Wok Around the World: Mexico

[ysabetwordsmith]

My partner Doug suggested that we try making Mexican shredded chicken in the wok for taco filling. So here are some notes on Mexican cuisine.


This is an overview of Mexican pantry ingredients.


Oils

Wokking requires a fat, usually an oil, with a high smokepoint. This keeps food from sticking and sometimes imparts extra flavor.

Mexican cooking often uses lard. Some Mexican recipes use corn, peanut, or canola oil instead.

Sunflower oil is another good option, nearly flavorless and native to North America.

Olive oil, popular in Spanish cooking, rarely appears in Mexican cuisine but is gaining ground as a healthier replacement for lard.

Lard and corn oil have low smokepoints. Peanut oil and sunflower oil are higher. Canola oil and olive oil can be high if refined.

Likely I will just keep using the sunflower oil.


Aromatics

Mexican aromatics include chili or other hot peppers, cilantro, lime, garlic, cinnamon and cumin.

Another source suggests Mexican dishes begin with onion, celery, and most often garlic, to which is added lime, smoked peppers, ginger, cumin, and coriander.

In theory, I could just keep using the garlic and ginger, but the idea here is to use different flavors. Garlic and celery seems like a good start, and we've had excellent luck wokking onions and bell peppers. A different option would be starting with the seed spices of cumin and coriander.

Lime is probably better used as a top dressing.


Herbs and Spices

Here's a guide to Mexican seasonings.

The more exotic Mexican herbs are difficult if not impossible to find in America. A Mexican grocery store might have them.

Mexican oregano is not actually oregano and has a somewhat different, earthier flavor. Ordinary oregano can be substituted.

Cilantro is the leading leafy green herb for topping things. It can also be used in dried form. Coriander is the seed of cilantro, and they go well together. Cilantro makes the base for green condiments like cilantro sauce, cilantro lime dressing, and chimichurri sauce.

Allspice, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg are sweet warming spices. Add a small amount of chile powder or paprika for a warming red spice blend. Add enough chile and some tomato paste, then you have the basis of various red paste condiments. Sweet chili sauce is another option.

Cacao appears both in sweet and savory versions. Happily we already have a can of cacao nibs.

I confess that I'm curious about achiote / annato with its mild spicy note and bright yellow to orange color. This Mayan Red Spice Paste uses annato as a base.

See Mexican condiments.


Vegetables

Mexican cuisine includes a variety of vegetables not common in North American dishes, such as plaintain, jicama, nopales, tomatillos.

Plantain is a big starchy banana that turns sticky and sweet when cooked. They might stir-fry well, but I don't know how well they'd combine with other things in a wok.

Tomatillos are tiny green tomatoes with a husk. They ought to do fine in a stir-fry.

Hominy is nixtamalized corn. It could be dumped into a wok near the end, just like canned Chinese vegetables are. Canned beans could be added the same way.

Comments

Re: Thank you!

[acelightning]

Some Chinese foods are popular because they're slimy - culturally, Chinese cuisine is full of things that Americans think are weird-textured (like chicken or duck feet, or century eggs). So nopalitos ought to fit right in.

I like fried plantains (tostones), sometimes I prefer them over french fries.

Re: Thank you!

[ysabetwordsmith]

I cannot imagine ordering French fries when plantains are on the menu. O_O

Then again, I was appalled when the other students in the tour group wanted MacDonald's in Mexico City.