22 Copycat Mexican Restaurant Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Mexican food taste like restaurant? ›

Another way to make Mexican food more authentic is to use traditional cooking methods. For example, try cooking your meat over an open flame or using a comal (a flat griddle) for cooking your tortillas. You can also use a molcajete with a tortilla basket to bring out flavors from vegetables and spices.

When it comes to using fats in recipes, you won't find butter in classic Mexican cuisine. Today, most cooks will use vegetable oil, but the more traditional fat to cook with is lard. Lard, which is pig fat, gives a wonderful flavor to refried beans and the masa (cornflour dough) used for tamales.

The most popular Mexican ingredients are beans, rice, avocado and limes. They're utilized in nearly every dish, from hearty enchilada casseroles to creamy drinks like horchata. Read on to learn the top ingredients in Mexican cooking and to find some recipe inspiration for your next taco or burrito night at home!

Tomatoes. Mexican cuisine is known for its diverse range of sauces, many of which are tomato-based. These essential ingredients play a significant role in creating the delightful flavors found in traditional Mexican dishes. Tomatoes are also a staple in Tex-Mex dishes such as enchiladas, tacos, and burritos.

With garlic and onions as the savory cornerstone, the most common Mexican spices and herbs are coriander, allspice, cloves, thyme, Mexican oregano, Mexican cinnamon (ceylon), cumin and cacao which showcase the breadth of Mexican food.

Some of the key ingredients in Mexican cuisine are: peppers, squash, beans, rice, cilantro, limes, corn, avocados and tomatoes. Some of those ingredients, like corn, some squashes and beans, peppers and tomatoes, are indigenous to Mexico.

Lard is used widely in Mexican cuisine. It is one of the main ingredients in the tortillas that are a favorite in many of the Mexican dishes served at Eddie's Mexican Restaurant. We also use lard in making tamales and in our refried beans.

Mole poblano is perhaps the best known of all mole varieties. An ancient dish native to the state of Puebla, it has been called the national dish of Mexico, and ranked first as the most typical of Mexican dishes.

"For home cooking, by far the most commonly used oil for cooking is vegetable oil," wrote John Lee Ward. "Mexican street food will often use lard (Think carnitas!). Also, in very traditional homes where beans [are] made from scratch and consumed as a staple, lard will be used.

What makes New Mexican food different from Mexican food? ›

New Mexican food can mostly be characterized by its ingredients. The main ingredient in this cuisine is chiles that derive from Pueblo cuisine. Green chiles are used in most of the dishes and usually roasted over the fire. A green chile sauce is created and poured over enchiladas, burritos, and sopaipillas.

Some of the most common spice blends used in Mexican cuisine include chili powder, which typically includes cumin, garlic powder, and paprika, and achiote paste, which is made from annatto seeds and gives dishes a vibrant red color.

It began with simple, native foods and flavors found only in Mexico. Most of the indigenous ingredients used were beans, vanilla, peanuts, tomatoes, chili peppers, and coconuts. Spices were also abundant and this gave their food a distinct taste.

It is known that Mexican dishes always involve herbs and spices that make them very tasty. Think about Chili con Carne. This dish uses a lot of ingredients like garlic, onion, pepper, and tomatoes. So with the combination of these spices, you can expect the resulting food to taste and smell so good.

Put the ground chuck in a large pot or Dutch oven and add seasonings. Add just enough water to cover the meat, bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for about an hour. Every 15 minutes or so break up the meat with a large spoon or a potato masher so that it isn't lumpy.

Bold Spices

Some of the most used spices include allium bulbs like garlic and onion, herbs like oregano, cumin, and an astounding variety of chiles. Authentic Mexican dishes also find uses for spices such as cinnamon, cocoa, and cloves that are often not seen in North American or even Tex-Mex dishes.