What's missing from my Mexican Dishes?

thing1 · 05-31-2005, 08:12 PM

They always taste soooooooo bland, even when I follow popular recipes.

Is there some secret ingredient Mexican restaurants use?

DH has turned his nose up at my attempts one too many times and it's starting to hurt my fee-wings.

Last time, he said he would rather I had just picked up something from Taco Bell. Boo-Hoo!

snowbunny · 05-31-2005, 08:16 PM

Are you adding enough cumin, oregano and chilies? How about fresh peppers like jalapenos or serranos?

Maybe it's lard/bacon fat ... (sounds gross) but it adds a lot of flavor.

snowwhite · 05-31-2005, 08:27 PM

cumin and chili powder, I also second using fresh jalepeno's it makes a world of difference. I sometimes also use a little cyanne pepper, just remember a little goes a long ways. Good luck.

Careallie · 05-31-2005, 09:03 PM

What recipies are you making?? I agree with the other girls, the cumin is really important.

Ammaarah · 05-31-2005, 09:06 PM

Cumin definitely does it for me. If you find jalapenos too spicy, you can use serrano chilis, which are a lot smaller...they still pack some punch but not as much IMHO. Another cool thing about chilis - you can freeze them whole and just cut off as much as you want when you are cooking. It's not good like that in salad but in a warm dish, it's awesome. If you don't want them too hot, leave the chilis sliced in larger chunks, like half the size of your pinkie nail, and fussy folk can pick them out easier.

Oregano is good too, like SB said. I used to think it was a strictly Italian flavor but not so! Fresh oregano is fabulous but pricey, so I use dry.

Snowbunny, you're right about lard. My religion prohibits pork consumption, and I get depressed sometimes about all the authentic Mexican food I'm missing out on!

anglewormm · 05-31-2005, 09:43 PM

Use Meixcan Oregano. It is a different Oregano than the Italian that is common. You can find it in the Ethnic section of the grocery store. We buy a lot of the packeged peppers and spices in that section for our mexican food. Cumin is definetly a mexican taste and will lend to that flavor you are looking for. The problem with Meixcan food in restaurants is that most of it, unless you are at a real authentic restaurant, it is Americanized.
The rule of thumb is, the smaller the pepper, the hotter it is. Chili's always give a good sense of Mexican flavor. If you don't want the heat, but want the flavor, remove the seeds and the membrane (that is where the capsaicin is, the part that burns). If you are sensitive to the capsaicin (also the stuff in pepper spray) use food handling gloves. Be sure to wash hands well with fresh lemon juice or baking soda and don't touch your face or other sensitive parts if you don't use the gloves.

chanchan · 05-31-2005, 09:56 PM

ditto on everything above, fresh cilantro and limes can also work wonders...

Jesi · 05-31-2005, 10:10 PM

I agree with all the ladies here with their suggestions.

Depends what dishes you are trying to liven up, though.

Oh and for the lard thing... my Mom used to use lard when we were kids and like 15 or so years ago the dr made her change my dad's diet. She now uses corn oil (I prefer Mazola) instead of using canola, vegetable or olive oil.

Oh and one more thing that I think makes a HUGE difference is using fresh veggies instead of canned. Anything that requires things like onion, tomato and chilies... I suggest using fresh ones.. for tomatoes I like roma tomatoes.

Kinda makes me want to go make salsa!!!

What are you making and then maybe we can give suggestions?

HTH!

PaintedDaisy · 05-31-2005, 10:25 PM

I say skip the jalepenos and get authentic green chili (the best is from Hatch). Of course the green chili may be hard to come by, depending on where you live. Since I live in New Mexico it's the only thing people use but my SIL who lives in FL can't find anything worthy to save her life. I guess in that case other green peppers are okay, but they won't quite taste the same.

Ammaarah · 05-31-2005, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anglewormm

Use Meixcan Oregano. It is a different Oregano than the Italian that is common.

SNIP

Be sure to wash hands well with fresh lemon juice or baking soda and don't touch your face or other sensitive parts if you don't use the gloves.

Wow, I didn't know there was a different type of oregano for Mexican food...ya learn something every day! :marchmell

And be careful with the chilis! I made the mistake of cutting a chili, then washing my hands thoroughly (I THOUGHT!) and trying to put in contact lenses!

Debbie · 06-01-2005, 06:51 PM

Comino (cumin), like the others have said, is a huge part of Mexican cooking. Fresh garlic is, also, widely used. Chile powder is usually only used in menudo, tamales, enchilada sauce, and sometimes a small bit in Carne Guisada. A pepper really popular, other than jalapeno's, is chile pequin. It's a tiny round/oval shaped pepper, and it's VERY hot. It works good in fresh salsas, etc.

Cilantro is used a lot in pico de gallo, charro beans, and some salsas. Tomatillo's are used in making salsa, as well.

Lard makes the best flour tortillas. For refried beans, bacon grease gives them a great flavor.

I would, most definitely, recommend buying some ground comino. You can also buy comino seeds, but they have to be ground in the molcajete. The flavor of comino can go a long ways, so too much can be overpowering & ruin the food.

If you'd like, let us know what you are wanting to make, and I'm sure some of us will be able to tell you what spices are used.

Jesi · 06-01-2005, 08:35 PM

Debbie~ you made me hungry reading all your suggestions. Even refried beans w/ flower tortillas and (white) cheese sounds great right now!

Maybe we should do a recipe exchange!

I've got a great one for chicken albondigas that includes azafran (I think that's saffron), yerba buena (mint) and chicken (of course) instead of beef!

anglewormm · 06-01-2005, 10:37 PM

Definetly would love to see some Mexican dish recipes............

Been looking for a good Arroz Con Pollo.

Dh loves it, but haven't found one that compares to a little Mexican restaurant in his home area.

Debbie · 06-01-2005, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anglewormm

Definetly would love to see some Mexican dish recipes............

Been looking for a good Arroz Con Pollo.

Dh loves it, but haven't found one that compares to a little Mexican restaurant in his home area.

hmmm, I make arroz con pollo, but I don't follow an exact recipe. This is what I do though:

I boil my chicken, and set aside. I heat oil in a skillet, and pour in rice. I brown the rice to a golden color. As it is browning, towards the end, I add onion. You can also add just a small bit of bell pepper, if you like it. I rarely do, though. Once the rice has reached the golden color, I add chicken broth & fresh garlic. I grind the garlic gloves in a molcajete to make a paste. If you don't have a molcajete, you can buy garlic paste, or even just mince it. I add my chicken pieces, which can be with bone in or de-boned. I add some comino (cumin), salt, pepper, and tomato sauce (I buy the small cans, and usually use about half to 3/4 of it, and sometimes the whole can, depending on how much I'm making). I do everything by taste & appearance. Cover & cook until rice is tender.

For a richer rice, I usually add some chicken boullion granules. Just enough to add extra richness, but not enough to cause it to taste 'fake'. Even when I'm not making arroz con pollo, and just spanish rice, I either use chicken broth in place of the water, or I add bouillion granules.

I hope this will work!

sleepy_214 · 06-01-2005, 11:17 PM

can I HYJACK A MOMENT AND ASK IF ANY OF YOU KNOW THE MARINADE FOR FAJITAS? feel free to pm me so i don't take up thing1's thread...thanks.... 9SORRY THING1)