours so the flavors can meld.
Serve the Salsa
Once the flavors have had a chance to meld, serve your pineapple salsa at room temperature. If you serve it cold, it will taste flat.
Enjoy your salsa on fish, tamales, shrimp, chicken and pork. Because this salsa is so sweet, it’s not a good dip for chips, so stick with it as a topping for main dishes.
Notes
Serve your salsa at room temperature for the best flavor.
For a milder salsa, use only one chili.
The amount of salt in the recipe is only a guide. Keep adding salt and tasting until the flavor pops.
Champurrado is the chocolate version of atole, a hot Mexican drink that dates back to the Aztecs in pre-Hispanic times. Thickened with masa (dough) or corn flour, this rich chocolate drink is served during Day of the Dead celebrations and Christmas posadas in Mexico. But you can make it any day you like. We’ll teach you how.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This authentic champurrado recipe is made with water, Mexican chocolate, masa or corn flour, cinnamon and piloncillo—a sweet, smoky sugar made from crushed sugar cane. The masa is mixed with water to add thickness to the drink, and all ingredients are then heated on the stove top for a delicious chocolatey drink in less than 30 minutes.
Shopping for Ingredients
Most ingredients in this recipe can be found in your local grocery store or a Mexican grocery. Popular brands of Mexican chocolate include Ibarra and Abuelita, while Maseca is a favorite brand of masa harina. This is the same kind of flour used to make corn tortillas and tamales.
Learn How to Make Champurrado
Ingredients
8 cups of water
2 ozs. piloncillo or ½ cup of sugar (optional)
1 cinnamon stick
2 Mexican chocolate tablets (6 ½ ozs.)
1 ⅓ cup of masa (or substitute ¾ cups corn flour)
Prepare the Masa Mixture
A mixture of water and masa gives champurrado its thick consistency. If you don’t have masa, you can substitute masa harina (dough flour), or corn flour. Place the masa in a large bowl and cover with 2 cups of warm water.
With a fork, mash the masa and then begin whisking the mixture until the masa is dissolved and the liquid is smooth, not grainy. This should take about 10 minutes by hand.
If you have a blender, you can speed up this step by blending on high speed for about 30 seconds. Much faster!
Pour the masa mixture back in the bowl if using a blender, and reserve.
Heat the Chocolate
Pour six cups of water into a pot and add the piloncillo. If you don’t have piloncillo, you can use sugar or brown sugar instead.
Add the cinnamon stick and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low.
Using a whisk or molinillo, a Mexican wooden whisk, stir until the piloncillo has melted—about 10 minutes. If you’re using granulated or brown sugar, it will dissolve faster.
Once the piloncillo has dissolved, add the chocolate tablets to the pot.
Mix until the chocolate melts.
Next, pour the masa mixture into the pot.
Increase the temperature to high heat and stir constantly for about 5 minutes.
And, your champurrado is ready! This looks perfect, but if you’d like a thicker drink, simply add more masa mixture. Keep in mind that the drink will thicken as it cools.
Serving Champurrado
This decadent chocolate drink is typically served with tamales, but it’s also served as a main breakfast dish in many Mexican homes, as it’s quite filling and satisfying. Ladle into mugs and serve hot alongside pan dulce, pan de muerto, churros or any of your favorite Mexican food.
Champurrado is a thick Mexican chocolate drink thickened with masa or corn flour, sweetened with piloncillo and spiced with cinnamon. It's served during Mexican holidays, and sometimes even as a main breakfast dish.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time15 minutesmins
Total Time25 minutesmins
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Atole Drink, Chocolate Drink
Servings: 6people
Calories: 128kcal
Author: Lori Alcalá
Equipment
Medium pot
Molinillo ( Mexican wooden whisk)
fork
Kitchen spoon
Ingredients
8cupswater
2ozs.piloncilloor ½ cup sugar
1stickcinnamon
6 ½ozs.Mexican chocolate2 tablets
1 ⅓cupmasaor ¾ cups corn flour
Instructions
Place the masa in a large bowl and cover with 2 cups of warm water. With a fork, mash the masa and then begin whisking the mixture until the masa is dissolved and the liquid is smooth, not grainy.If you have a blender, you can speed up this step by blending on high speed for about 30 seconds. Pour the masa mixture back in the bowl if using a blender, and reserve.
Pour six cups of water into a pot and add the piloncillo. Add the cinnamon stick and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low.
Using a whisk or molinillo, a Mexican wooden whisk, stir until the piloncillo has melted—about 10 minutes.
Once the piloncillo has dissolved, add the chocolate tablets to the pot. Mix until the chocolate melts.
Next, pour the masa mixture into the pot. Increase the temperature to high heat and stir constantly for about 5 minutes.
Mexican shrimp skewers is a flavorful, easy recipe you can throw together quickly, even on a weeknight. Kids and grownups alike will be lining up for seconds of this mild shrimp dish that’s fun to cook and eat.
What to Expect from This Recipe
This shrimp recipe features a very mild guajillo chili sauce made with toasted chilis and other ingredients you can pick up at the grocery store: garlic, onion, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, water and oregano. Blend the sauce, marinade the shrimp and heat on the griddle rather than sauté for a toasty, tasty dish.
Learn How to Make Mexican Shrimp Skewers
Ingredients
2 ¼ lbs medium shrimp, heads on or off
¼ white onion, diced
8 guajillo chilis
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup cold water
1 tablespoon oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Prepare the Chilis
Cut the tops off the chilis and slice lengthwise to remove the veins and seeds.
Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Place the chilis on the griddle and toast 3 minutes.
Flip the chilis over and toast 3 minutes on the other side.
When the chilis start to smell nice and toasty, remove from the heat and place them in a bowl of water for about 15 minutes to soak and soften. Softer chilis are easier to blend and won’t break while blending like dry, brittle chilis.
Make the Sauce
Once chilis are softened, add them to the blender, along with ¼ cup of the soaking water, onion, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.
Purée until the mixture forms a paste. Empty into a bowl and set aside.
Clean the Shrimp
For the freshest tasting dish, you need to start with the cleanest shrimp. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut along the back of the shrimp, from head to tail. Then use the point of the knife to remove the vein.
As you clean each shrimp, place in a bowl of water until all shrimp have been cleaned and soaked in water.
Prepare to Cook
Drain the shrimp and place in a clean large bowl. Cover with the reserved guajillo chili mixture.
Use a large spoon to mix the shrimp, making sure every prawn is covered with the mixture.
Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for two hours.
Skewer and Heat
Once the shrimp have marinated, remove from the refrigerator and get your skewers ready.
Insert the skewer into the center of the first shrimp and push to the top.
Follow with two more shrimp. We recommend no more than three shrimp per skewer.
Preheat your griddle or frying pan to medium-high heat. Then add the shrimp skewers and cook for three minutes.
Look how beautifully that sauce drenches the shrimp.
After three minutes, flip the shrimp and cook another three minutes. Getting toasty!
Serving Mexican Shrimp Skewers
Serve your shrimp skewers with rice, salad or as an appetizer. For a tangy taste, add lime juice and mayonnaise and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro. The kids will love it!
More Ways to Serve Mexican Shrimp
Sauté sliced bell peppers and jalapeño peppers, add your cooked shrimp, scoop into warm flour tortillas and top with sour cream for the ultimate shrimp fajitas.
Serve with our authentic guacamole or a side of veggies, like sautéed zucchini.
Serve with a side of quinoa or brown rice and black beans for a nutrition boost.
This shrimp recipe features a very mild guajillo chili sauce made with toasted chilis, garlic, onion, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, water and oregano. Blend the sauce, marinade the shrimp and heat on the griddle for a toasty, tasty dish.
Total Time2 hourshrs15 minutesmins
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 8
Author: Douglas Cullen
Equipment
Blender
mixing bowl
Kitchen spoon
Wooden skewers
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Griddle or frying pan
Ingredients
2 ¼lbsmedium shrimp, heads on or offuncooked
¼white oniondiced
8guajillo chilis
2 cloves garlic
2tablespoonolive oil
¼cupapple cider vinegar
¼cupcold water
1tablespoonoregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Chilis
Cut the tops off the chilis and slice lengthwise to remove the veins and seeds.
Preheat a griddle over medium heat. Place the chilis on the griddle and toast 3 minutes.
Flip the chilis over and toast 3 minutes on the other side.
When the chilis start to smell nice and toasty, remove from the heat and place them in a bowl of water for about 15 minutes to soak and soften. Softer chilis are easier to blend and won’t break while blending like dry, brittle chilis.
Make the Sauce
Once chilis are softened, add them to the blender, along with ¼ cup of the soaking water, onion, garlic, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.
Purée until the mixture forms a paste. Empty into a bowl and set aside.
Clean the Shrimp
For the freshest tasting dish, you need to start with the cleanest shrimp. Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut along the back of the shrimp, from head to tail. Then use the point of the knife to remove the vein.
As you clean each shrimp, place in a bowl of water until all shrimp have been cleaned and soaked in water.
Prepare to Cook
Drain the shrimp and place in a clean large bowl. Cover with the reserved guajillo chili mixture.
Use a large spoon to mix the shrimp, making sure every prawn is covered with the mixture.
Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for two hours.
Skewer and Heat
Once the shrimp have marinated, remove from the refrigerator and get your skewers ready.
Insert the skewer into the center of the first shrimp and push to the top.
Follow with two more shrimp. We recommend no more than three shrimp per skewer.
Preheat your griddle or frying pan to medium-high heat. Then add the shrimp skewers and cook for three minutes.
After three minutes, flip the shrimp and cook another three minutes.
Serve Your Shrimp Skewers
Serve your shrimp skewers with rice, salad or as an appetizer. For a tangy taste, add lime juice and mayonnaise and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
Substitutions and Additions
Frozen shrimp for fresh if you’re really pressed for time
Sprinkle with red pepper or black pepper for extra spice
This authentic Mexican salsa roja(red sauce) recipe brings together two of my all-time favorite Mexican foods: salsa and Cotija cheese! In Mexico, salsa is a condiment, and there are so many ways to mix it up—from salsa verde to this simple recipe for salsa roja. The salty chunks of Cotija cheese make this homemade salsa at its best!
What to Expect from This Salsa Recipe
Salsa roja with Cotija cheese is a spicy salsa (but not too spicy!) made from chile de arbol or arbol chiles (tree chili), Serrano peppers, roma tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and onion. Cotija, which is a Mexican cheese made with cow’s milk, complements the spice with a delightfully salty flavor.
And the citrusy cilantro brings all of these amazing ingredients into a perfect balance. This salsa doesn’t require cooking, so you won’t need olive oil or any other cooking oil. It’s quick, and you can find all the ingredients in your local Mexican grocery store.
Salsa Roja Is Healthy and Delicious!
Salsas are naturally healthy foods. Onions and tomatoes make them rich in Vitamin C, with an extra pop of Vitamin A from those tomatoes and jalapenõs if you throw some in. Salsa also contains potassium, and the cheese adds calcium. Best of all, it’s so tasty!
How to Make Salsa Roja with Cotija Cheese
Ingredients
½ pound Cotija cheese
2 roma tomatoes
2 tomatillos
¼ white onion
1 Serrano pepper
5 chiles de arbol (tree chili — also called bird’s beak chile or rat’s tail chile)
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 handful cilantro, finely chopped
1 ½ – 2 cups water
Prepare the Salsa
Fill a pot with 1 ½ to 2 cups of water and add the chiles de arbol, Serrano peppers, garlic, roma tomatoes, tomatillos and onion.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until the skin begins to peel away from the roma tomatoes and the chilis change to a lighter color.
Remove the peel from the cooked roma tomatoes.
Cut the tops off the chilis.
Add the contents of the pot—all vegetables and water—as well as salt to your blender or food processor.
Put the top on and carefully purée for about 15 seconds. You may want to cover the top with a kitchen towel and hold it down as you blend. The hot contents adds pressure to the container and you don’t want to get burned if the top pops off.
Pour the contents of the blender into a serving dish and reserve.
Prepare the Garnish
Finely chop the cilantro and reserve.
Toast the Cotija Cheese
Preheat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Then cut the Cotija cheese into triangles and place onto the hot griddle.
Heat top, bottom and sides of each piece for about one minute each, or until toasted the way you like. Because Cotija cheese doesn’t melt, it won’t stick to your griddle, so toast away! Also, it’s best to use a kitchen spatula to turn the cheese. If you use kitchen tongs or another tool, your cheese might break. So toasty!
Once toasted, remove from the heat to a plate.
Place cheese on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch cubes.
Serving Salsa Roja with Cotija Cheese
Add the cheese cubes to the salsa in your serving plate. Sprinkle on the reserved cilantro and you’re ready to eat! This salsa is the perfect companion to most kinds of Mexican cuisine.
Salsa roja with Cotija cheese is a spicy salsa made from chile de arbol (tree chili), Serrano peppers, roma tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and onion. It's served with salty, toasted Cotija cheese chunks and topped with cilantro.
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Salsa
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6people
Author: Andres Carnalla
Equipment
Blender
Griddle or frying pan
Spatula
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Serving bowl
Soup pot
Ingredients
½lbCotija cheese
2Roma tomatoes
2Tomatillos
¼White onion
1Serrano chili pepper
5Chiles de arbol (tree chili)
2Garlic cloves
½teaspoonSalt
1Handful cilantrofinely chopped
1 ½ - 2cupsWater
Instructions
Prepare the Salsa
Fill a pot with 1 ½ to 2 cups of water and add the chiles de arbol, Serrano peppers, garlic, roma tomatoes, tomatillos and onion.
Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until the skin begins to peel away from the roma tomatoes and the chilis change to a lighter color.
Remove the peel from the cooked roma tomatoes.
Cut the tops off the chilis.
Add the contents of the pot—all vegetables and water—as well as salt to your blender.
Put the top on and carefully purée for about 15 seconds. You may want to cover the top with a kitchen towel and hold it down as you blend. The hot contents adds pressure to the container and you don't want to get burned if the top pops off.
Pour the contents of the blender into a serving dish and reserve.
Prepare the Garnish
Finely chop the cilantro and reserve.
Toast the Cotija Cheese
Preheat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Then cut the Cotija cheese into triangles and place onto the hot griddle.
Heat top, bottom and sides of each piece for about one minute each, or until toasted the way you like. Because Cotija cheese doesn’t melt, it won’t stick to your griddle. Also, it’s best to use a kitchen spatula to turn the cheese. If you use kitchen tongs or another tool, your cheese might break.
Once toasted, remove the cheese from the heat to a plate.
Place cheese on a cutting board and cut into ½-inch cubes.
Serve Your Salsa
Add the cheese cubes to the salsa in your serving plate. Sprinkle on the reserved cilantro and you’re ready to eat! Serve with carne asada tacos, or simply place in the middle of the table with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Notes
Additions
Sprinkle with oregano or squeeze a little lime juice on top for a flavor boost.
Add some chipotle chili for a smoky salsa.
Add ancho chili for a sweet, mild, chocolaty flavor.
If you’re looking for an easy, traditional Mexican dish, look no further than our authentic Mexican sopes, or chicken sopes. Mexican sopes are corn cakes made with the same masa (dough) as corn tortillas or tamales but are slightly smaller and thicker to hold all of your delightful toppings.
Also called pellizcadas (pinched) because the edges are pinched to create a lip, sopes are just as delicious served as an antojito (appetizer) as they are a main dish. Sopes are a popular street food in Mexico, and now you can make them in your own kitchen! And because they’re made with corn, they’re gluten-free.
What to Expect from This Recipe
Our Mexican sopes recipe uses pre-made sopes for the ultimate in easy Mexican food cooking. Sopes are made by mixing maize soaked in lime, or masa harina (corn flour), with warm water. They’re then flattened with a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap, fried in hot oil or lard, sides pinched, and kept fresh covered with a kitchen towel.
But with this recipe, that work is done for you. Just reheat the sopes, top with refried beans, salsa, shredded chicken, lettuce, onions and cream, and you’re ready to eat! Authentic sopes are versatile, too, so you can top them with carnitas (pulled pork), carne asada (grilled steak), chorizo (pork sausage), guacamole or veggies.
Preheat your cast iron griddle, or comal, over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Then pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on the hot griddle.
Using a paper towel, carefully spread the oil to cover the surface of the griddle.
Place your sopes on the hot oil, top side up.
Spread ½ tablespoon of oil on the top of each sope. When you flip them over, the oil will make the surface nice and crispy. Cook for 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
After 3 minutes, flip over the sopes using a spatula.
Heat for 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, flip them back over, top side up. Now we’re ready to add our toppings!
Add Toppings to Your Sopes
Spread about a tablespoon of refried beans on each sope.
Mmmm! Ready for more toppings!
Next, spoon on some salsa verde.
Tip: If you’re using salsa roja, or red salsa, you should add it last, after all the other toppings. But if you use salsa verde, it tastes best directly on the beans. There’s something about the flavor mixture of refried beans and salsa verde that gives this dish that little something extra.
Once you’ve added your salsa verde, sprinkle on some shredded chicken.
Shake on some diced onions.
Then the shredded lettuce.
And the queso fresco.
Finally drizzle cream all over the top.
Can’t you just taste that mountain of flavor? Mexican sopes are a heartier version of yummy tostadas!
Make Sopes with Salsa Roja
If you use salsa roja instead of verde, the steps are identical. The only change is to add the salsa last, over the cream, instead of over the beans.
This is one of the easiest—and tastiest—Mexican recipes you’ll ever make. Enjoy!
Our Mexican sopes recipe uses pre-made sopes topped with refried beans, salsa, shredded chicken, lettuce, onions and cream for the ultimate in easy Mexican food cooking.
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Mexican sopes
Servings: 6people
Author: Andres Carnalla
Equipment
Griddle or comal
Spatula
Paper Towels
Spoons
Prep Bowls
Serving Dishes
Ingredients
6Sopespre-made, room temperature
2cupsRefried beans
1 ½cupsShredded chicken
1 cupShredded lettuce
1cupMexican crema or sour cream
1 cupQueso frescocrumbled
1cupWhite onionfinely chopped
4-6tablespoonVegetable oil
Salsa verde or salsa roja
Instructions
Heat the Sopes
Preheat your cast iron griddle, or comal, over medium-hight heat for about 10 minutes. Then pour 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on the hot griddle.
Using a paper towel, carefully spread the oil to cover the surface of the griddle.
Place your sopes on the hot oil, top side up.
Spread ½ tablespoon of oil on the top of each sope. When you flip them over, the oil will make the surface nice and crispy. Cook for 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
After 3 minutes, flip over the sopes using a spatula.
Heat for 3 minutes, then flip them back over, top side up. Now we’re ready to add our toppings!
Add Toppings
Spread about a tablespoon of refried beans on each sope.
Next, spoon on some salsa verde. Tip: If you’re using salsa roja, or red salsa, you should add it last, after all the other toppings. But if you use salsa verde, it tastes best directly on the beans. There’s something about the flavor mixture of refried beans and salsa verde that gives this dish that little something extra.
Once you’ve added your salsa verde, sprinkle on some shredded chicken.
Add the diced onions, shredded lettuce and queso fresco.
Finally drizzle cream all over the top.
Make Sopes with Salsa Roja
If you use salsa roja instead of verde, the steps are identical. The only change is to add the salsa last, over the cream, instead of over the beans.
If you’ve ever tasted Mexican Shrimp Soup (or Caldo de Camarón), you know what Sundays in Mexico taste like. Just ask our creative director, Andrés. He tells the story about how his mom, whose specialty was caldos or soups, would make shrimp soup, fish soup (caldo de pescado) and the famous pancita or menudo soups (both made from tripe) that are so popular in certain regions of Mexico.
She would make soup every Sunday, even in the middle of summer! Her theory was that drinking something hot on a hot day—like shrimp soup—regulates your body temperature, making you feel cool. Andrés swears that it’s true! More than tasty, this shrimp soup recipe can cool you off on a hot day!
What to Expect from this Mexican Shrimp Soup Recipe
This Mexican shrimp soup brings together fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, guajillo and cascabel chilis, and tender vegetables all in one spicy bowl of comfort food. The dried shrimp adds a distinct salty flavor to this dish, which you can have as an appetizer or a complete entrée.
Shrimp Soup a la Mexicana
The ingredients in our shrimp soup are similar to the Thai version, which uses bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and cilantro. But of course, it has an entirely different taste. The chili base, made with guajillo and cascabel chilis, makes our recipe uniquely Mexican and uniquely flavorful. A squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of onions will send your taste buds soaring!
How to Make Caldo de Camarón
Ingredients
For the Soup
1 lb tomatoes
½ white onion
2 cloves garlic
3 lbs Cambray potatoes, unpeeled
1 branch epazote
2 lbs fresh shrimp
1 lb dried shrimp (camarón seco) (small or medium)
8 guajillo chilis
1 cascabel chili
1 ½ cups carrots, peeled and diced
1 to 2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil or other cooking oil
1 tablespoon dry oregano
6 cups of water
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the Garnish
Limes
Onion, finely diced
Oregano
It’s time to make some Mexican shrimp soup!
Soak the Chilis
To create a flavorful base for our soup, we’ll need to soak the guajillo and cascabel chilis. While ground, dried chilis make powerful spices, soaking chilis takes off some of the heat to provide a smoother-tasting broth.
Start by washing the chilis. Cut off the tops and then slice lengthwise. Cut off the veins and remove the seeds. These are the hottest parts of the chili. Discard tops, veins and seeds.
Fill a sauce pan with water. Over medium heat, soak the chili peppers for 15 minutes.
The chilis will go from brittle to soft, and will take on a deep red color. Once the chilis have soaked, remove them from the pot into a separate bowl and reserve the water.
Make the Broth
Place the onion, tomato and garlic in a pot on the stovetop with water and bring to a boil.
As you cook, you’ll see the skin of the tomatoes begin to peel away. Once the vegetables have changed color and softened, remove from the heat and drain the vegetables.
Add the tomato, onion, garlic and chilis to your blender. Pour in some of the reserved water from the soaked chilis to make blending easier. Take a look at the beautiful color of those chilis!
Purée for about a minute to a minute and a half until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl and reserve.
Prepare the Veggies
Wash and dice the Cambray potatoes into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces. Do not peel! Most of the nutrients from the potato is just under the skin, so keeping it on makes for a healthier soup and adds a little flavor and texture lift.
Peel the carrots (or zanahorias) and dice into ¼-inch pieces.
Perfectly diced veggies!
Grind the Dried Shrimp (Camarón Seco)
For this shrimp soup recipe, we’ll grind the heads only of the dried shrimp, and add the body to the soup in a later step. First, remove the heads of the dried shrimp by gently pulling and twisting with your fingers.
Place the heads only into the blender.
Ground the heads to a fine powder.
Make the Soup
Heat the cooking oil in a soup pot over high heat. Then add the potatoes to the pot.
Reduce to medium-high heat and stir the potatoes constantly so they don’t stick to the bottom.
Add the diced carrots.
Continue to stir. Sauté vegetables for two minutes over medium-high heat.
Using a fine mesh sieve, slowly strain the chili mixture into the soup pot with the veggies. You can use a spoon to stir the mixture inside the sieve to make it drain faster. Discard the contents of the sieve.
Cook the broth for about three minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 6 cups of water to the broth and bring to a boil.
Sprinkle in the ground shrimp heads and stir.
Add the bay leaves.
Add salt to taste. Be sure not to add too much salt because the dried shrimp is already very salty. If you need more salt, you should add it just before the soup is ready.
Sprinkle in the oregano.
Then the dried shrimp.
If foam forms on the surface, skim it off with a spoon and discard to ensure you get the cleanest broth possible.
Sprinkle in the black pepper.
Add the epazote.
Keep watching the foam. If more rises up, skim it off!
Add the fresh shrimp prawns, shrimp shells and all!
Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. When you can easily pierce the carrots and potatoes with a fork, your caldo de camarón is ready!
Be still my heart. This looks delicioso! (That’s “delicious” in Spanish). I could eat this shrimp soup right out of the pot!
Serving Mexican Shrimp Soup
Serve this delicious shrimp soup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of onions and a chunk of crusty bread or warm corn tortillas.
¡El Mejor Caldo de Camarón! (The Best Shrimp Soup!)
This is the best shrimp soup you’ll ever taste, and the perfect meal to wrap up your weekend. Whether you’re eating it for the first time or the thirty-first, we’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do!
This Mexican shrimp soup brings together fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, guajillo and cascabel chilis, and tender vegetables all in one spicy bowl of comfort food.
Total Time45 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Mexican shrimp soup
Servings: 8people
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
Cutting board
Blender
Sauce pan
Soup pan
Bowls
Kitchen knife
Spoon
Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
The Soup
1lbroma tomatoes
½white onion
2clovesgarlic
3lbsCambray potatoes, unpeeleddiced in ½ to 1-inch cubes
1branchepazote
2lbsfresh shrimpcleaned and deveined
1lbdried shrimpsmall or medium, with heads on
8guajillo chilis
1cascabel chili
1 ½cupscarrotspeeled and diced
1-2bay leaves
1 tablespoonolive oil or other cooking oil
1tablespoondry oregano
6cupswater
Salt and pepper to taste
The Garnish
Limeshalved
Onionsfinely diced
Oregano
Instructions
Soak the Chilis
To create a flavorful base for our soup, we’ll need to soak the guajillo and cascabel chilis. While ground, dried chilis make powerful spices, soaking chilis takes off some of the heat to provide a smoother-tasting broth.
Start by washing the chilis. Cut off the tops and then slice lengthwise. Cut off the veins and remove the seeds. These are the hottest parts of the chili. Discard tops, veins and seeds.
Fill a sauce pan with water. Over medium heat, soak the chili peppers for 15 minutes.
The chilis will go from brittle to soft, and will take on a deep red color. Once the chilis have soaked, remove them from the pot into a separate bowl and reserve the water.
Make the Broth
Place the onion, tomato and garlic in a pot on the stovetop with water and bring to a boil.
As you cook, you’ll see the skin of the tomatoes begin to peel away. Once the vegetables have changed color and softened, remove from the heat and drain the vegetables.
Add the tomato, onion, garlic and chilis to your blender. Pour in some of the reserved water from the soaked chilis to make blending easier.
Purée for about a minute to a minute and a half until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl and reserve.
Prepare the Veggies
Wash and dice the Cambray potatoes into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces. Do not peel! Most of the nutrients from the potato is just under the skin, so keeping it on makes for a healthier soup and adds a little flavor and texture lift.
Peel the carrots and dice into ¼-inch pieces.
Grind the Dried Shrimp
For this shrimp soup recipe, we’ll grind the heads only of the dried shrimp, and add the body to the soup in a later step. First, remove the heads of the dried shrimp by gently pulling and twisting with your fingers.
Place the heads only into the blender.
Ground the heads to a fine powder.
Make the Soup
Heat the cooking oil in a soup pot over high heat. Then add the potatoes to the pot.
Reduce to medium-high heat and stir the potatoes constantly so they don’t stick to the bottom.
Add the diced carrots and continue to stir.
Sauté vegetables for two minutes over medium-high heat.
Using a fine mesh sieve, slowly strain the chili mixture into the soup pot with the veggies. You can use a spoon to stir the mixture inside the sieve to make it drain faster. Discard the contents of the sieve.
Cook the broth for about three minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 6 cups of water to the broth and bring to a boil.
Add in the ground shrimp heads, bay leaves and salt to taste. Don't add too much salt. The dried shrimp is already very salty. If you need more salt, add it just before the soup is ready.
Add the oregano, dried shrimp, black pepper and epazote and continue cooking. If foam forms on the surface, skim it off with a spoon and discard to ensure you get the cleanest broth possible.
Add the fresh shrimp prawns, shrimp shells and all!
Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. When you can easily pierce the carrots and potatoes with a fork, your shrimp soup is ready!
Serve Your Soup
Serve this delicious shrimp soup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of onions and a chunk of crusty bread or warm corn tortillas.
Notes
Substitutions and Additions
Green onion for white onion.
Cilantro for epazote, although the taste will slightly change.
Sweet potatoes for Cambray potatoes.
Add in chipotle for a smoky flavor.
Include other fresh vegetables like zucchini.
Throw in some scallops for an even heartier seafood soup.
Spice it up with sliced jalapeños, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
Margarita with Fresh Lime Juice and Blanco Tequila
Nothing says Happy Hour like an ice cold, lime-drenched Mexican margarita. The signature cocktail at Mexican restaurants, Cinco de Mayo celebrations and Taco Tuesdays, one sip and you’ll be whisked away to a Mexican beach with warm breezes and crashing waves.
And best of all, this refreshing experience is only five minutes away!
What to Expect from This Classic Margarita Recipe
This classic margarita is the perfect blend of sour, sweet, salty and bitter flavors—all in one glass. The lime juice is tart, tequila bitter, orange liqueur and simple syrup add sweetness, and the salt from the glass helps to balance it all. The recipe is authentic because you make your own sour mix, including the simple syrup.
Just salt and chill the glass, throw all the ingredients in a shaker full of ice, and in a few shakes you have heaven in a cocktail glass.
Which Tequila Is Best for a Margarita?
For a great margarita, you need a quality tequila. We recommend a blanco tequila, or white tequila, which has been aged under two months or not aged at all. Also known as silver tequila, it has the most natural agave flavor that perfectly complements the other ingredients. Aged tequilas like añejo or reposado tequila have a distinct woody flavor that could be overpowering.
In this recipe, we use Tequila Solórzano Blanco, which is a 100% blue agave tequila from the region of Jalisco, Mexico. If your tequila bottle doesn’t state “100% agave” it could include artificial ingredients, sugar or corn syrup.
What’s In a Glass
Margaritas are traditionally served in glasses shaped like wide champagne glasses, sometimes with an extra bowl at the bottom. It’s the “stepped-diameter variant” of a cocktail glass. In this recipe, we use a cocktail (or martini) glass, but you can use the glass that makes you happiest when enjoying your margarita.
How to Make the Perfect Margarita
Ingredients
To Prep the Glass
½ lime cut into wedges
1 tablespoon sea salt or Kosher salt
For the Simple Syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water
For the Margarita
1 cup fresh ice
2 ozs. blanco tequila, or white tequila (also known as silver tequila)
1 ½ limes for fresh lime juice
1 ½ ozs. orange liqueur (triple sec)
2 tablespoon simple syrup (see recipe in this post)
Lime wedges or slices for garnish
Your classic, stress-reducing margarita is only five minutes away! Let’s go!
Prepare Your Cocktail Glass
On a dish or cutting board, pour and flatten a pile of coarse salt like sea salt or Kosher salt. Rimming is best with coarse salt, as less will stick to the rim, providing the perfect balance of flavors. Don’t use table salt, as it will clump up and make your drink very salty.
Cut a lime in half. Reserve one half for the margarita and cut the remaining half into two wedges. Run a lime wedge along the entire rim of the glass. Be sure it’s wet enough so the salt can stick.
Invert your glass and press into the salt so it sticks to the rim.
A perfectly salted margarita glass!
Chill the Glass
Place the salted glass into the refrigerator to chill as you mix up your margarita.
Make the Simple Syrup
Pour the sugar into a deep sauce pan.
Pour the water over the sugar.
Place sugar mixture on the stove and set the heat to medium-high.
Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture constantly so the sugar dissolves faster.
Once the sugar completely dissolves, remove from the heat.
Pour the syrup into a container. You should end up with about one cup of natural syrup. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the syrup for the margarita portion of the recipe. Then cover and store the rest for another use. The syrup will keep for up to three days.
Make the Margarita
Add ice cubes to a cocktail shaker. If you have really big pieces, you can bang them on a hard surface to break them up a bit, but you do want to keep the pieces on the larger side. Ice that’s too small will quickly melt and water down your drink.
Squeeze the juice from 1 ½ limes into a small cup or bowl and remove any seeds. Pour the fresh lime juice into the shaker.
Next, add the sweetener—the simple syrup.
Then the tequila.
Finally, pour in the triple sec.
Shake It Up!
Place the top back on your shaker, and you’re ready to shake it!
Shake, shake, shake vigorously for about 20 seconds to combine.
Serve Your Margarita
Remove the chilled cocktail glass from the refrigerator.
Carefully pour the contents of the shaker into the glass, including the ice.
Garnish with a slice of lime.
That is the best marg I’ve ever seen. And tasted! Salud!
What Tastes Great with Margaritas?
This refreshing margarita tastes great with just about anything. How about serving with our authentic guacamole, spicy avocado dip or queso con carne? Or try out one of our taco recipes for the ultimate Taco Night!
This classic Mexican margarita is the perfect blend of fresh lime juice, blanco tequila, simple syrup and triple sec, all served over ice in a chilled, salted cocktail glass.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Total Time5 minutesmins
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 1person
Author: Andres Carnalla
Equipment
Cocktail glass
Cocktail shaker
Cutting board
Flat plate
Bowls
Knife
Wooden spoon
measuring cups
Sauce pan
Ingredients
Cocktail Glass Prep
½limecut into wedges
1tablespoonsea salt or Kosher saltcoarse
Simple Syrup
1cupgranulated sugar
1 cupwater
Margarita
1cupfresh ice
2ozs.blanco tequila (also called white or silver tequila)100% agave
1 ½limescut in halves
1 ½ozs.orange liqueur triple sec
2tablespoonsimple syrupSee recipe below.
Lime wedges or slices for garnish
Instructions
Prepare Your Cocktail Glass
On a dish or cutting board, pour and flatten a pile of coarse salt like sea salt or Kosher salt. Don’t use table salt, as it will clump up and make your drink very salty.
Cut a lime in half. Reserve one half for the margarita and cut the remaining half into two wedges. Run a lime wedge along the entire rim of the glass. Be sure it’s wet enough so the salt can stick.
Invert your glass and press into the salt so it sticks to the rim.
Place the salted glass upright into the refrigerator to chill as you mix up your margarita.
Make the Simple Syrup
Pour the sugar into a deep sauce pan.
Pour the water over the sugar.
Place sugar mixture on the stove and set the heat to medium-high.
Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture constantly so the sugar dissolves faster.
Once the sugar completely dissolves, remove from the heat.
Pour the syrup into a container. You should end up with about one cup of natural syrup. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the syrup for the margarita. Cover and store the rest for another use. The syrup will keep for up to three days.
Make the Margarita
Add ice cubes to a cocktail shaker. If you have big pieces, you can bang them on a hard surface to break them up a bit, but you do want to keep the pieces on the larger side. Ice that’s too small will quickly melt and water down your drink.
Squeeze the juice from 1 ½ limes into a small cup or bowl and remove any seeds. Pour the fresh lime juice into the shaker.
Next add the sweetener, tequila and triple sec.
Place the top back on your shaker and shake vigorously for about 20 seconds to combine.
Serve Your Margarita
Remove the chilled cocktail glass from the refrigerator.
Carefully pour the contents of the shaker into the glass, including the ice.
Garnish with a slice of lime.
Notes
Substitutions and VariationsHere are a few substitutions and variations you can try. You might have to adjust the other ingredients, like the sweetener, to keep the tastes balanced.
Lemon juice for lime juice
Mezcal for tequila
Grand Marnier or Cointreau for triple sec (Cadillac Margarita)
Agave nectar for simple syrup, and orange juice for orange liqueur (Skinny Margarita)
Add a sliced jalapeño to your simple syrup for a spicy twist. (Jalapeño Margarita)
Mexican flan is a sweet, creamy custard dessert smothered in a rich caramel sauce. Also known as crème caramel, flan is a favorite throughout Mexico, Latin America and Spain, along with other much-loved desserts like tres leches cake and arroz con leche.
Flan Napolitano is made with cream cheese, giving it a richer consistency than other flans. One bite and you’re sure to move it to the top of your Mexican dessert list.
What to Expect from This Traditional Flan Recipe
Flan Napolitano is an egg-based dessert made with few ingredients: sugar, eggs, cream cheese, condensed and evaporated milks, and vanilla. It has a velvety, silky texture similar to cheesecake. The light, milky custard and toasted sugar tastes are most like creme brûlée. Flan is an elegant dessert that’s simple to pull together, even if it’s your first time making it.
Such a beautiful dessert. I wish every day could be flan day! Now let’s make some flan!
Pastry Chef Eli Pérez Shows You How to Make Flan
Our authentic recipe for Flan Napolitano was contributed by Pastry Chef Eli Pérez, owner of Casa Marietta Repostería in Moroleón, Guanajuato.
Ingredients
For the Flan
¾ cup sugar
7 large whole eggs
5 ½ ozs. cream cheese
16 ozs. sweetened condensed milk
22 ozs. evaporated milk
3 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ¾ cup water + more if needed (for hot water bath)
For the Garnish
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Star fruit (Carambola)
Making flan is much easier than you might think. Let’s give it a try!
Making the Caramel Sauce
Preheating Your Baking Pan
Before you get started, place a round, deep 8 ½ or 9 inch baking pan in a warm oven. Note that a standard cake pan is likely too shallow to fit this recipe. Working with a warm pan will make it easier to swirl the caramel sauce, as the sauce hardens quickly.
Carmelizing the Sugar
Place a pot over medium or medium-high heat and pour in half the sugar. You don’t want to burn the sugar, so if it’s melting too quickly, reduce to low heat and continue.
Keep the sugar moving constantly by shaking the pan. You can also use a spatula to stir, but be aware that your sugar could get clumpy as you stir. Be patient and let the sugar melt as you move it. If it begins to harden, keep it on the heat so it stays liquid.
Add the remaining sugar.
Continue stirring constantly as the sugar melts.
When the caramel sauce is ready, the sugar will turn an amber color. Be sure not to let it get too dark.
Place your warm baking pan on a wire rack and pour the caramel sauce into the pan, scraping the sides of the pot with a spatula.
Use an oven mitt or kitchen towel to pick up the pan and swiftly tilt and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan with the caramel sauce. Remember, the sauce will harden quickly, so you don’t have a lot of time.
Here you can see how nicely the caramel sauce has hardened in the pan.
Preparing the Flan Mixture
Preheat the oven to 356 F. Crack all of the eggs into your blender.
Add the vanilla.
Scrape the cream cheese into the blender.
Pour in the evaporated milk.
Pour in the sweetened condensed milk.
Blend on high speed until smooth and homogenous, about one minute.
Pour the blended flan mixture into a large bowl.
Now you’re ready to pour the mixture on top of the hardened caramel in your baking pan. Look how smooth and shiny that caramel is!
Pour the flan mixture over the hardened caramel.
Almost full!
Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
Crimp the edges for a good seal. If you’d rather make individual servings of flan, you could complete these steps using ramekins instead of a baking pan.
Preparing the Hot Water Bath for Baking the Flan
Make a baine-marie, or hot water bath by placing a large, deep rectangular baking dish or roasting pan on top of a baking sheet. In Spanish we call this baño maria and it’s used to prevent the flan from overcooking, while keeping the texture smooth and creamy.
Place the flan into the center of the baking dish and pour about an inch of hot water around the flan pan.
Baking the Flan
Carefully place the baking sheet, roasting pan and flan into the oven and bake at 356 F for about an hour and a half or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cooling the Flan Overnight
Once baked, let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.
Plating the Flan
The next morning, take the flan out of the refrigerator and uncover. Make another hot water bath on the stove by heating up about an inch of water and placing the flan pan into the larger pot on the stove.
After a few minutes, use a straight knife to loosen the edges of the flan.
Use a kitchen towel, tongs or oven mitts to remove the flan pan from the hot water bath.
Carefully place the baking dish on a wire rack. Now you’re ready to put your flan on a plate.
Place the flan baking pan top of a kitchen towel. Then, cover the baking pan with a serving plate, bottom side up.
Carefully invert the cake onto the serving dish.
Give the pan a slight jiggle to loosen the flan.
Once the flan loosens from the pan, you’ll see the caramel sauce spill over the sides and onto your plate. I can taste it already!
Look at that color and texture! Now you’re ready to decorate.
Topping with Fruit
Gather your berries, star fruit or other garnish.
Carefully make a ring around the border of the flan by placing the fruit in a repeating pattern on the top of the flan.
It’s almost too pretty to eat!
Here you can really see how that gooey caramel sauce pools at the bottom of the plate. Perfect for scooping on top of your slice of flan.
Serving – The Best Part
Slice as you would a cake to serve. Spoon some caramel sauce on the plate. Enjoy!
Storage
Cover and refrigerate any leftovers. Although we don’t think you’ll have any.
Flan Napolitano is a sweet, creamy Mexican custard dessert made with cream cheese and smothered in a rich caramel sauce.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Resting Time8 hourshrs
Total Time9 hourshrs50 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Mexican flan
Author: Chef Elizabeth Pérez Camarena
Equipment
8 ½ – 9 inch round, deep baking pan
Blender
Sauce pan
Silicone spatula
Sharp knife
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowls
Aluminum foil
Baking sheet
Large rectangular baking dish or roasting pan
Wire Rack
Kitchen towel
Ingredients
Flan
¾cupgranulated sugar
7large whole eggs
5 ½ozs.cream cheese
16ozs.sweetened condensed milk
22ozs.evaporated milk
3teaspoonvanilla extract
2 ¾cupwater + more if needed (for hot water bath)
Garnish
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, star fruit
Instructions
Make the Caramel Sauce
Warm up your round baking pan so it’s easier to swirl the caramel sauce, as the sauce hardens quickly.
Place a pot over medium to medium-high heat and pour in half the sugar. You don’t want to burn the sugar, so if it melts too quickly, reduce to low heat.
Keep the sugar moving constantly by shaking the pan. You can also use a spatula to stir. If the sugar starts to clump, keep it on the heat and keep it moving so it stays liquid.
Add the remaining sugar to the pot and shake or stir the sugar continuously. When the caramel sauce is ready, the sugar will turn an amber color. Be sure not to let it get too dark.
Place the warm baking pan on a wire rack and pour the caramel sauce into the pan, scraping the sides of the pot with a spatula.
Use an oven mitt or kitchen towel to pick up the pan and swiftly tilt and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan with the caramel sauce. The sauce will harden quickly.
Make the Flan
Preheat the oven to 356 F.
Crack all of the eggs into your blender.
Add the vanilla, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk to the blender.
Blend on high speed until smooth and homogenous, about one minute.
Pour the flan mixture into a large bowl.
Next, pour the flan mixture over the hardened caramel and cover the pan with aluminum foil, crimping the edges for a good seal.
Make a baño maria, or hot water bath by placing a large, deep rectangular baking dish or roasting pan on top of a baking sheet. This will prevent the flan from overcooking, while keeping the texture smooth and creamy.
Place the flan in the center of the baking dish and pour about an inch of hot water around the flan pan. Carefully place the baking sheet, roasting pan and flan into the oven and bake at 356 F for about an hour and a half or until a sharp knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Once baked, remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.
Prepare to Serve
The next day, remove the flan from the refrigerator and uncover.
Make another hot water bath on the stove by heating up about an inch of water and placing the flan pan into the larger pot on the stove.
After a few minutes, use a straight knife to loosen the edges of the flan. Then use a kitchen towel or oven mitts to remove the flan pan from the hot water bath
Carefully place the baking dish on a wire rack as you gather your serving plate.
Place your flan on a kitchen towel and cover the pan with a serving dish, bottom up.
Placing one hand under the towel, and the other on top of the serving dish, carefully invert the flan onto the dish.
Give the pan a slight jiggle to loosen the flan as you slowly separate the pan from the flan. The caramel sauce will spill over the sides of the flan leaving a nice pool of sweetness in the plate.
Decorate and Serve Your Flan
Gather your fruit garnishes like strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and star fruit.
Carefully make a ring around the border of the flan by placing the fruit in a repeating pattern on the top of the flan.
Slice as you would a cake to serve. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
EquipmentA standard cake pan is likely too shallow to fit this recipe so be sure to use a deep baking pan.
Tres leches cake, or “three milks” cake in Spanish, is a classic dessert served throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries. Soaked in three types of milk and topped with fluffy whipped cream, this light, spongy cake is perfect for birthdays, weddings, Cinco de Mayo, or any celebration that calls for a sweet treat.
What to Expect from This Tres Leches Cake Recipe
Authentic Tres leches cake is a sponge cake made with flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla. It’s soaked in a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream, and frosted with whipped topping.
The taste is decadent and sweet, yet light and airy because it uses no butter or oil. That means you get spectacular flavor without added cholesterol. And a calcium boost from the milk!
The Cake That’s Worth the Wait
The secret to a fabulous traditional tres leches cake is the time you let the cake soak up the syrupy milk mixture. Soak for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight. That way when you serve, it will be perfectly moist—but not soggy. Mmmm!
Where’s the Baking Powder?
While many tres leches cake recipes call for baking powder, ours gets its lift from the 6 beaten egg whites, making it much lighter than other cakes.
Pastry Chef Eli Pérez Shows You How to Make Tres Leches Cake
Our authentic tres leches cake recipe comes from Pastry Chef Eli Pérez, owner of Casa Marietta Repostería in Moroleón, Guanajuato.
Ingredients:
For the Sponge Cake
1 cup all-purpose flour or cake flour, sifted
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs, room temperature
For the Milk Mixture
7 ozs. sweetened condensed milk
7 ozs. light cream or table cream
2 ½ cups evaporated milk
For the Whipped Cream
1 ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
½ oz. vanilla pudding mix
For the Garnish
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blueberries
Best Tres Leches Cake Step-by-Step
Make the Sponge Cake
Preheat your oven to 356 degrees F and bring eggs to room temperature for easier beating. Then, separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two small bowls.
Fit a fine mesh strainer over another bowl and pour in the flour. You can also pour into a flour sifter if you have one.
Sift the flour into the bowl by gently hitting your hand against the strainer.
Pour the egg yolks into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use a large bowl and a hand mixer.
Add vanilla.
Add a half cup of sugar.
Set your electric mixer to high speed.
Beat egg yolks on high speed. You’ll see the yolks start to lighten in color.
Continue blending until uniform, pale yellow and doubled in volume.
The yolk mixture should be smooth, but not runny.
Pour the yolk mixture into a separate bowl.
Wash and dry the stand mixing bowl and whisk attachment, add the egg whites to the bowl and beat on high speed. Whipped egg whites are the key ingredient that make your cake light and spongy.
Slowly add half of the remaining sugar as you beat the egg whites.
Continue beating until soft peaks form.
Pour in the remaining sugar.
Beat on high until stiff peaks form.
Your egg white mixture should be light and fluffy and stick to the whisk attachment or beaters when you scoop it from the bowl.
Now you’re ready to finish the cake batter. You should have three bowls: one with the flour, one with the egg white mixture, and the other with the egg yolk mixture.
Using the egg yolk mixture as your main mixing bowl, you’ll add flour and then egg white mixture little by little, alternating as you fold into the batter. First, add two tablespoons of flour to the egg yolk mixture.
Fold flour into the yolk mixture.
Add a scoop of the egg white mixture to your main mixing bowl.
Gently fold into the flour mixture.
Add more flour.
Fold into the cake batter.
Add more egg white mixture.
Gently fold in the egg white.
Continue adding flour and egg white—alternating and folding in after each—until you’ve added everything to the main bowl. The mixture will become lighter in color as you add the ingredients.
The final cake batter should be smooth, thick and fluffy.
Grease and flour an 8 ½ or 9 inch pan. We use a 2.5″-high pan in this recipe. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter in the round cake pan.
Place a cookie sheet under your cake pan. Then, pour the tres leches cake mix into the prepared pan.
Use the spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to get every last bit of that sweet goodness into your baking pan.
Smooth the top of your cake evenly with the spatula.
Your tres leches cake batter is now ready for the oven!
Place your cake on the center rack of the oven and bake at 356 degrees F for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let sit five minutes, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
Line the cooled cake pan with plastic wrap. You’re going to place the cake back in the pan and then cover, so be sure you leave enough wrap on the sides to do so.
Carefully place your cake bottom up into the lined baking pan.
Make the Milk Mixture
Gather your condensed milk, evaporated milk and light cream (or table cream) in separate bowls, as well as a large bowl, measuring cup and wire whisk.
Pour the cream into the measuring cup.
Add the sweetened condensed milk.
Pour in the evaporated milk.
Empty the measuring cup contents into a large bowl.
Whisk the three milks until combined, and then pour back into the measuring cup.
Soak the Cake
Using a fork, poke holes into the cooled tres leches cake.
Pour the milk mixture into the holes and all over the surface of the cake. Don’t forget the edges.
Lift and fold over the flaps of the plastic wrap to cover the soaked cake.
Once your cake is completely covered, place in the refrigerator and let rest for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best.
Make the Whipped Cream
Once the cake has rested, make the whipped topping. Start by gathering your ingredients: heavy whipping cream made from whole milk, clear vanilla extract, sugar and vanilla pudding mix.
Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Then add the whipping cream to the mixing bowl.
Pour in the sugar.
Add the vanilla extract. The frosting uses a clear vanilla extract to keep it from changing color.
Finally, pour in the vanilla pudding mix. Unlike meringue which holds its shape, whipped cream can quickly deflate. The pudding creates a stabilized whipped cream so you won’t have to worry about it melting all over your cake in the refrigerator.
Turn your electric mixer to medium speed.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Take care not to over beat. If you do so, the cream could separate.
The cream should be light and fluffy.
Decorating Tres Leches Cake with Strawberries
Remove your tres leches cake from the refrigerator and prepare a serving dish or cake pedestal.
Turn out your cake into the center of the dish.
Carefully separate the pan from the cake.
Slowly unwrap the plastic wrap by folding the wrap over itself.
Remove the plastic wrap completely from the cake.
Begin frosting the cake with the whipped topping using a frosting spatula. Start with the sides of the cake.
Continue frosting around the cake.
Carefully frost the top of the cake, being careful not to let the spatula touch the cake directly. You don’t want the cake crumbs to show up on your beautifully frosted cake.
Be sure to cover every last bit of your cake with the whipped cream.
Now the fun part. Decorating! Gather your garnishes. You can use berries, maraschino cherries or any kind of fruit.
If you’re using strawberries, slice them in half and make a ring around the center of the cake, pressing the tops of the berries gently into the cake, cut side up. Fill in the ring with more strawberries, then sprinkle with raspberries and blueberries.
Behold. Have you ever seen a more beautiful cake? It definitely tastes as good as it looks.
Best Tres Leches Cake
This gorgeous tres leches cake is one of our favorites. So sweet. So creamy. So airy. And so yummy! Go ahead, try a slice!
Tres leches cake is a sponge cake made with flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla. It’s soaked in a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and cream, and frosted with whipped topping.
Prep Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Resting Time8 hourshrs
Total Time10 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: tres leches cake
Author: Chef Elizabeth Pérez Camarena
Equipment
Mesh Strainer or Flour Sifter
Prep Bowls
Mixing Bowls
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
Measuring Cup
Wire whisk
Silicone Spatulas
Round cake pan - 8 ½ or 9 inch
Pastry Brush
fork
Wire Rack
Plastic Wrap
Frosting Spatula
Serving Dish or Cake Pedestal
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
1cupall-purpose flour or cake floursifted
1cupgranulated sugar
1tablespoonvanilla extract
6large eggsroom temperature
Milk Mixture
7ozs. sweetened condensed milk
7ozs. light cream or table cream18-30% milk fat
2 ½cupsevaporated milk
Whipped Cream
1 ¼cupheavy whipping cream
⅓cupgranulated sugar
1teaspoonclear vanilla extract
½oz.vanilla pudding mixfor a stable whipped cream
Garnish
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or other fruit
Instructions
Make the Sponge Cake
Preheat oven to 356 degrees F and bring eggs to room temperature for easier beating. Separate egg whites and egg yolks into two small bowls.
Sift flour using a fine mesh strainer or flour sifter.
Pour egg yolks, vanilla and ½ cup sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer.
Beat egg yolks until uniform, smooth, pale yellow and doubled in volume. Pour mixture into a separate bowl.
Wash and dry the stand mixing bowl and whisk, add egg whites to the bowl and beat on high speed. This is the secret to a light and spongy cake.
Slowly add half of the remaining sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
Add remaining sugar and beat on high until stiff peaks form. Mixture should be light and fluffy and stick to the whisk attachment or beaters when scooped from the bowl.
Gather your three bowls: one with flour, one with egg white mixture, and the other with the egg yolk mixture. Using the egg yolk mixture as your main mixing bowl, you’ll add flour and then egg white mixture little by little, alternating as you fold into the batter.
First, add two tablespoons of flour to the egg yolk mixture.
Fold flour into the yolk mixture.
Add a scoop of the egg white mixture to your main mixing bowl.
Gently fold into the flour mixture.
Add more flour.
Fold into the cake batter.
Add more egg white mixture.
Gently fold in the egg white.
Continue alternating and folding in flour and egg white until you’ve added everything to the main bowl. Mixture will become lighter in color as you add ingredients and the final cake batter should be smooth, thick and fluffy.
Grease and flour an 8 ½ or 9 inch pan. Use a pastry brush to spread the butter in the round cake pan.
Place a cookie sheet under your cake pan. Then, pour the tres leches cake mix into the prepared pan.
Use the spatula to scrape the batter from sides of the bowl into the pan.
Smooth the top of your cake evenly with the spatula.
Place your cake on the center rack of the oven and bake at 356 degrees F for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, let sit five minutes, and then turn the cake out onto a wire rack to cool.
Line the cooled cake pan with plastic wrap. You’re going to place the cake back in the pan and then cover, so be sure you leave enough wrap on the sides to do so.
Carefully place your cake bottom up into the lined baking pan.
Make the Milk Mixture
Gather your condensed milk, evaporated milk and light cream (or table cream) in separate bowls, as well as a large bowl, measuring cup and wire whisk.
Pour the cream into the measuring cup.
Add the sweetened condensed milk.
Pour in the evaporated milk.
Empty the measuring cup contents into a large bowl.
Whisk the three milks until combined, and then pour back into the measuring cup.
Soak the Cake
Using a fork, poke holes into the cooled tres leches cake.
Pour the milk mixture into the holes and all over the surface of the cake. Don’t forget the edges.
Lift and fold over the flaps of the plastic wrap to cover the soaked cake.
Once your cake is completely covered, place in the refrigerator and let rest for at least 8 hours. Overnight is best.
Make the Whipped Cream
Once the cake has rested, make the whipped topping. Gather your ingredients: heavy whipping cream, clear vanilla extract, sugar and vanilla pudding mix.
Fit your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Then add the whipping cream to the mixing bowl.
Pour in the sugar and vanilla extract. The frosting uses a clear vanilla extract to keep it from changing color.
Pour in the vanilla pudding mix.The pudding creates a stabilized whipped cream so you won’t have to worry about it melting all over your cake in the refrigerator.
Whip the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form. Take care not to over beat. If you do so, the cream could separate. The cream should be light and fluffy.
Decorate Your Cake
Remove your tres leches cake from the refrigerator and prepare a serving dish or cake pedestal.
Turn out your cake into the center of the dish.
Carefully separate the pan from the cake.
Slowly unwrap the plastic wrap by folding the wrap over itself.
Remove the plastic wrap completely from the cake.
Frost the sides of the cake with the whipped topping using a frosting spatula.
Carefully frost the top of the cake, being careful not to let the spatula touch the cake directly. You don’t want the cake crumbs to show up on your beautifully frosted cake.
Gather your garnishes. If you’re using strawberries, slice them in half and make a ring around the center of the cake, pressing the tops of the berries gently into the cake, cut side up. Fill in the ring with more strawberries, then sprinkle with raspberries and blueberries. Serve cold.
Notes
SubstitutionsWhile some recipes may call for using coconut milk, you’ll get the most authentic flavor with cream made from whole cow’s milk. You can also make this as a layer cake, using two standard 9" pans. Simply separate the batter evenly between your pans and bake. Then soak each piece with half the milk mixture before refrigerating overnight. Don't skip refrigeration, as it keeps your cake from falling apart!
Whip up a traditional Mexican breakfast in minutes with our machaca con huevo recipe, or machaca with eggs. Hailing from Nuevo León in northern Mexico, this combination of carne seca (dried beef), scrambled eggs and chile Serrano is perfectly paired with refried beans and warm tortillas for the ultimate breakfast taco.
What to Expect from This Machaca con Huevo Recipe
Huevo con machaca is a quick, hearty meal that can be served at breakfast or brunch, and rolled into a burrito or taco with your favorite flour tortillas. Because it’s dried, machaca has a concentrated, distinctive beef flavor. So you only need a little to liven up your plate. Simply sauté onion, garlic, shredded beef and tomatoes. Scramble in eggs and cilantro, and you’re ready to eat!
What is Machaca?
Machaca is spiced pork or beef that has been pounded, dried and shredded, and doesn’t require refrigeration. Similar to beef jerky, it’s typically salty and eaten as a snack or rehydrated and used in dishes like our machaca con huevo, also known as machacado con huevo. You can find machaca in most Mexican grocery stores.
This recipe is fácil (easy) and deliciosa (delicious). My favorite combination!
How to Make Machaca con Huevo
Ingredients:
2 ½ ozs. machaca beef
4 eggs
1 chile Serrano or jalapeño
½ white onion
1 garlic clove
2 medium or 1 large tomato
1 tbs cilantro
2 tbs cooking oil
Salt and pepper (optional)
Easy Mexican Machaca con Huevo
Chop tomatoes, onion, garlic and Serrano chili. Finely chop cilantro.
Heat pan to medium and pour in cooking oil.
Add shredded beef to the pan and quickly stir. Be careful as the oil may splatter.
Stir machaca constantly for three minutes, making sure the beef doesn’t stick to the pan.
Add the onions.
Stir until onions and machaca are combined.
Add garlic.
Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Add chopped tomatoes.
Add chopped chile Serrano.
Cook for one more minute, stirring frequently.
Crack four eggs into a bowl and add salt to taste. Note that machaca is usually salty, so be sure to taste the beef before adding salt.
Add pepper.
Sprinkle in cilantro.
Beat eggs with a fork or whisk until well combined.
Pour the eggs into the pan with the machaca mixture.
Increase the heat and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly.
Almost done!
Just look at those colors and spices. I can’t wait to taste it!
Serving Machaca con Huevo
Serve your machaca con huevo with sliced tomatoes, avocados and fresh cilantro. And of course, warm flour or corn tortillas on the side. You can even make your own with our recipe for tortillas de harina (whole wheat tortillas).
Or wrap it in a tortilla for a tasty, satisfying breakfast burrito. Soooo good!
Desayuno en Minutos (Breakfast in Minutes!)
We just can’t get enough of this authentic machaca con huevo breakfast. Try it yourself and tell us what you think.
Huevo con machaca is a quick, hearty Mexican breakfast made with dried beef, eggs, tomatoes, onion, garlic and cilantro. Top with chile Serrano and serve with warm tortillas.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time5 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4people
Author: Andres Carnalla
Equipment
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Kitchen spoon
Large frying pan or skillet
Ingredients
2 ½ozs.machaca beef
4eggs
1chile Serrano or jalapeño
½white onion
1garlic clove
2medium tomatoes(or 1 large tomato)
1tablespooncilantro
2tablespooncooking oil
salt and pepper(optional)
Instructions
Chop tomatoes and onion. Then finely chop garlic, Serrano chili and cilantro.
Heat pan to medium and pour in cooking oil.
Add shredded beef to the pan and quickly stir. Be careful as oil may splatter.
Stir machaca constantly for three minutes, making sure beef doesn’t stick to the pan.
Add onions to the pan and stir to combine.
Add garlic. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly.
Add tomatoes and Serrano chile. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently.
Crack four eggs into a bowl and add salt and pepper to taste. Note that beef may already be salty, so taste the beef before adding salt.
Sprinkle cilantro on top of eggs and beat with a fork or whisk until well combined.
Pour eggs into the pan with machaca mixture. Increase heat and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly.
Serving Machaca con Huevo
Serve with a side of sliced tomatoes and avocados, and warm tortillas. Or roll into a taco or burrito for a quick, easy meal.
This authentic Mexican chicken soup recipe, caldo de pollo con arroz, is a favorite in our house, and in most Mexican households. It’s quick. It’s easy. And best of all, it’s light and tasty. The combination of chicken soup and rice, along with shredded chicken and a few tender veggies makes this delicious soup a complete meal your whole family will love. It’s comfort food at its best.
What to Expect from this Recipe for Chicken Soup
This chicken soup recipe consists of a light, clear chicken broth served over cooked rice, shredded chicken and carrots, topped with cilantro, onion and a squeeze of lemon. The broth gets its flavor from the chicken and vegetables, with a little added salt. It’s a much lighter dish than chicken noodle soup, and that’s what makes it unique.
The Broth is the Star
In Spanish, we call this soup “caldo de pollo,” which means chicken broth. And the broth is really the star of the dish. It can even be sipped plain from a mug as a yummy, comforting warm drink. Because the broth in this chicken soup recipe is so versatile, you can use it in place of water for a more flavorful rice, or as an ingredient in other recipes like chicken tortilla soup, Mexican sopa de fideo, chicken tinga, and a variety of salsas.
Now let’s make some Mexican style chicken soup!
How to Make Mexican Caldo de Pollo
Ingredients:
For the chicken broth
1 bone-in chicken breast
3 carrots
1 whole bulb garlic
1 white onion
1 teaspoon salt + to taste
For the rice
1 cup of rice
1 diced carrot
2 cups water
1 teaspoon cooking oil
Salt to taste
For the soup garnish
1 handful cilantro sprigs
½ white onion
2 Serrano chili peppers
2-4 limes
Make the Chicken Broth (Caldo)
Place the chicken breast in a large pot. Slice the two carrots in half and quarter the onion. Add the carrots and ¾ of the onion to the pot, along with the whole bulb (or head) of garlic, unpeeled. Fill the pot with water until it covers the chicken by about an inch and a half and add about a teaspoon of salt.
Cook over high heat, and bring to a boil. Then continue cooking for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. As you cook, you may see some drops of fat rise to the top. This is normal. If you see any foam rise, skim it off the top and discard to ensure your broth is as clear as possible.
Once the chicken is cooked, strain and reserve the broth. Place the chicken and carrots in a dish to cool, and discard the onion and garlic. When the chicken has cooled, shred using two forks to separate, or simply pull off the bone a pinch at a time with your fingers.
Finely chop the garnish for your chicken soup: onion, cilantro and Serrano chili. You can omit the Serrano pepper if spicy isn’t your thing. Or remove the seeds and veins for just a slight hint of heat. At this stage, you should also quarter your lemons.
Make the Rice
Peel the cooked carrots and cut them into quarters lengthwise. Reserve several sticks for serving.
Dice the carrots and the remaining uncooked quarter of onion into ¼ inch pieces.
Place a pot over medium heat, drizzle in a teaspoon of olive oil or other cooking oil, and add the uncooked rice. Quickly stir to combine.
Next, add the carrots and onions and stir until combined.
Finally, add the water and salt, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has evaporated.
You should end up with a nice pot of fluffy rice.
Serving Mexican Chicken Soup
Gather all of your garnishes and ladle a spoonful of rice into your serving bowl.
Pour your reserved chicken broth over the rice to fill the bowl about three quarters.
Add a few cooked carrot sticks for more color and texture. Feel free to add other cooked veggies if you like.
Sprinkle a tablespoon of onions into the bowl.
Shake in a tablespoon of cilantro. (Almost there!)
Top with ½ cup of shredded chicken.
Add a tablespoon of Serrano peppers if you like and give the soup a little stir to mix all of the goodness together.
And for a little zing, squeeze lime juice on top.
This chicken soup looks so scrumptious! Homemade chicken soup is the best. It’s one of our favorite Mexican recipes. Who wants a bowl?
Here’s our fabulous Mexican chicken soup recipe. Let us know how it turns out!
This authentic Mexican chicken soup recipe consists of a light, clear chicken broth served over cooked rice, shredded chicken and carrots, topped with cilantro, onion and a squeeze of lemon.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time40 minutesmins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken soup
Servings: 4
Calories: 292kcal
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Ladle
4 soup bowls
Ingredients
Chicken Broth
1bone-in chicken breast(skin-on or skinless)
3carrots
1bulb or head of garlic
1white onion
Salt to taste
Rice
1cupuncooked white rice
1carrot, cooked and diced(take a carrot from the broth)
2cupswater
1teaspooncooking oil(olive oil or vegetable oil)
Salt to taste
Soup Garnish
1handfulcilantro sprigs
½white onion
2Serrano chili peppers
2-4limesMexican or key limes
Instructions
Make the Chicken Broth
Place the chicken breast in a large pot. Slice the carrots in half and quarter the onion. Add the carrots and ¾ of the onion to the pot, along with the whole bulb of garlic, unpeeled.
Fill the pot with water until it covers the chicken by about an inch and a half, and add a teaspoon of salt.
Cook over high heat, and bring to a boil. Continue cooking for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Skim off any foam that forms.
Once the chicken is cooked, strain and reserve the broth. Place the chicken and carrots in a dish to cool, and discard the onion and garlic.
While the chicken and carrots cool, finely chop the onion, cilantro and Serrano chili (optional), and quarter the lemons.
Once the chicken has cooled, shred using two forks to separate, or by pulling off the bone a pinch at a time with your fingers.
Make the Rice
Peel the cooked carrots from the broth and cut them into quarters lengthwise. Reserve several sticks for serving.
Dice the carrots and remaining uncooked quarter of onion into ¼ inch pieces.
Place a pot over medium heat, drizzle in a teaspoon of cooking oil and add the uncooked rice. Quickly stir to combine.
Add the carrots and onions and stir.
Pour in the water and add salt to taste, cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until all of the liquid has evaporated.
Serving Your Soup
Gather your garnishes and ladle a spoonful of rice into a serving bowl.
Pour reserved chicken broth over the rice to fill the bowl about three quarters.
Add four reserved carrot sticks, 1 tablespoon each of onion and cilantro, a half cup of shredded chicken and top with a squeeze of lemon. Serve warm.
Agua de Melon or “melon water” is one of the many delicious aguas frescas served throughout Mexico. It’s a simple blend of ripe cantaloupe, or the melon of your choice, water, and sugar served chilled.
Aguas frescas are delicious, healthier alternatives to sodas.
How to Make
Start by gathering your ingredients:
1 quart water
½ very ripe cantaloupe or you favorite melon
½ cup sugar
Choosing the Melon
You want to choose very ripe melon for the sweetest most fruit forward drink. Ripe melons have a noticeable fruit aroma. They will also give when pressed gently with you thumb.
Slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Reserve the other half of the melon.
Remove the rind and cut your melon into 1″ chunks.
Blend the melon with 1 quart of water, ½ cup of sugar, and serve over ice. You don’t need to strain the drink.
Agua de Melon or "melon water," a simple blend of ripe cantaloupe, or the melon of your choice, water, and sugar served chilled. One of the many delicious aguas frescas served throughout Mexico.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time0 minutesmins
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Agua de Melon Recipe, Agua Fresca Recipe, Melon Water Recipe
Servings: 216 oz. drinks
Calories: 240kcal
Author: Douglas Cullen
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Blender
Two 16 oz. glasses
Ingredients
½cantaloupeor your favorite melon
32ozs.water1 quart
½cupsugar
Instructions
Slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds. Reserve the remaining half of the melon.
Remove the rind and cut your melon into 1" chunks.
Blend the melon with 1 quart of water, ½ cup of sugar, and serve over ice.
When the scent of orange blossom floods her kitchen, Chef Elizabeth Pérez Camarena knows the Day of the Dead—or “Día de Muertos”—is near. The citrus-infused essence, also known as “azahar” in Spanish, is said to bring back sweet memories of loved ones passed on and is a signature ingredient of the classic “pan de muerto,” or bread of the dead.
“Pan de muerto brings to mind celebration, traditions, altars, culture, and how it’s a part of our identity as Mexicans,” said Chef Camarena, owner of the Casa Marietta bakery, located in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. “The orange blossom essence gives pan de muerto a subtle, aromatic taste. And its soft, spongy texture goes perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate.”
Pan de muerto plays a central role in the country’s Day of the Dead celebration. On November 1 and 2, the Mexican people welcome back the souls of deceased loved ones.
The celebration spans two days—the first for children, and the second for adults. People build altars, or “ofrendas,” adorned with colorful tissue paper cutouts, prayer candles, Mexican marigolds, and sugar skulls. They place photos of the departed on the altar, as well as their favorite food and drink, including mole, chocolate, tamales, guayabas and oranges to nourish them on their journey.
Among the offerings, you’ll typically see bread of the dead, sometimes gathered in a basket much like a bouquet of flowers, says Chef Camarena.
It’s a sweet treat enjoyed by a majority of people in Mexico. A recent survey shows that 94 percent of Mexicans living in Mexico eat the commemorative bread, which is only sold in late October and the first couple of days in November.
According to a 2018 estimate from Canainpa, the national association of the bread industry in Mexico, people in the country eat about 30 million pieces of pan de muerto between October 30 and November 2.
History of Pan de Muerto
Although the stories vary, pan de muerto traces its roots to the time of the Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500’s. Some accounts state it originated in Mesoamerica, when the Aztecs made a type of bread with amaranth, honey, and human blood as an offering to the gods.
It was considered a sacred food, eaten by the entire community. In another explanation, the Aztecs are said to have sacrificed a young woman, placing her heart in a clay pot, and mixing it with amaranth. The priest heading the ritual would then eat it as an offering to thank the gods for a good harvest.
The Spanish Catholic priests, finding the practice of human sacrifice barbaric, did away with these rituals and instead baked wheat bread to represent the hearts of the young women who were to be sacrificed, and covered it with red sugar, representing their blood.
Types of Day of the Dead Bread
Today, there are between 750 and more than 1,200 different kinds of pan de muerto throughout the country, depending on the source. Each region of Mexico has their own version that incorporates special ingredients and shapes like human figures, angels, sheep, hearts, liras (stringed instruments), and hojaldras—the classic round pan de muerto dusted with white sugar.
For example, in the states of Mexico, Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Jalisco and others, hojaldras are the most prominent. But, in regions with higher indigenous populations, the bread is more elaborate and takes on unique characteristics.
In the state of Oaxaca, some bakers make large figures with anise, egg yolk and vanilla in the form of the human body. The head of the figure is made with flour and water, and hand-painted in colorful detail. In the state of Guanajuato, bakers make bread in the shape of animals, flavored with cinnamon, as well as in the form of humans, called “almas.” In the city of Acámbaro, the adult forms are covered with a white glaze, and a dot of pink or red sugar, while the children’s forms are all white.
For the children who have died, bakers make smaller “toy” versions of bread in the shape of fish, horses, donkeys, chickens, rabbits, baskets, and dolls for the ofrenda.
What Bread of the Dead Represents
Each type of pan de muerto is filled with symbolism. For the classic hojaldra, its round shape symbolizes the circle of life and death. The ball on top represents the skull of the deceased. And the pieces that lay across the bread in the shape of a cross signify their bones and tears.
The portions of the cross—or compass—are believed to aim at four cardinal points, each ruled by an Aztec god: Quetzalcóatl (god of light and wind), Xipe Tótec (god of death and rebirth), Tláloc (god of rain and storms) and Tezcatlipoca (god of darkness and sorcery).
Sesame seeds sprinkled on some breads, like those made in Hidalgo, Oaxaca and Mexico City, represent the tears of souls who’ve not yet found rest. While in some regions, people still dust their bread with red sugar, as they were said to do in pre-hispanic times.
Chef Eli Perez Shows You How to Make Pan de Muerto
Our recipe for Pan de Muerto comes from Pastry Chef Eli Perez, owner of Casa Marietta Repostería in Moroleón, Guanajuato.
Before You Start
Gather all of the following:
Ingredients:
18 ozs. flour
5 ½ ozs. sugar
3 ¼ ozs. butter to make the dough
2 ozs. butter to coat the loaves
2 eggs
3 to 4 ozs. milk
2 oranges (to grate the peel)
⅓ oz. orange blossom water (agua de azahar)
½ oz. dry yeast
½ tsp. salt
Step #1 – Activating the Yeast Starter
First we’ll activate the yeast. Start by gently warming the milk. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast.
In a small bowl, add 4 tablespoons of flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar and the dry yeast.
Add 1 to 2 ounces of warm milk. This is just enough to make a thin, homogeneous paste.
Stir until the milk is fully incorporated. Let the starter ferment for 10 to 15 minutes. The warmer the room temperature, the faster it ferments.
Step #2 – Mixing the Dough
First, grate the orange peel. Pour the flour onto your work surface and make an indentation in the middle. In the indentation, add the butter, half the sugar and the grated orange peel. Sprinkle the salt around the outside ring of flour.
Using your hands, mix the ingredients from the inside out.
Then add the eggs, continuing to mix with your hands.
Firmly mix the eggs into the flour.
Add the orange blossom water (agua de azahar).
And a splash of milk if needed.
Form a rough ball with the dough.
Push the dough down and make an indentation in the center.
Add the fermented yeast to the center of the dough.
Use your hands to mix the yeast into the dough.
Push down your dough again and add the remaining sugar.
Mix firmly with your hands to fully incorporate the sugar.
Add a splash of milk if the mixture is too dry.
Step #3 – Kneading and Forming the Dough
Once you have fully mixed the dough by hand, add it to the bowl in your stand mixer with the bread hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead on medium-high speed for another 5 minutes. Add a bit of milk if the dough gets too dry.
Place the kneaded dough on your work surface.
Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.
Keep working the dough until you’ve shaped it into a smooth sphere.
Perfectly shaped! Notice how the surface of the dough is smooth with a satiny sheen.
Step #4 – Proofing the Dough
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large mixing bowl.
Coat the bottom and sides of the bowl with the oil.
Add the ball of dough to your mixing bowl.
Press the dough down and coat with a bit more oil.
Cover with a kitchen towel and place in the warmest part of your kitchen until the dough has doubled in size.
This is what the dough will look like after it has risen.
Dough that has risen and doubled in size
Step #5 – Shaping the Loaves
On your work table, gently press down the dough.
Stretch the dough into a thin piece about 15 inches long.
Form nine 3-ounce balls of dough. Use a kitchen scale to weigh each piece.
After you have formed nine balls, sprinkle the remaining dough with flour.
Knead the dough gently to incorporate the flour.
Using your pastry cutter, cut 18 small ½-ounce pieces of dough and seven, ¼-ounce pieces. These will be used to form the “bones” and “skulls.”
Roll the ½-ounce pieces into strips about 5 inches long. Leave the indentations from your fingers. This makes the dough look like bones. Then form the ¼-ounce pieces into little balls.
Top each loaf with two strips in a cross shape.
Then, in the center of each loaf, top with one of the small balls of dough.
Your loaves are ready to bake. :)
Step #6 – Baking the Loaves
Cover your baking sheet with a silicon mat or waxed paper.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees when you put the loaves in the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the loaves are golden brown.
Perfectly baked loaves ready to be topped with sugar.
As soon as the loaves are cool to the touch, brush the melted butter on top of each one.
Sprinkle with sugar.
Your Day of the Dead Bread is ready to be enjoyed!
Recipe for authentic Pan de Muerto from Chef Elizabeth Pérez Camarena, owner of the Casa Marietta bakery, located in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. It's an orange-infused sweet bread served around Day of the Dead.
Prep Time1 hourhr
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Bread of the Dead Recipe, Day of the Dead Bread Recipe, Pan de Muerto Recipe
Servings: 18people
Calories: 224kcal
Author: Chef Elizabeth Pérez Camarena
Equipment
Stand mixer
Lg. Mixing Bowl
Baking sheet
Pastry cutter
Lg. work surface or pastry table
Ingredients
18ozs.flour
5 ½ozs.sugarplus extra to sprinkle on top of loaves
3 ¼ozs.butterto make dough
2ozs.butterto coat the loaves
2eggs
4ozs.milk
Grated peel from 2 oranges
⅓oz.orange blossom water"agua de azahar"
½oz.dry yeast
2tbsp.oilto coat bottom of mixing bowl
½tsp.salt
Instructions
Activating the Yeast
Gently warm the milk. Don't let it get too hot or it will kill the yeast.
In a small bowl, add 4 tbsp. flour, 2 tbsp. sugar, and the dry yeast. Add 1 to 2 ozs. of warm milk. This is just enough to make a thin, homogeneous paste.
Stir until the milk is fully incorporated. Let the starter ferment for 10 to 15 minutes. The warmer the room temperature, the faster it ferments.
Mixing the Dough
Grate the orange peel.
On your work table, pour out the flour and make an indentation in the middle. In the indentation, add the butter, half the sugar, and the grated orange peel. Sprinkle the salt around the outside ring of flour.
Firmly mix the eggs into the flour. Add the orange blossom water (agua de azahar). And a splash of milk if needed. Form a rough ball with the dough.
Push the dough down and make an indentation in the center. Add the fermented yeast to the center of the dough. Use your hands to mix the yeast into the dough.
Push down your dough again and add the remaining sugar. Mix firmly with your hands to fully incorporate the sugar. Add a splash of milk if the mixture is too dry.
Kneading the Dough
Once you have fully mixed the dough by hand, add it to the bowl in your stand mixer with the bread hook attachment and knead for 5 minutes on medium-high speed. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then knead on medium-high speed for another 5 minutes. Add a bit of milk if the dough gets too dry.
Place the kneaded dough on your work surface. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball. Keep working the dough until you get a perfect ball of dough.
Proofing the Dough
Add 1 tbsp. of oil to a large mixing bowl. Coat the bottom and sides of the bowl with the oil. Add the ball of dough to your mixing bowl. Press the dough down and coat with a bit more oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel.
Place the bowl in the warmest part of your kitchen and allow the dough to rise until it doubles its original size.
Shaping the Loaves
On your work table, gently press down the dough. Stretch the dough into a thin piece about 15" long.
Form nine, 3-ounce balls of dough. Use a kitchen scale to weigh each piece.
After you have nine balls, sprinkle the remaining dough with flour. Knead the dough gently to incorporate the flour.
Using your pastry cutter, cut 18 small, ½-ounce pieces of dough and seven ¼-ounce pieces. These will be used to form the "bones" and "skulls."
Roll the ½-ounce pieces into strips about 5" long. Leave the indentations from your fingers. This makes the dough look like bones. Then form the ¼-ounce pieces into little balls.
Top each loaf with two strips in a cross shape. Then, in the center of each loaf, top with one of the small balls of dough.
Baking the Loaves
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees when you put the loaves in the oven. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the loaves are golden brown.
As soon as the loaves are cool to the touch, brush the melted butter on top of each one, then sprinkle with sugar.
Think of the Mangonada as a Mexican mango smoothie prepared with fresh-cut mango and spiced up with chamoy chili sauce and Tajín chili powder. The name mangonada roughly translates as mango–ade. In Spanish, the suffix ada is used like we use the suffix ade for lemon-ade and lime-ade. It’s delish!
What to Expect from this Recipe
Our version of the mangonada emphasizes the natural mango fruit flavor and texture. It’s served lightly-chilled, not ice-cold, and moderately sweet. The salty, tart, and spicy chamoy and Tajín offer a counterpoint to the sweet fruit without overpowering it.
You’ll find other recipes that are bigger, bolder, and more over the top because they use far more chamoyada and Tajín and sugar or fruit juices. They’ll be delicious too, just a bit different than ours.
At the end of the post, we show you many options to customize your mangonada to make it exactly to your tastes.
Gather Your Ingredients
This is a very easy to prepare Mexican drink that only requires a few common ingredients.
Ingredients to make two 10 oz. mangonadas:
3 chilled Manila or Ataulfo mangoes or 2 cups frozen mango (Fresh mango gets the best results.)
1 cup water
1 tbsp. sugar
1 lime
Tajín chili powder
6 tsp. chamoy chili sauce
Choosing Mangos
For this recipe, we chose Manila Mangoes. Ataulfo Mangoes are also an excellent choice.
To get the best-tasting mangonada, you want really ripe mangoes that are at their sweetest and most flavorful. To know if a mango is ripe, gently press on it with your thumb. If it easily gives to the pressure it is ripe. If it is hard and doesn’t give in to the pressure it is unripe. Ripe mangoes also give off a delicious aroma whereas unripe mangoes do not.
Mangonada Toppings
The piquant flavor of the mangonada comes from the combination of Tajín chili powder and chamoy sauce. Both are used to spicy up fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, sno-cones (raspas or raspados), chips, popcorn, elotes, esquites, popsicles (paletas), or ice cream (helado).
Tajín Chili Powder
Tajín is chili powder blended with salt and citric acid. You should be able to find it in the Hispanic section of your favorite supermarket. If not, you can buy it here.
Chamoy Chili Sauce
Think of chamoy as a candied hot sauce. It’s consistency is anywhere from syrup to paste. It is sweet, tart, spicy, and salty. You should be able to find it in the Hispanic section of your favorite supermarket. If not, you can buy it here.
How to Make a Mangonada
Start by removing the flesh of one mango and cut into ½″ pieces and set aside. Remove the flesh of the other 2 mangoes and blend with 1 cup of water, 1 tbsp. sugar, and the juice from the lime until smooth.
The blended mango should look like this.
Drink Preparation
Pour about a tablespoon of chamoy in the bottom of your glass.
Then add ¼ of the blended mango.
Add another ¼ of the blended mango and another tablespoon of the chamoy.
Then add ½ of the reserved chopped mango.
Add ½ teaspoon of the Tajín chili powder.
Give the drink a gentle stir to incorporate the chamoy and Tajín then enjoy!
Repeat for the second drink. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Ways to Customize This Recipe
Substitute a cup of ice for the cup of water if for an icy-cold drink.
Add more chamoy or Tajín for a bolder spicier flavor.
Substitute orange juice or mango juice for the water for a sweeter drink.
Adding a banana with the mango is a delicious variation.
You can turn it into an adult beverage by adding 1 shot of silver tequila.
Alternative Recipe Names
This drink is also known as the chamango, mangoneada, or chamoyada. Whatever you call it it’s a delicious drink!
A mangonada is a piquant Mexican smoothie prepared with fresh-cut mango, chamoy chili sauce, Tajín chili powder, with a squirt of lime juice. It's an easy to make Mexican drink which is also known as the Chamango, Mangoneada, or Chamoyada.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time0 minutesmins
Course: Beverage, Drink
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Chamango Recipe, How to Make a Mangonada, Mangonada Recipe, Mangoneada Recipe
Servings: 210oz. drinks
Calories: 282kcal
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
Cutting board
Kitchen knife
Blender
Ingredients
3mangoesManila or Ataulfo
1tablespoonsugar
4tablespoonchamoy
1teaspoonTajín
1cupwater
Instructions
Mango Base
Remove the flesh of one mango and cut into ½" pieces and set aside.
Remove the flesh of the other 2 mangoes and blend with 1 cup of water, 1 tbsp. sugar, and the juice from the lime until smooth.
Drink Preparation
Pour about a tablespoon of chamoy on the bottom of your glass. Then add ¼ of the blended mango.
Add another ¼ of the blended mango and another tablespoon of the chamoy.
Then add ½ of the reserved chopped mango and add ½ teaspoon of the Tajín chili powder.
Give the drink a gentle stir to incorporate the chamoy and Tajín. Enjoy!
There are many variations of the michelada, a Mexican beer cocktail. I prepare the classic old-school version with Carta Blancabeer which I first tried in Monterrey, N.L. in the early 90’s. A warm weather drink that is cold, crisp, salty, savory, with a citrus finish. The savory flavors come from from Worcestershire sauce and Maggi Sauce which sound like odd additions to beer but trust me on this one. It’s delicious.
A michelada is also known as a cerveza preparada or chelada. For authentic flavor, you must use Mexican lager beers which are light and crisp and always served ice-cold. In this classic version, the added ingredients enhance the beer but don’t overpower it.
What to Expect from this Recipe
Throughout Mexico, there are infinite variations of this drink, some simple and some over the top. This is a simpler classic version which allows the taste of the beer to shine through. You can drink a few of them over the course of an afternoon without feeling weighed down.
Make it Your Own
You can find many michelada recipes that add a splash of hot sauce and chili powder like Tajín to the rim of the glass. Others add a splash of Clamato, a tomato cocktail juice, which makes it more like a Mexican Bloody Mary.
Ultimately, you decide how you like it prepared. Have fun trying the many possible combinations until you perfect your own michelada recipe.
With all the extras, micheladas prepared like this are great in their own way but for my tastes, I find that the flavor of the beer gets overpowered. And I love the taste of beer :) I don’t like to mess too much with a good thing.
How to Make
Enjoy my michelada recipe. Choose your favorite Mexican lager and gather the remaining ingredients. You can add or subtract ingredients to get it exactly to your tastes.
Michelada Ingredients:
Mexican Lager Beer, Ice-Cold (Choose 1 from the list.)
Worcestershire sauce
Maggi Sauce
Limes
Salt
Ice cubes
Mexican Lagers
Carta Blanca (My personal favorite for making micheladas.)
Tecate
Corona
Sol
Pacifico
Dos Equis (XX)
Modelo Especial
Prep Your Glass
Choose your glass: A Pilsner glass or Weizen glass are the best choices for preparing micheladas.
To begin, squeeze the juice of half a lime into a small bowl.
Then, dip the rim of the glass into the lime juice.
Lastly, dip the rim of the glass in the salt.
Now you are ready to prepare your drink!
Pour Your Drink
Step 1: Add ice to your beer glass.
Step 2: Add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. It used sparingly so as not to overpower the flavor of the beer.
Step 3: Add a few drops of Maggi sauce. It is also used sparingly to allow the flavor of the beer to come through.
Step 4: Add the juice of ½ lime.
Step 5: Pour your beer into your glass.
Step 6: Enjoy! This is the best step :)
Beer is best enjoyed in the company of others. Who are you going to share one with?
The michelada is a classic Mexican beer cocktail prepared with, Worcestershire sauce, Maggi sauce, and fresh squeezed lime juice. It’s cold, crisp, salty, savory, with a citrus finish.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Total Time5 minutesmins
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Beer Cocktail Recipe, How to Make a Michelada, Michelada Recipe
Servings: 1
Calories: 151kcal
Author: Douglas Cullen
Equipment
small cutting board
small knife
small low-sided bowl
beer glass
Ingredients
1bottleMexican lager beer12 oz.
5dropsWorcestershire sauceadd or subtract to taste
5dropsMaggi sauceadd or subtract to taste
1tbsp.lime juicejuice from about ½ a lime
2tbsp.saltto frost the rim of the glass
3ice cubeslg.
Instructions
Prep Your Glass
Squeeze the juice of half a lime into a small bowl.
Then, dip the rim of the glass into the lime juice.
Lastly, dip the rim of the glass in the salt.
Prepare Your Beer
Add 3 ice cubes to your beer glass.
Add a few drops of Worcestershire sauce.
Add a few drops of Maggi sauce.
Add the lime juice.
Pour your beer into your glass.
Enjoy!
Notes
Variations
You can add splash of hot-sauce and dip the rim of your glass in chile powder. We like San Luis or Valentina brands of hot-sauce.
In Mexico, we eat avocado with everything, including our salads. Enjoy this Mexican style avocado salad recipe prepared with cubed mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion. It is lightly dressed with lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. A delicious summer salad that is quick and easy to prepare.
A beautiful looking salad, don’t you think?
How to Make
Get the freshest ingredients you can for this salad. They play a key role in the quality of your salad.
Ingredients:
3 avocados
3 limes
9 ozs. mozzarella cheese
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 cups cherry tomatoes
½ red onion
3 tbsp. olive oil (extra-virgin is best)
½ tsp. salt + to taste
½ tsp. black pepper + to taste
Choosing the Avocados
Firm but not hard avocados are what you want for this salad. To check the ripeness of an avocado, use your thumb and gently push on the top where the stem connects. This is the narrower end of the avocado. If it gives slightly then it ready to use. If it doesn’t give a little, it isn’t ripe enough for this salad. Avocados are at their best from August to November.
Prepping the Ingredients
Prepping the Onion
Start by thinly slicing the red onion.
Soak the onion in cold water for 15 minutes to remove the sharpness of the onion. While it is soaking you will prep the other ingredients.
Prepping the Avocado
How to Remove Avocado Pits
Avocados have large pits that need to be removed before using them. To remove, use a kitchen knife cut all the way around the avocado lengthwise then twist the two halves of the avocado until one side pops off. Then holding the side of the avocado with the pit in the palm of your hand with the pit facing up hit the pit with the sharp side of the knife blade to embed the blade in the pit. Twist the knife sideways and the pit will pop out. Discard the pit.
A word of warning: Use a great deal of caution to avoid cutting your hand. Avocado injuries are common when removing the pit.
Cubing the Avocado
Hold one half of the avocado in the palm of your hand. Diagonally without cutting through the peel, slice the avocado into ⅜″ strips.
Then slice avocado diagonally the opposite way without cutting through the peel.
Use a teaspoon to scoop out the cut avocado.
You will have nicely cut avocado chunks.
Squeeze the juice of the lime over the avocado. This will keep it from browning when you are prepping the other ingredients. Plus, it allows some time for the lime to penetrate the avocado which will give it more flavor.
Prepping the Remaining Ingredients
Chop the cheese into approximately ⅜″ cubes.
Remove the cilantro leaves and chop them. You want about ½ cup loosely packed cilantro.
Slice the cherry tomatoes in half.
Assembling the Salad
In your mixing bowl, start with the cubed avocado.
Then add the cheese.
Add the cherry tomatoes.
Add the chopped cilantro.
Add the salt and pepper.
Add the olive oil.
Add the onion.
Stir very gently to mix all of the ingredients. Try to avoid breaking apart the avocado.
Serve immediately at room temperature. This salad doesn’t keep well.
Substitutions
Make these substitutions for some tasty variations of your salad.
Prepare with queso fresco or panela cheese in place of the mozzarella.
Use chopped plum tomatoes or regular tomatoes in place of the cherry tomatoes.
Substitute white onion for the red onion.
Use 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar in place of the lime juice.
Enjoy our Mexican avocado salad recipe prepared with cubed mozzarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and red onion. It's a delicious summer salad that is quick and easy to prepare. It is lightly dressed with lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Many Mexican recipes call for the use of cotija cheese (queso cotija) and you might be wondering, “what is cotija cheese?” Cotija is a salty, cheese prepared with cow’s milk which is used as a seasoning similar to the way you use parmesan in a dish. You sprinkle it on in small amounts to add flavor.
Cotija cheese originated in the town of Cotija de la Paz in the state of Michoacán nearly 400 hundred years ago. Authentic cotija is prepared in with unpasteurized milk from pasture-raised cows, salt, and rennet and it is aged for at least one year. Due to its exceptional artisanal quality, it carries a Denomination of Origen (Spanish), just as champagne does.
Michoacán Style Cotija Cheese
Use Cotija as a Topping in These Recipes
Here are some of our favorite recipes in which you can use cotija cheese with spectacular results.
In Mexico, cotija style cheese has many different regional variations with distinct flavors and textures. To illustrate some of the differences, we have chosen four varieties from the states Michoacán, Jalisco, Querétaro, and Chiapas.
Cotija is usually white or pale yellow in color. There are two types, fresh and aged. Fresh cotija has a softer texture, similar to ricotta, and has a mild taste. Aged cotija has a harder texture, similar to parmesan, and has a distinctly earthy, sharp flavor. Less is need to add flavor.
Michoacán Style
The characteristics of Michoacán style cotija are, salty, dry, with a strong aroma, and a hard rind. It crumbles easily. It doesn’t melt. This is the original cotija.
Jalisco style
The characteristics of Jalisco style cotija are dry, salty, soft, doesn’t break aparta easily. This type is excellent for grilling or pan-frying. Our jalisco cheese is produced by Quesos Navarro located in Los Altos de Jalisco.
Querétaro Style
Querétaro style cotija is unique in that it it covered with a paste made from dried chiles, vinegar, and garlic to preserve it which gives it a distinct color and taste. Its characteristics are soft, fresh, and salty. It doesn’t break apart easily.
Chiapas Style
The characteristics of Chiapas style cotija are, fresh, soft, milder, not as salty as other varieties, and doesn’t crumble as easily as other varieties. Chiapas style is excellent for grilling or pan-frying.
Cotija Cheese Substitutes
If you need to substitute another cheese for cotija in a recipe, try these Mexican cheeses: queso fresco, queso ranchero, or queso, panela. All are salty, fresh cheeses that crumble well. The flavor they add to a dish will be milder but still very tasty.
Popular Brands in the U.S.
Here are some popular Mexican cheese brands that produce cotija. You should be able to buy them at most large grocery chains. The brands sold in the U.S. are milder than the ones you will find in Mexico.
Looking for a family-friendly chicken dish that you can have on the table quickly? Chicken fajitas are the answer. Follow a few easy steps and you will have prepared a restaurant-quality meal in about 30 minutes.
Fun Fact
Did you know that the direct translation of fajitas is “little strips”? The name of the dish refers to the way the meat is cut.
To prepare, you thinly slice some chicken breast and season it with homemade fajita seasoning which has a hint of guajillo and arból chile, and paprika then slice some onions and bell peppers.
To cook, you toss all the ingredients into a large frying pan and cook for about 15 minutes. Serve on warm flour or corn tortillas and top with Mexican cream or sour cream and your favorite salsa.
Depending on the salsa you choose your fajitas can be as hot or mild as you like. If you want them with just a hint of heat from the seasoning you don’t need to add any salsa just top your fajitas with a spoonful of Mexican cream or sour cream.
Enjoy our favorite chicken fajita recipe! A perfect family meal.
How to Make Chicken Fajitas
Follow the steps for great results. Double up the recipe to serve a crowd.
Substitutions: If you are unable to find all four colors of the peppers you can use any combination of peppers and you will still get great results.
Equipment:
Gather all your tools before you begin. You will need the following:
large cutting board
kitchen knife
kitchen tongs or spatula
heavy-bottomed pan or skillet (a cast-iron skillet works great)
a serving platter
a serving spoon or tongs
First, Prep the Chicken
Start by butterflying the chicken breasts so that the meat is even in thickness.
Then slice into ½ inch strips.
Season well with our fajita seasoning and 1 tsp. of salt. You will add more salt at the end of cooking if needed. Our taco seasoning is also a tasty choice for seasoning the chicken. Your preference.
The spice mix is a blend of the following: guajillo peppers, arból peppers, coriander seeds, paprika, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, black pepper, and Mexican oregano.
Next, Prep the Vegetables
Slice the onion into very thin strips.
Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers then slice into ¼″ wide strips. Discard the stems and seeds.
Cook the Fajitas
Heat a heavy bottom pan to medium-hot then add the seasoned chicken. Cook for about 2 minutes.
Turn the chicken and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the onions.
Stir the onion into the chicken and cook for 3 minutes.
Add all of the bell peppers to your pan.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes turning regularly until the chicken is fully cooked and the peppers are cooked but still have just a bit of a crunch to them.
Check the chicken for doneness then adjust the salt as needed. Looks delicious, doesn’t it?
Serving
While the chicken is cooking, warm the tortillas on a comal or griddle set aside and cover with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.
On each tortilla, place a portion of the cooked fajitas then top with Mexican cream or sour cream and salsa roja or salsa verde and a squirt of lime juice if you would like.
Fajitas are great with an ice-cold Mexican beer. We have been enjoying Carta Blanca recently.
A Great Dish for a Crowd
This is a great dish for a for a big get-together, think birthday parties, Super Bowl Party, club meetings, etc. Making a double or triple batch takes very little extra time to prepare. Set up a fajita buffet and everyone gets to serve themselves.
Self Serve Fajita Station
Set up your fajita station by placing the following from left to right on your serving table.
serving plates
warm tortillas
the fajitas on a platter
Mexican cream or sour cream
the salsas
quartered limes
a big stack of paper napkins
Storage: Chicken fajitas is a great make-ahead dish because it will keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. They are easy to reheat and serve. We prefer not to freeze them because the bell peppers get mushy when frozen but if you do want to freeze them they will still be delicious when served.
Butterfly the chicken breasts then slice into ½ inch strips.
Season chicken well with fajita seasoning and 1 tsp. of salt.
Set chicken aside while cutting the onion and bell peppers.
Prep the Vegetables
Slice the onion into very thin strips.
Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers then slice into ¼" wide strips.
Cook the Fajitas
Heat a heavy bottom pan to medium hot then add the seasoned chicken. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Turn the chicken and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add all of the bell peppers and mix well.
Cook for 5 to 7 minutes more turning regularly until the chicken is fully cooked and the peppers are cooked but still have just a bit of a crunch to them.
Warm the tortillas while the fajitas are cooking.
Serving
Place 2 or 3 warm tortillas on each plate. Fill each tortilla with a portion of the fajitas then top with Mexican cream, a good salsa, and a squirt of lime juice if you'd like.
Notes
Substitutions
If you are unable to find all four colors of the peppers you can use any combination of peppers.
Storage
Chicken fajitas keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. We prefer not to freeze them because the bell peppers get mushy when frozen but if you do want to freeze them they will still be delicious.
Andrés our photographer used to eat these hard-boiled egg and rice tacos during recess when he was in middle school in Cuernavaca, Morelos. They are prepared with Mexican rice, chunks of hard-boiled egg, and topped with a sharp uncooked homemade salsa verde.
Students would buy them from a woman who came by the school every day with a basket full of ingredients to assemble the tacos. They were a quick, Inexpensive, and delicious snack for the hungry kids.
Most families keep rice, and salsas in the fridge ready to prepare a quick meal or snack. You would just need to make some hard-boiled eggs and food will be on the table in 15 minutes.
If you like your salsa hot and sharp, you will enjoy this recipe for a fresh tomatillo salsa verde (green sauce). It is a very easy to make uncooked salsa. The uncooked tomatillos are quite acidic and when you add 4 serrano chiles, seeds and all, your salsa is gonna pack some punch. The flavor stands up well to grilled beef. We love this salsa with carne asada. It's also a great salsa for grilled chicken.
Blend the tomatillos, serrano chiles, garlic, water, and salt until smooth.
Pour the blended tomatillos into a serving bowl. Add the chopped onion and cilantro and stir.
Adjust the salt as needed.
Notes
Prefer a milder salsa?This is a very hot salsa. Use 2 serrano chiles or even 1 instead of 4 if you prefer a milder salsa.Let the Salsa RestIf you have the time allow the salsa to rest for 30 minutes so that the flavors meld.
Homemade fajita seasoning is easy to make and you can adapt the flavor profile to your exact tastes. Mild fruity guajillo peppers form the base, paprika adds smokiness, cumin adds warmth, and arból peppers add as much heat as you would like.
Use It On
We like to use this seasoning mix to prepare chicken fajitas, beef fajitas, or shrimp fajitas, to add some Mexican flavor.
How to Make
Gather your ingredients. Most are pantry staples.
Ingredients:
Our fajita spice mix doesn’t include salt which is intentional. We have left it up to you to decide how much salt to use based on your tastes and dietary preferences. If you want to add salt, a good starting point would be to add 1 tablespoon to the seasoning mix.
5 guajillo chile peppers
3 arból chile peppers
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. Mexican oregano
Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles.
Add the guajillo and arból chiles to your blender. Do not add any liquid.
Add the coriander seeds.
Blend for about 30 seconds until you have a fine powder.
In a small mixing bowl add the remaining ingredients.
Mix well.
Add the ground chile peppers and coriander seed.
Mix well. Your seasoning is ready to use.
Adjusting the Spice Mix
Mexican spices are very adaptable. You can easily adjust the flavor profile to your liking. Here are a few tips:
Add extra arból chile peppers if you prefer a hotter seasoning.
Reduce the quantity of arból chile peppers or omit if you prefer a milder seasoning.
Reduce the amount of cumin to feature more of the guajillo pepper flavor.
Reduce the amount of black pepper to feature more of the guajillo pepper flavor.
Increase the quantity of Mexican oregano to give the seasoning a sweeter more herbal profile.
How to Use
Use one tablespoon per pound of meat. Rub both sides of the meat with the seasoning and work it in well. Cover the meat and refrigerate for at least 4 hours so that the flavor permeates the meat. Allowing the meat to season overnight is even better. Cook using your favorite cooking method. Pan-frying or grilling work really well.
Storage
Store in an airtight container for up to one month. The ground chiles lose their flavor if stored much longer than this.
Let us know in the comments below how you have adapted this recipe to your liking.
Add the guajillo, arból chiles, coriander seed to your blender and blend for about 30 seconds until you have a fine powder.
In a small mixing bowl add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Add the ground chile peppers and coriander seed and mix well.
Notes
Note: The recipe doesn’t include salt which is intentional. We have left it up to you to decide how much salt to use based on your tastes and dietary preferences. If you want to add salt, a good starting point would be to add 1 tablespoon to the seasoning mix.
A Carajillo is an easy to prepare Mexican cocktail served as an after-dinner digestif or as a dessert course. Although originally from Spain, the carajillo has become an integral part of restaurant culture in Mexico particularly in Mexico City.
Espresso and Licor 43, a sweet Spanish liqueur are served over ice to get a nice layered effect. The carajillo is a perfect drink to serve on a slow, relaxing, warm evening.
Licor 43 is made with a secret blend of citrus and fruit juices, vanilla, and aromatic herbs and spices. It has a well-rounded, sweet flavor that lingers. It is a slow-sipping liqueur.
Traditionally, this coffee cocktail is made with espresso but you can substitute some very strong coffee and get acceptable results.
How to Make
You only need two ingredients. Preparation couldn’t be simpler.
Ingredients:
Espresso or very strong coffee
Licor 43, a sweet Spanish liqueur
Ice
If you can’t find Licor 43 at your local market or wine store, it’s readily available online.
Glassware:
8-ounce rocks or wine glasses
Prepare your espresso or strong coffee, then measure out 2 ozs. Let cool for a few minutes.
Measure out 2 ozs. of Licor 43.
Add 4 ice cubes to your rocks glass and add the Licor 43.
Slowly pour the espresso over the ice. The coffee will float on top of the Liqueur.
If you pour the espresso slowly, it will float on top of the liqueur which makes for a sharp looking drink. Serve immediately.
Are you going to add the Carajillo to your recipe book?
You may know of huitlacoche the mysterious Mexican corn mushroom also called corn truffle but aren’t quite sure what to do with it. We recommend these quesadillas filled with sautéed onions, tomatoes, and huitlacoche.
First, What is Huitlacoche?
Huitlacoche is a fungus that grows on ears of corn and is a celebrated delicacy in Mexico. In the U.S. it is considered a blight on corn crops but is gradually being embraced by organic farmers because an ear of corn with infected with huitlacoche brings a much higher price than a regular ear of corn.
Cooking with huitlacoche gives a dish delicate mushroom or truffle like flavor. It’s most commonly used to prepare quesadillas, tacos, and soup.
Where to Buy
During the summer months, you may be able to buy fresh huitlacoche at a farmer’s market or specialty grocery store. If fresh is unavailable, you can use a 13oz. size canned huitlacoche well-drained. (Affiliate link)
Corn or Flour Tortillas?
Authentic Mexican quesadillas are prepared with corn tortillas and tend to be much smaller with less filling than the “loaded quesadillas” prepared with fluffy flour tortillas we often see in the U.S. For this recipe, don’t substitute flour tortillas.
Huitlacoche, also spelled cuitlacoche goes, by a number of different names in English. Starting with the most glamourous to the least; corn truffle, corn, mushroom, corn fungus, and corn smut.
How to Make
Ingredients:
Choosing Your Cheese
You need a good Mexican melting cheese for quesadillas. Try Oaxaca cheese, Chihuahua, or asadero cheese. Mozzarella is an acceptable substitute is a Mexican cheese is unavailable.
Ingredient list:
cheese – Oaxaca, Chihuahua, or asadero
huitlacoche (corn mushroom)
tomato
white onion
garlic
epazote
salt
corn tortillas
Preparing the Filling
Chop the onion, tomatoes, and garlic.
Cook the onions, tomatoes, and garlic in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium heat stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
When the tomatoes have changed color and started to lose their shape they are ready. Set them aside.
In the same pot where you cooked the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cook the huitlacoche over medium heat for 10 minutes.
Notice how the huitlacoche has darkened in color.
Add the reserved mixture of tomatoes, onion, and garlic and stir well.
Season with epazote and salt and cook for 2 more minutes.
Assembling the Quesadillas
Once the filling is done cooking, it’s time to make the quesadillas. Start by putting about ¾ ounce of cheese on a corn tortilla.
Then put 2 tbsps. of filling on the tortilla.
Then add another ¾ ounces of cheese and top with another tortilla.
Preheat your pan or comal to medium-hot. Place the quesadilla in the pan and cook until the tortilla just starts to turn golden then flip once.
Check to see that the cheese is fully melted before serving.
Serving
Slice the quesadillas in half. Serve 2 quesadillas per person with your favorite salsa, red or green on the side. Try one of our recipes for salsa verde or salsa roja.
One of our favorite Mexican desserts is arroz con leche, a Mexican style rice pudding. From a simple list of ingredients; rice, milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, you create a rich dessert great than the sum of its parts. It’s delicious served warm or cold. Our photographer Andrés shares his family’s authentic recipe.
An Adaptable Easy Recipe
Every cook in Mexico has their favorite arroz con leche recipe that they have tweaked and modified over the years. Some add sweetened condensed milk, some add evaporated milk, some add raisins. Some make it very sweet others make it lightly sweet. Some prefer it very moist almost to the point of being wet while others like it a little bit dry. You get the idea. It’s really up to you.
It’s a kid-friendly dessert too that I also consider Mexican comfort food at it’s best.
How to Make Arroz con Leche
The ingredients you need you probably already have on hand. All are inexpensive pantry staples.
Ingredients:
long grain white rice
whole milk
water
sugar
cinnamon stick
salt
butter
vanilla extract
ground cinnamon
raisins (optional)
Cook the Rice First
Bring the water to a boil, then add the rice, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
Your cooked rice is ready.
Prepare the Arroz con Leche
While the rice is cooking in a medium pan soak the cinnamon stick in 1 cup of milk.
When the rice is ready add it to the milk with the cinnamon stick and turn the heat to low.
Add the sugar.
Add the salt then cook for 10 minutes stirring regularly.
After the rice has absorbed some of the milk add the butter.
And add the remaining cup of milk.
Then add the vanilla.
Stir to mix the ingredients well. Continue cooking over low heat for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat then cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
Getting Your Rice Pudding Recipe Just Right
The rice pudding will have absorbed much of the liquid but it should still be creamy. Here is how to adjust it to your liking.
Too dry? If you find that it is too dry, stir in ¼ cup of milk at a time and heat for a couple more minutes until you get the level of moisture that you want.
Too wet? If you find that it is too moist, just cook over low heat until enough liquid has evaporated.
Serving
Serve warm or cold. Spoon rice pudding into a dessert bowl or cup then dust with ground cinnamon and garnish with a bit of cinnamon stick if you like.
English – Spanish Recipe Glossary
Recipe – Receta
Rice Pudding – Arroz con Leche
Dessert – Postre
Ingredients – Ingredientes
Rice – Arroz
Milk – Leche
Butter – Mantequilla
Water – Agua
Condensed Milk – Leche Condensada
Sweetened Condensed Milk – Leche Condensada Dulce
Sugar – Azúcar
Cinnamon – Canela
Raisins – Pasitas
Vanilla Extract – Extracto de Vainilla
Delicious – Delicioso
What is your favorite way of preparing it? Share in the comments below.
Enjoy our recipe for Mexican style tuna patties, croquetas de atun. They are prepared with chopped onion and cilantro and you can add some serrano pepper if you want them spicy.
Preparation is quick and easy using pantry staples. You can have the patties and dressing prepared in under 30 minutes with little fuss. They are kid-friendly and easy on the budget.
How to Make
These patties come together quickly with economical pantry staples.
Ingredients:
canned tuna (water-packed)
eggs
onion
cilantro
breadcrumbs
cooking oil
salt
Finely chop the cilantro and onion.
Drain the tuna. Press to remove as must liquid as possible.
Put the tuna, onion, cilantro, and salt in a mixing bowl.
Mix until the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
Place an egg-sized scoop of tuna mixture in the palm of your hand and form into a tight patty. Do this with all of the mixture.
Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl then dip each patty in the egg.
After dipping each patty in the egg coat the patty in breadcrumbs.
Place the coated patties on a plate until they are coated.
Fry the patties in ½ cup cooking oil over medium-high heat.
Turn once when frying. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
Place the cooked patties on paper towels or paper napkins to remove any excess oil.
Mexican style tuna patties, "croquetas de atun" prepared with chopped onion and cilantro and topped with cilantro lime dressing. Also known as tuna croquettes.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time12 minutesmins
Total Time22 minutesmins
Course: Fish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: canned tuna, tuna recipe
Servings: 4people
Calories: 396kcal
Author: Andrés Carnalla
Equipment
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Kitchen spoon
mixing bowl
Frying pan
Ingredients
Tuna Patties
45 oz. canstunawater packed
3eggs
2cupsbread crumbs
½cupcilantrofinely chopped
½cuponionfinely chopped
1serrano pepperoptional
1tsp.salt
¼cupcooking oil
Serving
8leavesiceberg lettucehand torn
1cupcilantro lime dressingrecipe below
Instructions
Tuna Patties
Finely chop the onion and cilantro.
Drain the tuna. Press to remove as must liquid as possible.
Put the tuna, onion, cilantro, and salt in a mixing bowl then mix until the ingredients are evenly dispersed.
Place an egg-sized scoop of tuna mixture in the palm of your hand and form into a tight patty. Repeat until all of the tuna mixture is used.
Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl then dip each patty in the egg.
After dipping each patty in the egg coat the patty in breadcrumbs.
Place the coated patties on a plate until the are all have been coated.
Fry the patties in ½ cup cooking oil over medium-high heat. Turn once when frying. Cook until both sides are golden brown.
Place the cooked patties on paper towels or paper napkins to remove any excess oil.
Serving
Shred the lettuce leaves by hand and serve 2 patties on a bed of lettuce with our cilantro lime dressing for each person. Recipe Below.
Notes
OptionalAdd 1 serrano pepper, seeds and veins removed and finely chopped if you want the patties to be a little spicy. StoragePatties are best when eaten immediately but will keep a couple of days in the refrigerator. Reheat to serve.
Make the Broth
