Ode to Street Food

Mexico City has a street food scene that rivals the best in the world. The street food is so good that it sits in my Top 3 things I'll miss most about Mexico, just behind tropical fruits and the weather. This video by MC Luka is a delicious ode to Mexico's street food, and if you know Mexico City, you'll recognize some or most of the sites. I'll be referring back to this video often when I'm sitting at home in street food-less Madrid, wishing for a freshly-pressed, hot tortilla de masa just off the comal.

There's a drink mentioned called Tejuino that I've never tried because it's only found in certain states. Those of you in Jalisco and Guadalajara, what's Tejuino like? Recently, I saw someone on a travel show drinking it with a dollop of nieve de limón, to which the host described as tasting like a margarita. And, according to MC Luka, a great hangover drink, too?

Green Juice

Fresh juice stands are ubiquitous in Mexico City. For a mere $20 pesos ($1.63 USD), you can enjoy an entire liter of fresh-squeezed orange juice from oranges squeezed right in front of you. If you've ever made your own juice or smoothie, you know how impossible it is to exactly estimate a cupful. Always a tad leftover, no? Jamba Juice would never do something like this, but here in Mexico the juice man will fill your cup, ask you to take several sips, and fill it full again. Which means I always get my thirst quenched before I even leave the stand.

Some juice stands specialize in blends, like a blend for diabetes or a blend for high blood pressure. One of the most popular juices is the blood-red vampiro drink made from the juice of beets, oranges, carrot, and celery. My new favorite, though, is green juice. Literally called jugo verde. It's a blend of orange juice, pineapple, celery, nopal, and parsley. And it goes down a little pulpy with the perfect hint of sweet and tart (and grassiness from the parsley). If you're like me and are always battling the digestive forces in your stomach, this is a good one. It should really be renamed something more appropriate like fibre fuerte.

Such a lovely shade of green!

Sunday Tianguis in Colonia Popo

We've been dining al fresco lately on the roof garden, and yesterday during breakfast, Nick eyed the red and pink lonas, or tarps, that are characteristic of only one thing: a tianguis (from the Nahuatl word, tianquiztli, for day market). I turned my head left, lonas. Turned my head right, lonas. This was a tianguis of enormous proportion -- and two blocks away.

The joy I get from going to the tianguis is kind of unexplainable. Why I get so excited about mangos or leafy greens or guavas, I don't know, but there are perhaps a few of you who can understand. We are the types that buy beyond what we can eat, then go home and proudly display everything on the counter like we've just purchased pieces of fine art. When the spouse comes home and sees the harvest, he/she asks, "Don't we already have like fifty other types of cheese/chilis/bread?"

Each tianguis is unique in what they offer. Some focus on fruits and vegetables; others do food stalls, furniture, antiques, cars, etc. Ours is more like a US strip mall -- it has a little of everything with over 300 stalls spanning about 10 streets. Here is what's inside our strip mall:

Walgreens

Goodwill

Pro-Cuts

Krispy Kreme (actually not donuts but mini gorditas de nata)

Sally's Beauty Supply

Guacamolería/Aguacatería

Nick came down with mall-itis and became disorientated at the sight of all that there was to buy. So, probably, on future Sundays, I'll leave him to watch football while I gorge myself on fruits and vegetables and barbacoa tacos.

Taco Bell Cantina Tacos

This weekend, we celebrated our niece's 1st birthday in Houston. She excels in heavy lifting, doesn't like to hit the books like her sister, and she can eat! Isn't she a cutie?!?

While there, I sold out to Taco Bell but only because I wanted to try the new Taco Bell Cantina tacos. They come double-wrapped in corn tortillas ... just like the taco here. They're topped with fresh cilantro and onions ... just like the tacos here. And they come with lime ... just like the tacos here. Did they taste like the tacos here? Not really, but, mmm... they were tasty. A move in the right direction, Taco Bell!

Pigs on the left; chickens on the right

Mexican-Korean Fusion Cuisine

I've always thought Mexican and Asian food -- separately -- were the two tastiest cuisines, but they've been enjoying a merry partnership recently. You don't initially think Mexican with its tomato and corn-based ingredients to pair well with soy sauce-y and fish sauce-y Asian food, but thanks, in part, to the success of the Kogi Korean taco truck in LA, I think people are beginning to see the beauty of Mexican-Asian fusion cuisine. I mean, how amazing does a bulgogi taco topped with kimchi salsa sound? It's pretty much your standard taco but with the added -- and very addictive -- umami flavor from the soy and fish sauce.

Last week while in the states (hence the long absence from blogworld), I went to Austin and stalked the Kogi knock-off taco truck, Chi'Lantro (Kimchi meets Cilantro), to try the bulgogi taco. I ordered one beef bulgogi taco, but having never tried a tofu taco, I ordered one of those. It was all quite tasty except the tortilla snob in me thought the tacos would have tasted better had the tortillas been homemade or at least not churned out from the local grocery's monster tortilla maker. And, of course, the tofu was no match for the beef taco.

Fusion-haters would find this taco hard to resist.

Deliciousness finds its way to a mall parking lot.

Korean food in Mexico City keeps to its few corners in Zona Rosa, but just like the mexicanization of Japanese food, kimchi will make its way into the taco soon enough. Below are other photos of non-traditional fusion concepts I saw while on my trip:

This I took while in Canada last week. I can only guess what Canadian-Chinese food is.

Caribbean-Indian sounds fantastic, doesn't it?

Taken at my cousin's house over the weekend. In our varied assortment, we had egg custard tarts, Chinese BBQ pork, sushi, brats, and Coronas.

Swiss Chard Tacos

In an effort to eat more sustainably and be more health-conscious, I've been trying to cure myself of eating meat every day. Beef and pork are easy to write off (the exceptions being tacos al pastor and Chinese BBQ pork buns), but chicken always finds its way into the kitchen. Very delicious in soups, salads, stir-fries, and sandwiches -- oh, chicken, why must you be so versatile and tasty?

Here in Mexico, eating vegetarian often confines one to eating a lot of beans for protein. When I moved here, I asked on the Chowhound forum if anyone knew where to find tempeh, but there was radio silence on that one. Occasionally, when I get around to the Korean store, I have a treat of tofu. But, by and large, having tried hard to kick meat out of my life in the past month has meant a whole lotta beans!

One meat-free (and bean-free) dish that I made in the last month is the following recipe for swiss chard. I swiped the recipe from one of Lesley's Diana Kennedy books, Art of Mexican Cooking. The subtitle read "Traditional Mexican Cooking for Aficionados" which freaked me out as I am already intimidated of cooking Mexican at home. However, once I read through the directions, it felt manageable.

And, it was. Easy, fast, delicious, and meat-free! I bound it in a tortilla and topped it off with a dollop of guacamole just like the one I had at a taco stand the week before. I suppose you could add salsa, but it tasted so good the way it was that I didn't want to mask the flavor with salsa.

Acelga Guisada (Stewed Swiss Chard)

Taken from: Art of Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy

1/2 kg swiss chard, stalks chopped finely, leaves roughly shredded

2 TBP oil

2 TBP onion, chopped

1 garlic, chopped

1-2 chile serranos, chopped

225 g tomatoes, chopped and unpeeled

salt, to taste

1 1/4 c water

Heat oil. Add onions, garlic and chiles and fry for one min. Add tomato and cook on high heat for three min. Add chard, salt, and water and cover over medium heat for 10 min. Remove lid, continue cooking until tender, about 10 min. Serve with tortillas.

Guayabas

While I wait for mango season to return, I've been obsessing about guavas. They're native, available year-round, have an intoxicating scent, and SO delicious. And Wiki taught me that guavas have vitamins A and C, fiber, and omega-3s -- a superfood! Took me over a year to buy them because of some bad guava experiences in Taiwan, but those kind are so different (and so nasty) that I don't think they should even be categorized together.

La Canasta Básica

I'm still not brave enough to tackle the Mexican newspaper, but this morning, I walked past the neighbor's door and glanced at today's headline "Canasta Básica subirá 30%". Canasta básica? The basic basket? Another term for inflation?

Not being knowledgeable about economic terms, I went to my trusty online dictionary, which translates canasta básica into "basic food basket" or "basic market basket". Then, I wondered what could possibly be in the basic food basket?

If you imagine the average Mexican family strolling around the supermarket, what might be in their cart? Tortillas, tomatoes, limes, beans, rice, oil, laundry detergent? Well, that's essentially the basic market basket -- goods and services deemed by the government to satisfy basic family needs.

Examining the list, it's interesting to note what's essential. This article from 2008 provides a good summary of the origins of the term, the eventual inclusion of more than just food, and the 2002 list by the Bank of Mexico. Did you know essentials now include the movies, TV, and sodas?

I like to look at the list for comparison -- just how Mexican is my daily living becoming and how do the basic goods and services differ between Mexico and the US? I don't know what would be in the typical American basket, but I doubt powdered gelatin (Lesley is always observing how much Mexicans like their gelatina) and beef liver would be. And, if I were to guess what might be on the American list ... macaroni and cheese and Hamburger Helper?

El Tizoncito Dallas

El Tizoncito in DF is one of the tastier tacos al pastor chains I like to frequent, mostly for their salsas and variety of aguas. We were in disbelief that El Tizoncito has a branch in Dallas that it warranted a visit despite it probably 1) costing more in gas to get there than the food itself and 2) not tasting as good as what we can get two blocks from our house in DF.

Our visiting brother-in-law from Houston shares a similar obsession with tacos al pastor, but the unfortunate soul lives in a city where roasting raw pork on a spit is illegal! To feed his obsession, he drives all around the city in search of taco trucks who break the roasting raw pork law in the name of authentic tacos al pastor. Hallelujah! the Dallas health department has yet to crack down on taco spits and that we don't have to aimlessly roam the city to find delicious tacos.

The tacos at El Tizoncito were comparable to the ones in DF, but the salsas were disappointing. The two choices -- red and green -- were bland and didn't add flavor to the taco like they should have. To me, the salsas have to be just as good as the taco meat itself. However, the service was prompt and friendly, and the interior was spotless (perhaps to stave off the health department?). The prices are a little high, but given the packed crowd, I think the general consensus is that it's a small one to pay for something so close to home.

The nicest taquería I've ever been to

The presentation is so American

The Spanish menu. Not shown is the English menu we were also given with higher prices :)

Soya Texturizada

In a quest to try all culinary delights at least once, I purchased something at the market this week that resembles dog food (or, if you prefer, porous rocks). In Spanish, it's called soya texturizada, or textured soy, and you can usually find it hanging out with the beans and grains. Given its appearance and the Mexican love for meat, I wondered how many people have been daring enough to try it? 'Cuz, again, it looks like dog food. But, somebody's eatin' this stuff up -- Google has 57,000 hits for "soya texturizada".

After rehydrating the soy, I threw them into pad thai, thinking it might be a good substitute for tofu. Soy chucks = tofu, right? Not so much. At first, you think -- despite their tastelessness --they're not so bad because 1)it's chewy like meat and 2) they're packed with protein. Then, you get to the grit, and you are SOOOO disgusted. It was like eating a bowl of sand.

Did I buy low-grade textured soy? I'm hoping so, because I think it has a bright future in my kitchen. Ma-po tofu with textured soy, textured soy burgers, tacos al pastor with textured soy...

See here for some recipes with textured soy.

Couldn't the manufacturers have done something to improve its appearance?

It doesn't look any better rehydrated

Tacos al Pastor

Tacos al Pastor may be the greatest food ever. For me, it's uprooted sushi in the coveted favorite food division. As in, "What food could you eat every day for the rest of your life and never get tired of it?" Yes, I could eat tacos al pastor every day. And conversations at home have even gone like this:

Husband: Wanna open up our own tacos al pastor restaurant someday in the US?

Me: Oh my god, yes, and we could have tacos al pastor every single day!!

Husband: Let's see if we can franchise a Faraón (our favorite pastor restaurant)

Or, another conversation:

Me: Wanna build a bola (the spit) in our next kitchen?

Husband: Umm, no.

Roasted pork meat shaven off a spit, sitting atop a warm, slightly crispy tortilla, topped with fresh cilantro, onions, and a slice of pineapple, and a generous helping of salsa. Nothing's better ... until the husband made it at home for my birthday, on my request. I thought to myself, if I love something so much, I should probably learn how to make it at home. Just in case we move away from our favorite taco al pastor restaurant two blocks away. Or, gasp, should we leave this beloved country.

Okay, so the homemade tacos weren't better in taste than Faraón (Calle Oaxaca 92, Roma Norte), but they were better because they were made with homemade TLC and pretty comparable to the street tacos. Get the recipe and instructional video at Cooking With Married to a Mexican. I was a little skeptical that tacos al pastor could be delicious baked in an oven and not on a bola, but really, amigos, if you love and crave pastor like I do, you need to learn how to prepare it on your own.

The bolador (or bolero?)

Tacos al pastor at Faraón

Tacos al pastor de la casa

Showers of Pickled Pork Skins & Beer

The government just seized control of Mexico's energy firm, Luz y Fuerza del Centro, so before we go dark (something tells me to keep the candles near), I wanted to post some interesting sights from the Mexico/El Salvador game on Saturday.

I didn't see this on any fútbol highlights, but thirty seconds into the first half, men with fire extinguishers started spraying the goal to expel the swarm of bees that had attacked the field. That was quick, genius thinking until the bees just moved to another side of the field. After a wild five-minute chase, I think the bees just gave in and flew off on their own.

Then, later, goal after freakin' goal, the law of gravity was beginning to wear my patience thin. Beer was flying all over -- mostly down on our heads and faces -- from the balcony above. I mean, people came prepared with ponchos for protection against the aforementioned barbaric activity. After the game, my hair felt like I had styled it with Elmer's glue. And, oh the smell...

I suppose throwing beer is better than throwing punches

And, finally, one of the strangest foods I've ever encountered in Mexico -- pickled pork skin called cueritos. If you like salty, gummy substances, you might like this, but if you don't, you're stuck with an entire cupful. So what does a naughty foreigner do with a cupful of pickled pork skins? He throws it up in the air at the next goal. Someone got a beer and cuerito facial that day.

That portion of cuerito is about 200% too big

I prefer my pork skin deep fried

Patriotic Street Food

One year ago, Nick and I were in a such a state of disorientation that we failed to embrace the festive atmosphere in the weeks leading up to September 16th, Mexico's Independence Day. Taxis and buses waving flags from their windows and buildings lit up and decorated in patriotic colors. I remember seeing street carts selling flags, pins, and toys in red, white, and green, and I vaguely heard about pozole (hominy soup) and chiles en nogada (stuffed poblano chile in a walnut cream sauce). Once we figured out what chiles in nogada was, the season had passed (yes, chiles en nogada has a season -- as if it's produce -- and it's only in September), and we looked forward to this year when chiles en nogada would reappear.

Well, chiles en nogada and I walked into each other lives, literally. On Sunday, while taking a stroll down a street I know very well, I noticed an older lady with a food stall right in my path. I thought, "Hmm...she's never been here before. Not only is she in my way but so are a lot of other people, and now she's made me hungry." Having seen the rice and ground meat, I had a hunch she was selling the elusive chiles en nogada.

Let me tell you that this was the best-ever street food find, and quite possibly one of the best dishes I've ever tried. With the walnut cream sauce, pomegranate, almond slivers, raisins, and pieces of fruit, it tasted very Mediterranean. But then again, the stuffed poblano was very Mexican. It was very intriguing, and the accompanying rice was a little too good. Never mind that we had just eaten breakfast 30 minutes earlier, and never mind that Nick's stomach was having a fit, I can never pass up a street food opportunity such as this.

Before September ends, and like many others, I am on a mission to eat this as many times as I can, especially because I missed nearly half a month of it already. I liken it to my obsession with eating as many turkey-related dishes and pumpkin pie around Thanksgiving and Christmas before a 10-month dry spell.

If you count points with Weight Watchers, chiles en nogada may be the only meal you can eat for one week. And, if you choose to sop up the nearly one cup of cream with a piece of bread (as is the practice), this may be your only meal for a month.

Banh Mi a la Mexicana

I started eating lots of things with flowers recently because of an emailed recipe I received for zucchini blossom tacos. Those were so delicious that I then tried zucchini blossom quesadillas, hibiscus flower tacos, and now...drumroll, por favor ... flor de calabaza banh mi!! In plain English, that's a zucchini blossom Vietnamese Sandwich. (click on the link to learn more about "banh mi OCD")

YUM-EEEEE!!!

In the traditional banh mi sandwich, there's some type of grilled meat, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeños, pickled carrots and daikon, paté, and mayonnaise -- all bound up in a crusty baguette. Thanks to the French for their introduction of paté and baguettes to Vietnamese cuisine. In banh mi a la Mexicana, there is a sautéed mixture of flor de calabaza, red onion, and jalepeño, cilantro, cucumber, pickled carrots and jicama, and mayonnaise -- sandwiched between a fresh bolillo.

Making something like this a year ago would have been a bacterial nightmare for me, but over time, I stopped disinfecting my vegetables, put my trust in DF water, and returned to eating with ease all my favorite Asian foods like pad thai, pho, and banh mis. Only time will tell if this strategy is working for me. :) Even if you're a religious vegetable disinfecter, this is a sandwich worth disinfecting all those vegetables for. Here's my rough recipe:

Banh Mi a la Mexicana

Filling:

Zucchini blossoms, 1 bunch

1/2 red onion, sliced lengthwise

1-2 jalapeño, deseeded, deveined, and sliced lengthwise

Cilantro

Cucumber, halved, deseeded, and cut in pieces, lengthwise

Pickled carrots and jicama (recipe below)

Mayonnaise

4 bolillo buns

In an oiled pan, sauté the onions and jalapeño. Two minutes before taking it off the heat, add the zucchini blossoms. Sauté together until blossoms are wilted. Salt as desired.

Half the bun and mayo both sides (paté one side if you're feeling lavish). Stack on the veggies and sautéed mixture, and enjoy!! And shall I suggest something completely Mexican -- a side of rajas??

Pickled Carrots and Daikon:

1 1/2 cups julienned carrots

1 1/2 cups julienned jicama

1 tsp salt

2 tsp + 1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups vinegar

1 cup water

Place carrots and jicama in a colander. Sprinkle the salt and 2 tsp of sugar over the shredded carrots and jicama, and knead in the salt and sugar until the carrots and jicama soften. Once pliable, rinse the carrots and jicama, and squeeze out any remaining water. Place in a glass jar.

Dissolve 1/2 sugar into the vinegar and water. Pour into glass jar. Refrigerate for at least one hour (or overnight for better results).

In Mexico, I like to hoard my jars for occasions such as this.

Zona Coreana

Not sure how it happened, but in the 90s, Koreans (it's probably safe to assume they're from South Korea) started flooding into Mexico City and into two areas, in particular. They conduct business in the notorious Tepito neighborhood, and many keep homes and businesses in Zona Rosa. Now, if you don't know Mexico City, it poses a very interesting dynamic in both places. Tepito is considered a rough and tumble kind of place and home to many famed boxers and wrestlers, and Zona Rosa is the gay and counter-culture district. I keep my distance from Tepito, but I frequent Zona Rosa since it's only three blocks away. So close I can smell the kimchi and fish sauce! 

Imagine my surprise and excitement when I found out that I lived a mere three blocks from Zona Rosa, or now well-known as Zona Coreana (Korean Zone). They occupy a quieter part of Zona Rosa, and you can find as many as three Korean grocers on the same block (and one very stern owner at Seoul Mart). I walk these streets frequently, and there is an eerie comfort I get from walking amongst people that look like me. Sometimes--er, most of the time--I just want to blend in, and Zona Coreana is a fabulous place to do just that. Secretly, the Koreans and I know we're different, but to most everyone else, we all look the same. :)

I've been on a never ending search for good Asian food here in Mexico City, and it's been a dream to live near Zona Coreana. So far we've been to 4 of maybe 10 Korean restaurants in the area, and after consulting with two Koreans, both pointed me to Chang Won on Florencia. (Sorry for not writing down the address, but it's one block south of the Angel.) 

I'd love to give you a glowing recommendation to get yourselves there for dinner sometime, but I'm not quite convinced. The small dishes, banchan, were delicious. Our main dish of grilled chicken turned out to mostly be fat. They passed the kimchi litmus test, but I'm going to have to go back again, maybe with a Korean friend who knows what's up. Because, you see, I've been watching... The Koreans get a better selection of banchan than the non-Koreans, a trend I saw in the US, too. AND, I think there's a secret menu written on those pieces of paper hanging from the wall that only readers of Korean have access to. What's up with that? 

I'll report back when I've decoded the mysteries on the wall...

Banchan selection at Chang Won

Spicy Grilled Chicken (more like Spicy Grilled Fat Bits)

Torta de Tamal

Torta de Tamal: A corn tamal smothered in a spicy red or green salsa and gift-wrapped in a as-big-as-your-face torta bun. That's a lot of food for 7 pesos (50 cents).

Homemade Street Food

Tlacoyos (pronounced Kla-koi-yos) are one of my newest favorite foods because they appear to healthier than the rest. I really have no way of telling, though, except by my informal observation that no grease drips down my hands and arms like some of the other street food, making it a 1 on the napkin rating scale (for just one napkin needed to clean up the aftermath). The tortilla's stuffed with beans and topped with a smearing of more beans, cactus, cheese, and salsa--has to be healthy, right? I'm going to pretend it is even if it's not.

Last week I tried making tlacoyos from pre-made stuffed tortillas, but they weren't tasty like the ones on the street. They tasted a little...too healthy?? And from this experience, I decided to save myself time in the future and let street food stay street food. The ambience on the street somehow makes street food taste better and there's no way to replace the natural "seasoning" of the grill. A similar idea to the pre-seasoned wok. So unless I turn my home into a pre-seasoned kitchen with the aromas of grease, beans, and grilled meat, I'm probably never going to achieve the same flavor as the street vendors. 

Some things weren't meant to taste THIS healthy.

Hooray for Sweet Treats that Don't Require Baking

This creation is a tribute to an appetizer I had in Spain last year, as well as a salute to a fruit with an unfortunate reputation. Figs are a well-kept secret, and if people could just try one fresh, they'd be hooked. No longer just for the digestively-challenged! I grew up in a house with several fig trees, and at harvest time (in August), my family and I would gnosh on the figs raw or in a Chinese watercress soup sweetened with figs.

Fresh figs are always readily available here in Mexico (and for an unbelievable good price), so I decided to do a spin on the dreamy dish I had in Madrid. It was made with a pairing of fig and serrano ham for a perfect blend of sweet and salty, but this one I tried with more local ingredients. The main cast of characters were drunken figs (in a red wine reduction), caramelized red onions, and panela cheese. I'm being lazy and don't feel like writing down the recipe I adapted it from, primarily because the figs, onions, cheese, and bread all require separate preparations and would make for an excessively long post. Oh, that brushetta! So, if you'd like the recipe, shoot me a comment. The prep time is fast, it's easy to make, AND you will have everyone thinking you're a closet gourmet chef.

The family fig harvest  of '07

Fig Art from "The Family Collection"

El Progreso: All Things Pulverized Near Mercado San Juan

There's a tiny stall near the international San Juan Market (metro: Salto de Agua) that I like to visit every time I'm in that neck of the woods. It's called Molinera El Progreso, a culinary delight stacked floor to ceiling with herbs, spices, sugars, flours, and nuts--either whole or powdered. After checking everything off the list at the market for your special dinner of exotic meats, it makes perfect sense to stop off at the next block and pick up the exotic herbs and spices you're going to need for that one and only time you'll ever need them. Stand back, move your eyes up and down, left to right, and be awed by the number of items en polvo! Grab as little or as much as you need, and if they don't have something you're looking for, say mango powder (for mango pudding, of course), they'd gladly do it for you.


Address: Molinera El Progreso Calle Aranda 26 Colonia Centro México D.F. (55) 5512 2844 Click here for a map.

Need a Place to Eat?

Rick Bayless, host of the PBS show Mexico-One Plate at a Time, just finished up filming Season 7 in Mexico City. His online travel journal visits some places most of us DFeños know like San Angel Inn and Cafe Tacuba but many that I've never heard of and need to try. He spent quite a bit of time in my neighborhood, but I never did hear of it until now...por qué no, I ask?? He also posts a piece of his walking tour around Mercado San Juan (metro: Salto de Agua) that Lesley and I visited last week. 

As of this week, PBS has (finally) jumped on board and streams some of their shows online. While you can't watch Bayless' show yet, you can catch up with Ms. Child and master French cuisine or gaggle at the diversity of the universe on Nova or discover something on Antiques Roadshow that you saw at your grandmother's house and can now beat yourself over the head for giving it to Goodwill.