You are likely familiar with tacos or nachos, but how much do you know about other traditional Mexican food such as enmoladas, cemita poblanas, or posole? If you say “nada”, then don’t worry! Many of these regional dishes aren’t listed in many Mexican restaurants. We have listed some recipes for traditional Mexican cuisines and desserts to cook at home. At least, you will know what to order in authentic Mexican restaurants.
Traditional Mexican Food Recipes To Try
Enmolada
Originating from Oaxaca, enmolada is made of rolled corn tortilla which is commonly filled with cotija chees and shredded chicken. It is bathed in chocolate mole and sprinkled with cheese and sesame seeds.
Note: Many Mexican food use chicken broth. If you don’t have it, just use bouillon and water. You can also use vegetable broth if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 can (8.25-ounce) mole paste
- 1 tablet Mexican chocolate
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups leftover chicken (shredded)
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup crumbled Queso Fresco (optional)
- 1 cup oil
- 1/4 onion (sliced)
Instructions
- Mix mole paste with 3 1/2 cups chicken broth in a stock pot and then stir it until the paste absorb the liquid. Bring it to a simmer for around 20 minutes. Check the mole. If it is too thick, pour the remaining stock. Simmer it again and then remove it from the heat.
- Next, add chocolate and stir it until melting. Turn the heat off.
- Heat oil on the skillet and fry the tortilla. For each side, it needs 1-2 minutes. Then, place the tortilla on a paper towel.
- Next, heat the chicken. You can use a stove or microwave.
- Set the tortilla on the serving plate and add chicken then roll it up. Repeat the steps until it is done.
- Pour the black mole and top it with queso fresco and also sliced onion. Serve it.
Tips
- If you buy the pre-made sauce, you can jump to the frying.
- If you want a healthier way, heat the tortillas in the microwave for around 1 minute.
- You can also make a vegetarian version of enmoladas by omitting the chicken and substituting it with a healthier option. Including the cheese. You can use vegetables or tofu.
How long the enmoladas can last? If you store it in the fridge, it will last up to 5 days. If you store it in the freezer, it will last for 6 months. Make sure to store the enchiladas without the sauce so they will not soggy. To serve it, just reheat it and add the sauce.
Pozole
The main component of this hearty soup is the maize or corn kernels that are hulled. It is simmered with spices, chiles, tomatoes, pork shoulder, and some garnishes such as chopped onions, shredded cabbage, lime, and radishes. It tastes very delicious when served with tortillas. Typically, pozole is served during special occasions.
Keep in mind that the soup should be brothy and thin because you will top it with garnish. Also, it will leave a lot of leftovers so you need to store it. You can store it in the fridge and it will last for about a week. Meanwhile, if you freeze it, it will last up to three months. Just transfer the posole to the freezer container.
Ingredients
- 4-ounce ancho chiles or guajillo (you can also combine both)
- 1 large can white hominy (drin it and then rinse)
- 3-pound pork shoulder (cut into cubes)
- 8 cloves garlic (chop 4 of them roughly)
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp dry oregano
Garnishes
- Sliced cabbage
- Cilantro chopped
- White onion, chopped
- Avocados, chopped
- Limes, quartered
- Red radish, sliced
- Tostada shells
Instructions
- Bring 5-quart water to a boil.
- Prepare chiles and remove the seeds, stems, and large veins. Heat them on a cast iron pan until softened. Make sure it is not burning.
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Simmer and then remove it from the heat. After that, add the chiles to the pot and cover it. Let it soak for around 20 minutes.
- Dry the pork with a paper towel and sprinkle each side with salt. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a high-medium heat. Fry the meat until it is golden brown. Make sure to not stir the meat too often. Before removing the meat from the pot, add 4 cloves of garlic and let it cook with the meat for around 1 minute.
- Once the meat has been golden brown, transfer it to the boiling stockpot. Make sure to scrape up the browned bits and garlic, then add them to the pot. Add also the rinsed hominy.
- Next, add cumin, bay leaves, oregano, and 1 tbsp salt. Bring it to a simmer for 15 minutes.
- Put the chilies, 2 1/2 cups of the chili soaking liquid, 1 tsp of salt, and also 4 cloves garlic in the blender. Then, strain the liquid.
- Add hominy and the chili sauce to the pot. Add a couple of teaspoons of salt and then bring it to a simmer.
- Cook the pork for around 2-3 hours so the pork is tender. Skim the excess fat and check the taste.
- To serve the soup, pour the soup and the meat into the bowl and top it with garnish. Enjoy it with tostada shells. You can also try tortilla chips if you don’t find tostada shells.
Cocadas
Cocadas is one of the most popular traditional Mexican desserts which is made of coconut flakes. It is naturally sweet because of the coconut. The condensed milk used in the recipe keeps the coconut together. But don’t worry, this extra sweetness isn’t overpowering.
It is a simple dessert that you just need half an hour to make it.
Besides Mexico, Cocadas are also popular in some countries like Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, and even Spain. Make this dessert with your kids. It is fun and most importantly, it is gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups shredded coconut
- 2/3 cup macadamia nuts (chopped)
- 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 egg
Instructions
- Set the oven to 325 degrees and preheat the oven.
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
- Scoop the mixture with cookie scope and form bowls.
- Places the coconut balls on the ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake the coconut balls for around 25 minutes.
- Enjoy!
Tips
- For a more traditional and authentic way, you can use fresh coconut, grated coconut, or coconut flakes. For easier use, sweetened coconut is fine. However, make sure that you use dry coconut.
- 1 can of condensed milk is enough to get the taste you want.
- You can use unsalted nuts if you don’t find macadamia nuts.
- For vanilla, you can also use the pure one. It also works.
- Allow the coconut balls to rest on the cookie sheet for around 10 minutes before baking.
- If the bottom of the cookies burns, you can set the oven temperature to 200 degrees.
Chiltomate
when talking about Mexican cuisines, we will never forget about salsa. It is the core of Mexican food. But the chiltomate is an important Yucatecan staple. It is a simple dish with simple preparation, bringing a sweet-spicy flavor. Until today, the chiltomate still becomes the pillar of Mayan cuisine. Here is the recipe!
Ingredients
- 8-ounce tomatoes (quartered)
- 1 yellow onion (quartered)
- 2 habanero peppers
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat the cast-iron pan, then add tomatoes, onion, and peppers. Stir it occasionally until the vegetables are charred.
- Put the garlic with charred vegetables in the food processor. You can use a blender. Then blend the vegetables.
- Heat the oil on the cast iron and then add the salsa mixture and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, then simmer for around 5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir it occasionally.
- Remove the salsa from the heat and transfer it to a bowl. Add lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and oregano.
- Check the taste and let it cool.
- Enjoy the chiltomate in a room temperature with tortilla chips. You can save it in the container and put it in the refrigerator for later.
FAQs
What are the 3 most popular traditional Mexican foods?
There is much traditional Mexican food that is popular. But make sure to try chilaquiles, huevos motulenos, and enchiladas. These three dishes offer rich flavors with different characteristics.
Chilaquiles are a breakfast staple that is prepared in different ways. It consists of corn tortillas which are served with salsa rojo, or salsa verde. It has fresh garnishes like avocados, onions, crema, cilantro, and also queso fresco.
Huevos motulenos is another popular breakfast dish that consists of tortillas that are topped with cheese, black beans, tomato sauce, and fried eggs.
Meanwhile, Enchiladas consist of corn tortillas which are stuffed with certain fillings such as potatoes, cheese, meat, beans, and vegetables. And then, it is poured with sauce.
What is the most famous dessert in Mexico?
There are some classic Mexican desserts that you must try such as flan, paletas, arros con leche, and Mexican wedding cookies.
Flan is a custard dessert with spectacular flavor. It is popular in most of Latin America and Spain.
Paletas are great for summer desserts. It is Mexican-style popsicles that are made of fresh fruits and nuts. You can customize the popsicles in different flavors.
Meanwhile, the arroz con leche is a thick-creamy rice pudding that is topped with cinnamon and raisins. The recipes come in various ingredients but generally, it is made of boiling rice and then the milky liquid is taken to make pudding. It is delicious and comforting.
Mexican wedding cookies are nice shortbread cookies that are topped with roasted pecans and then rolled in sugar powder.
Are you on a diet? Don’t worry! Try these keto-friendly Mexican foods.