Tag: flavors

Looking for something different to eat in Mexico try the “Aguachile”… Enjoy these Pacific delicacy …

Now that we are on our 5th year in Mexico, many of the local food flavors and recipes are part of our day to day life at home. During the first few years eating “picante” was more done outside our home, maybe in a restaurant or a friend house, we did like some of it but were always cautious of the level of heat in the food. With my travel across Mexico I have learned to enjoy “picante” food and began cooking some of the dishes at home, today is normal to have many type of chiles in our fridge. I will have to admit that now it is mandatory to put some Jalapeño peppers in my burgers or a homemade salsa with chile Serrano while doing a BBQ, tolerance has increased a lot since we first got here!!!

Here some types of chile: Manzanero, Cuaresmeño, Serrano, Habanero ( Ranked by hot level)

One of the dishes I have come to enjoy a lot is the “Aguachile”, is the mexican version of the ceviche. The main difference is that it is always HOT!!!! In reality the hotter the better…. One of the best peppers to use in the “Aguachile” is the habanero, the level of hotness mixed with other ingredients like mango makes it for a wonderful culinary experience. We have tried a couple of recipes and my favorite is the Mango/Habanero Shrimp “Aguachile”, it is a great dish with a very cold beer at your side. There are many other recipes, like a Green “Aguachile” made with a white fish like the Snapper and Chile Serrano. Picture of both below.

Mango / Habanero “Aguachile” Great mix of flavors with the big kick of hot

In Mexico City you can try this dishes in one of the many seafood specialty restaurants, also in Queretaro we have various restaurants but having the experience of eating were it all begin is wonderful. Some of the places i have tried are in Mazatlan “El Cuchupetas” and in Culiacan “El Que Ceviche” also there is a Mexican chain called Cabanna, the quality of their product is excellent and their service superb ( In Mexico City that would be the place for you to go)

“Aguachile verde” The Chile Serrano mixed with the green tomatoes and cucumber really drive the flavor

The current contingency has made us stay at home, but when the new normal arrive be prepared and go to the local restaurants and spend in the small business across Mexico, order an “Aguachile” with a cold beer and enjoy being outside with your family and friends.

If you just read this, forward to your friends and sign in to receive our updates about how you can enjoy Mexico as much as we have done. Follow us on instagram, or facebook look for #BORICUASLIVINGABROAD . Until next time….

 

Mexico cuisine is more than tacos… Still the taco is champ!!!

If you ask 100 different people in Mexico their favorite dish, you can get 100 different answers. Mexico extensive land and climates provide a huge pallet of flavors and texture in their food. The other key element in their food is the wide variety of peppers from mild to extremely hot, it is important to say that in order to enjoy Mexican food it is mandatory to use their salsa made with peppers. For me is key the freshness of their ingredients, today they have hundreds of open air markets were you can get vegetable, fruits, meats that go directly to their cuisine. I will share my experience of “el mercado” in another post.

“El mercado” is an experience that every one needs to have in Mexico

If you ask for my favorite dish it would be almost impossible to just select one, but for the exercise I would tell you that the “Cochinita Pibil” would take the number 1 place, it is a traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatán Peninsula. Preparation of traditional “cochinita” involves marinating the meat in strongly acidic citrus juice, seasoning it with annatto seed which imparts a vivid burnt orange color, and roasting the meat while it is wrapped in banana leaf.

The best way to try Mexico food is thru a buffet, we found one in a trip to Guadalajara (more to come about these beautiful city) the price was around $20 USD per person and had more than 100 different options, see the photos below from one of our trips. On Sundays many hotels and restaurants have their own Mexican buffet, give a try to food made on the spot …

Buffet from Santo Coyote in Guadalajara, you will find many buffets like these all across Mexico on Sundays

Cochinita can be served in many ways: Tacos, With beans, As a sandwich but my favorite is the “Panucho” (Corn Tortillas filled with mashed black beans, cochinita pibil , topped with purple onion and habanero sauce), the secret is that the tortillas are fried before putting all other ingredients.

Best place to try “Cochinita” in Mexico City / Panuchos in the making

The great thing about Mexican food is you can enjoy a simple “Taco de Canasta” from a lady in a street to a tasting menu from Pujol one of the best restaurants in the world, one in front of the other. The alternative are endless and for every budget and taste buds. I will try and cover different foods and places in my posts, also will share a list of places we have enjoy thru the years in the Food section.

“Asada” taco / Corn “Gorditas”

I hope this brief introduction have set you up for a culinary trip across Mexico, give a try to their cuisine and taste the large variety of foods from Seafood to local produced meat, from local fruits to the more than 100 hundred different peppers to make a salsa.

Continue enjoying our blog as we share our stories of #boricuaslivingabroad .