# Cooking in Mexico (making do with what you can find)



## Tucson (Oct 30, 2010)

*SWEET POTATO FRIES*

This is my first offering (recipe follows). 

Isn't it about time we all exchange recipies on how we, as a large ex pat community of men and women who cook, find culinary happiness in Mexico? As a recent new-comer to Mexico living part-time (only 7 1/2 years), visiting the supermarket takes me out of out of my NOB comfort zone (but isn't that what we come for anyway?) Why don't we put our collective heads together and share how we have re-created a piece of our old homes in our new home? 

Here goes ... (sweet potao fries):

for 2 people, buy 2 nice-sized sweet potatoes and peel them, cut them into french-fry sized pieces, and boil them in hot water for a few minutes (use your judgment, just enough to soften them, not turn them to mush). You really can't mess that up (who would know anyway?)

Next, drain them and maybe roll them in a clean dish cloth (to absorb the extra moisture): this will be a good idea, considering the next step is a hot oil bath.

Heat a large saucepan with enough olive oil or grapeseed oil (or some other healthy oil) until hot. When is it hot? Drop a sweet potato cutting into it. It should bubble profusely. If it isn't hot enough, just cook the fries longer.

Introduce about half of your sweet potato sticks into the oil at a time. They should have enough room to hop around and get active. 

When is it done? Use your spatula, spaghetti draining tool, or whatever you use in your kitchen to turn those puppies over. Do they look done to you? They should be sort of a golden brown color. Taste one. You really can't fail, honest.

While draining your newly fried fries on some paper towel, sprinkle them *lightly *with tumeric and some seasoned salt. Not too much of either, maybe taste so you can adjust to your taste buds. Get creative, if tumeric doesn't do it for you, try any seasoning like cumin, pepper flakes, etc. 

How can any of us go back to the frozen brands we've been buying back home? And, it is so very much cheaper and fresher, too. Even when we are back NOB, we still make these fries and much prefer them to the great packaged, frozen offerings we can get at our local market.

Some cooks/chefs do not pre-boil their sweet potato fries, preferring the more chewey texture of the fresh-to-fried texture. We are happy with the pre-boil, however.

When to serve and with what? Super-dooper next to fresh fish or with chicken without a heavy sauce. Maybe even serve next to a burger?

Next time my significant-other and I write, we'll give you our ideas for how to find (and demand) great fresh-ground meat from your local market.

Meanwhile, how do you cook your favorite fish recipe and fresh veggies? I will work hard to share ideas on how we use the local and fresh food products we find in abundance here on the Yucatan peninsula (Q. Roo). And my fish tacos, those coming soon!


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Tucson said:


> *SWEET POTATO FRIES*
> 
> This is my first offering (recipe follows).
> 
> ...


Unlike the majority of Americans (and Mexicans) living here, I am a vegetarian (no flesh of any kind) and I always find new and exciting dishes to make...other than American...which I find very boring and rather tasteless. Many of the ingredients for Mexican, Middle Eastern and Asian are common and readily available here in Mexico. Haven't yet found less expensive sources for tofu so rarely cook it anymore; instead I substitute vegetables esp. in Asian dishes. Mexico is a vegetarian's paradise with the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.


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## mickisue1 (Mar 10, 2012)

I have a bit easier recipe for sweet potato fries. I cut them in wedges, toss with some sort of seasoning and olive oil, and put in microwave for about 5 minutes.

Then I cook them on the grill. I have a jalapeno cheddar dressing that I use to dip them in.


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## TundraGreen (Jul 15, 2010)

mes1952 said:


> Unlike the majority of Americans (and Mexicans) living here, I am a vegetarian (no flesh of any kind) and I always find new and exciting dishes to make...other than American...which I find very boring and rather tasteless. Many of the ingredients for Mexican, Middle Eastern and Asian are common and readily available here in Mexico. Haven't yet found less expensive sources for tofu so rarely cook it anymore; instead I substitute vegetables esp. in Asian dishes. Mexico is a vegetarian's paradise with the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.


Rosarita may be more of a problem. I can get tofu in Asian stores here in Guadalajara, in particular Toyo Foods. They have both commercial (House brand) and fresh tofu that they package themselves. Also Soriana sells the soft tofu that comes in a box without refrigeration.

I am also vegetarian, vegan actually. I agree that Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern foods all provide great options for non-animal eaters. The same can not be said for most US restaurant food and recipes.


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## sunnyvmx (Mar 14, 2010)

Since moving to the Lakeside area, I have given over to a totally new and enjoyable lifestyle. No more cooking, in fact I requested that there be no stove in my new apartment. I have an electric frypan, crockpot and microwave if I get the urge now and then. It's only happened twice in two months. Mom's restaurant in Riberas, Chapala makes a sweetpotato hash that she serves as a breakfast special that's delicious and a vendor at the Wednesday tiangis in Ajijic makes shrimp tacos with coleslaw that I look forward to each week. I have found that Gringos are catered to here and almost anything can be found or ordered if you can pay the price.


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## Tucson (Oct 30, 2010)

TundraGreen said:


> Rosarita may be more of a problem. I can get tofu in Asian stores here in Guadalajara, in particular Toyo Foods. They have both commercial (House brand) and fresh tofu that they package themselves. Also Soriana sells the soft tofu that comes in a box without refrigeration.
> 
> I am also vegetarian, vegan actually. I agree that Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern foods all provide great options for non-animal eaters. The same can not be said for most US restaurant food and recipes.


This is a great time (and place, given your vegan style) to introduce a rare gem we found last year in Italy. The Best Western Villa Pace Park Hotel Bolognese has a restaurant inside called "Ristorante Bolognese" and they made the most wonderful soup! I pestered the dining room manager until he got the recipe from the kitchen. I've worked on the proportions (scaling down the 50 or so meals they serve into soup for 2) and here it is:

*Puree of Vegetables[B 

Coarsely chop equal parts of these 4 vegetables: carrots, zucchini, red skin potatoes, and broccoli (or baby broccoli which is sort of hard to find in my end of Mexico).

Melt a little butter (1-2 tablespoons) in a big pot and stir the veggies around until they sort of soften a little.

Add either one or 2 drained cans of white beans, depending on how many veggies you chop up, try to get an equal amount of beans equal to one amount of the chopped vegetables (cannellini beans are my first choice but you certainly could try red kidney beans).

Add water to cover veggies (or use vegetable stock and water). Salt to taste. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Use either an immersion blender or (when soup cools a bit) use a jar-type blender to reduce it to the consistency of pea soup, or someplace in between, if you prefer more chunky-ness in the soup. Adjust water as you think needed.

Serve with a little parmesean cheese on top. A nice side is french bread toasts with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping or grilled cheese sandwiches or, for meat eaters, a nice grilled piece of fish.

You will notice there is no onion or celery or garlic or any other traditional NOB vegetables you would expect to put in this soup. It is perfect just this way and is now it is our hands-down favorite soup.

All these things should be easily and economiclly obtained from the local Farmers' Markets, except for the canned beans and probably the Parmesean cheese.

Depending if you abstain from dairy too, I suppose you could try oil or margerine instead of the butter and not use the cheese on top. If possible, do use butter, it really adds something special to the taste.*


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Baja is somewhat like the wild west...not very sophisticated or cultured compared to Mexico City, Guadalajara & Monterrey and other places on the mainland. I've been surprised that despite being within the border of the U.S. there are limited choices in almost everything. And if you don't like eating tacos often, Baja is not a good place as that is the main cuisine here.


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## Isla Verde (Oct 19, 2011)

mes1952 said:


> Baja is somewhat like the wild west...not very sophisticated or cultured compared to Mexico City, Guadalajara & Monterrey and other places on the mainland. I've been surprised that despite being within the border of the U.S. there are limited choices in almost everything. And if you don't like eating tacos often, Baja is not a good place as that is the main cuisine here.


I like eating really good tacos but not all the time. I think of them more as a snack than a main course.


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## Tucson (Oct 30, 2010)

mes1952 said:


> Baja is somewhat like the wild west...not very sophisticated or cultured compared to Mexico City, Guadalajara & Monterrey and other places on the mainland. I've been surprised that despite being within the border of the U.S. there are limited choices in almost everything. And if you don't like eating tacos often, Baja is not a good place as that is the main cuisine here.


Q. Roo is sort of like that, too, but improvising makes the challenge interesting. After umpteen years (7 and 1/2 really), I really missed eating turkey burgers in my part of Mexico (decent ones, not ground up grizzle and skin with bone chips) and just decided we'd have to do without but a neighbor mentioned that he goes to Mega (the big store in Playa del Carmen) where they have a nice, big butcher department with what passes for fresh, unpackaged meat. He suggested I point to the turkey tenderloins and ask the butcher for "molido" and to hold up a package of ground beef just to make sure the message was clear. No problem whatsoever; I got the nice, fresh, perfectly ground turkey we wanted. 

We don't eat beef or pork so, all our spaghetti and meatballs or burgers are either chicken or turkey. I found that by adding some breadcrumbs to the mixture, the lean meat held together very well. 

In Baja, is chicken easily available? Fish choices good? Just wondering. I imagine tacos would get boring after awhile.


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## mes1952 (Dec 11, 2012)

Yeah there is a lot of fish but I wonder about the pollution coming from Tijuana. Beaches there are closed on a regular basis due to sewage overflow and I'm sure that filters into Rosarito and Ensenada. I don't eat fish as I'm a REAL vegetarian but if I did I doubt I would eat fish coming from this area due to pollution. I rarely eat in restaurants as I am an amateur gourmet cook so none of the food here in the restaurants is as good (or diverse) as mine. I like Mexican food...but not every day...I don't like to eat any type of cuisine day after day as I get bored with it...and rarely eat anything considered American as I prefer ethnic cuisine with more flavor (and less calories/fat/cholesterol) which is endemic to American food.
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