Whip up a finger-licking Mexican meal

However, for some years now, there has been a regular supply of taco shells, refried beans, salsa and other basic ingredients used to make Mexican dishes, therefore, I feel confident enough to share a simple recipe that turns out a sumptuous Mexican spread.

Taco Shells (Hard)

A taco shell is an important component of traditional Mexican cuisine, which is made of corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling.

Taco shells can be stuffed with a variety of fillings, including beef, chicken, seafood, vegetables and cheese, allowing for great versatility and variety.

They are generally eaten without utensils and are often accompanied by garnishes such as salsa, avocado or guacamole, coriander, tomatoes, onions and lettuce.

Hard Tacoshells became popular from the early part of the twentieth century in the Western World. They are generally U-shaped so that the fillings can be stuffed in the space created by the U.

Refried Beans

Refried beans is a dish of cooked and mashed beans and is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a somewhat different approach when making the dish.

In northern Mexico and in American Tex-Mex cuisine, refried beans are usually prepared with pinto beans, but many other varieties of bean are used in other parts of Mexico, such as black or red beans.

Salsa

Salsa typically refers to sauce, but in Mexican cuisine, Salsa roja, “red sauce” is used as a condiment in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine, and usually made with cooked tomatoes, chilli peppers, onion, garlic, and fresh coriander.

Flour Tortillas

In Mexico, a flour tortilla is a type of thin, unleavened flatbread, made from finely ground wheat flour. It is like a dry chapatti, without any fat.

Guacamole

This is one essential item which you cannot get ready-made. That is because it is made with fresh ingredients and has a very short shelf life.

Guacamole is an avocado-based dip that originated in Mexico. It is traditionally made by mashing ripe avocados with a mortar and pestle and adding sea salt.

Some recipes need just a little tomato, spicy minced chilli such as jalapeno, white onion, lime juice, and/or additional seasonings.

Here’s how you make it.

Ingredients:

4 ripe avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed

2 tomatoes, diced

2 tbsp minced white onion

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Method:

1.Thoroughly mix together the avocado, onion, and lemon juice in a bowl.

2.Add the salt and mix.

3.Add the diced tomatoes and gently fold them into the mixture.

4.Serve immediately.

5.Store unused portions in refrigerator. Guacamole, like all avocado products tend to turn black after a while.

When storing in the refrigerator keep the avocado seed in the guacamole to prevent it from going black.

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How to make a vegetable taco

Ingredients

•A couple of hard taco shells

•Refried beans, warmed

•A salad of shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced coloured peppers

•Salsa

•Guacamole

•Shredded cheddar cheese

Method

1.Line the bottom of an empty taco shell with a tablespoon of refried beans.

2.Next, heap some salad and top this with guacamole, a teaspoon of salsa and shredded cheese.

3.Serve/eat immediately, since the warm beans can make the Taco soggy and it may break, spilling the fillings.

Tips:

You can change fillings to cooked minced chicken, beef, chicken or steak strips. Next week, I will tell you how to prepare and substitute these fillings and also give you some more Mexican recipes.

Did you know?

•Chocolate played an important part in the history of Mexican cuisine. The word “chocolate” originates in Mexico’s Aztec cuisine, derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl.

•Ancient Mexican Aztec cooked using chocolate, not just in desserts or as drinks, but also in savoury dishes such as Mole, to give a hint of exotica!