This is how you stock your Mexican pantry
Jumping into a new cuisine can be overwhelming. Recipes call for spices you don’t have at home, or combine ingredients in ways you’re not used to. Once you’ve got the perfect pantry sorted, you’ll be able to whip up new recipes with ease. FavorFlav is happy to get you started with the basic ingredients for each cuisine—this time, Mexico.
Every region has its own specialties, but Mexican cuisine is one that mainly revolves around corn, beans and chilis. The flavors are smoky, spicy and bright with fresh acidity.
Chili
Lots of chili. Dried chilis are used mainly; drying gives them a more intense, earthier and smokier flavor. Favorites include ancho (slightly bitter and very spicy), guajillo (slightly bitter and tart) and arbol (extremely spicy). You can buy them all at Tjin’s in Amsterdam, or online from the Mexican shop.
I also always have a jar of chipotle in adobo in my cupboard. These are dried and smoked jalapeños in a spicy sauce. Delicious puréed into tomato sauce for chili con carne or meatballs. Or stir a little of the sauce into mayonnaise and serve it with tacos.
Tortillas
Making tortillas yourself is difficult, time-consuming and almost never as tasty as ready-made ones. Soft ones, and good quality. Use large wheat tortillas for burritos; tacos are made with small corn tortillas. We explained all the differences between them here earlier.
Dried beans
In a taco, stirred into chili or simply served as a side dish. Dried beans keep forever and are incredibly versatile. Fry up leftovers or use them in soup
Herbs and spices
At Mexican markets, you’ll find hierba de olor everywhere, a mix of thyme, marjoram, Mexican bay leaf and oregano. These herbs feature in almost every savory dish, giving soups and stews their authentic Mexican flavor.
When it comes to dried spices, chili powder, cumin, coriander, allspice and cinnamon are used a lot. Mexican cinnamon is also known as Ceylon cinnamon, and is lighter in color and warmer in flavor. If you come across it, definitely pick some up; if not, use regular cinnamon.
Chocolate
Mexican chocolate is flavored with a little more sugar than we’re used to, plus a touch of cinnamon. Besides being used in desserts, it also adds extra depth to chili con carne, mole (a traditional Mexican sauce) and other savory dishes.
Fresh
Admittedly, these don’t belong in the pantry, but lime and cilantro play such an important role that they couldn’t go unmentioned. So stock up on plenty during your next Mexican feast.
Cookbook
Ready to get started with your newly stocked kitchen cabinets? With its 700 pages, the cookbook Mexico by Margarita Carrilo Arrone is a true reference work. Literally everything you could ever want to make can be found here.
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