How to Prepare Mexican Food

The hard part about learning to prepare for and cook a new dish is starting. Read your recipe and make sure you have the proper utensils and ingredients. Cooking a Mexican dish will become easier each time you prepare it. And, success with one or two dishes will give you the confidence to put these recipes in the rotating file of meals you prepare for your family.

In the times before the Spanish exploration and conquest of Mexico, the natives did not have iron pots. They made their cooking utensils from clay. The Aztecs steamed and boiled their food in two-handled clay pots called xoctli. The pot was filled with food and cooked over an open fire. After the arrival of the Spanish and the introduction of iron pots and pans, the food was cooked similarly to the way we barbecue today. Frying foods became a popular way to cook. Today, frying is a common cooking method for Mexican food.

Foods had to be mashed and stirred so the early natives made utensils to serve that purpose. A large tool called metate y mano was made from lava rock or stone. It was slightly concave and was used to mash ingredients. What we call the mortar and pestle was known as mocajete and this was also used to mash food.

The early natives of Mexico employed other cooking methods that have been modernized to fit the way we cook today. The concept of barbecue has been around for a long time. It was called Barbacoa. Meat was wrapped in cactus and banana leaves and suspended over boiling water in a deep pit to steam. Today, fajitas cooked on the grill are a fabulous treat.

Today, the modern utensils, pots and makes make it easy to prepare authentic Mexican dishes. For example, if you want to make homemade tortillas, there are iron and aluminum pans that make it easy. Flan can be made in a spring-form pan. If you want to grind your own masa, you can purchase a metal grinder. You can use a blender to puree beans into a paste or you can use a bean masher.

Cooking vegetables and meats is really easy. Many recipes use the method of simmering for vegetables and meats. You place the ingredients in a pot of water, add spices, and simmer for hours. Or, you can use a slow-cooker. Tamales can be cooked in big steaming pots. Today's pots come in all sizes so you will be able to find one that will hold a large number of tamales.

Using time-saving and labor-saving devices do not take away from the authenticity of the food if you use the proper ingredients.

Visit My Information Mall