An insane BBQ meal, this!3Enjoy Nopales! Nopal (cactus) is a very common vegetable in Mexico which tastes like gluey beans, slightly tart with a firm texture.AchioteAchiote is sometimes called Lipstick Tree and is made with crushed annatto seeds along with garlic, cumin, salt, black pepper, allspice, cloves, orange juice. As time went by, the Aztecs began to steam them, a technique learned from the Spanish conquistadores. Add rest of the ingredients and mix.Open husk and serve hot. Few dishes in the world boast of an ancestry like the tamale. Scoop out avocado from the peel, place it in a Molcajete or mixing bowl. Take out, keep aside. Lebanese immigrants moved to Mexico and they brought their famous technique of spit-roasted meat.

Using a fork, mash the avocado, but keep it chunky.Bring to a slow boil, cover, lower heat to maintain a simmer.Portions 2, time 10 minutes,finishing time 10 minutesIngredients200 gm ripe avocado, two small pieces or one big2 tbsp tomatoes, seeds and pulp removed,chopped1 tbsp onion, chopped1 tbsp cilantro, chopped1 tsp jalapeno, chopped1 tsp lemon juice  1 tsp olive oilSalt to tasteMethodCut avocados in half.Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation from the air. Marinate pork for couple of hours or overnight.Steam for 45 minutes. Leave an inch margin at each side. Most top restaurants in Oaxaca will not even have Tequila on their menus! They serve only mezcal. This led to the birth of corn tamale, which could be packed for travel, warmed later and relished.2Experience a Mexican barbecue in a rustic ambience at 20 de Noviembre Market, meats served in flat bamboo baskets on paper, salsas in small disposable containers, warm tortillas on paper. Heat half oil in a pan, add garlic, sauté.Tamale4 portions (8 pieces), time 25 minutes, cooking time 25 minutesIngredients250 gm masa harina25 ml oil50 gm butter150 ml water½ tsp salt16 or 8 pieces corn husk or banana leaves240 gm pulled chickenMethodPlace husks in a bowl with warm water for 30 minutes. It was lovely to see this being made live, in Mexico City by Mexican street vendors!Masa HarinaMasa Harina is the traditional flour used for making tortillas, tamales, and other Mexican dishes.5 Relish Oaxacan Quesillo, the best cheese of Mexico, it is a bit stringy but yum. Add soaked chillies and achiote, cook for half a minute, add pineapple juice, orange juice and vinegar.Refrigerate until ready to serve. It means “dough flour,” because the flour is made from dried masa, a dough from specially treated corn.Traditionally, tamales were cooked by burying them in hot ashes, which made them crispy and brown from the outside with a soft, well-cooked filling inside. There are plenty of small mezcal producers in Oaxaca.’ Here are a few tips if you are visting Oaxaca, Mexico’s food capital. Cactus pads are best served grilled on a taco.Oaxaca trailsChef Vikas Seth, an IHM Mumbai alumnus, is known for his culinary innovation and has a palate of a well-eaten gourmand — a few virtues that he honed and enhanced during his stint at the Culinary Institute of America. Bring to boil, add salt. Serve with yellow, blue and corn tortillas.Mix masa, salt with warm water, add oil and butter, mix well.Remove chicken from pot, let it cool and shred with two forks into pulled chicken.Place two tbsp pulled chicken in a line through the middle of the dough. Add cumin powder, chipotle in adobo sauce, chicken and salt, sear it for a couple of minutes and add tomato puree and mix well.GuacamoleAvocados were first cultivated in Central America as early as 7,000 BC, though where exactly is still debatable. Tequila is also a type of mezcal made from only blue agave plant commercially, whereas mezcal is made artisanally from different varieties of agave. Heat grill, drizzle little oil, sear pork slices both sides, add onions along with pork. As the warring tribes grew, the demand of pre-making the nixtamal (corn) itself became  so overwhelming a process that a need arose to have a more portable sustaining foodstuff. This Quesillo cheese is similar to mozzarella though a bit saltier.Tacos Al PastorServes 2 portions, time: 30 minutesmarination: 4 hours to overnight,  cooking time: 30 minutes. Instead of lamb, well-marinated pork with Achiote and chilli is spit roasted, served on a warm tortilla with pineapple pieces, cilantro, chopped onions, lemon slice and salsa.Ingredients250 gm boneless pork , sliced into quarter inch1 tbsp achiote paste10 gm guajillo chilli10 gm chipotle chilli1 tbsp oil1 tsp garlic, chopped ½ tsp cumin powder½ tsp crushed black pepper¼ tsp cloves125 ml orange juice125 ml pineapple juice50 ml white vinegarA pinch Mexican oregano2 tbsp onion julienne1 tsp saltFor finishing4 pieces corn tortillas2 pieces romaine lettuce  4 pieces pineapple, peeled rapier loom and half inch thick sliced4 pieces lemon wedgesMethodSoak guajillo and chipotle chilli in warm water for a few of minutes. Mezcal tasting is also common and the Mezcaloteca Bar is the best place, but book in advance.Achiote is a shrub or small tree best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange red condiment used in lipstick.1See Mexican chocolate making, the ancestral way at Chocolate Y Mole La Soledad, 20 de Noviembre Market, where they wash Cacao beans, roast and grind with cinnamon and almond, then grind with sugar as per the client’s taste.Pulled ChickenIngredients250 gm chicken leg boneless  75 gm onion, sliced1 tsp garlic, smashed1 tsp cumin powder1 tsp fresh jalapeno, chopped1 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce3 tbsp tomato pureeA pinch of salt1 tbsp oilWater/chicken stock as requiredMethodHeat oil in a pot, sauté all ingredients together.

Feast on Chapulines (fried grasshoppers) with a flight of Mezcal, you can’t leave without experiencing this! Crunchy and salty Chapulines are a delicacy. Grill pineapple slices with a little pork marination, for garnish. Place tortilla on a hot griddle and cook for 30 seconds to a minute on each side. In my journey to Oaxaca Mexico City, and as a searcher of foodie experiences, I have also shared some tips for your travel to this beautiful land of chilli and rich history.— The writer is a chef and culinary director at Embassy Leisure and Entertainment Projects LLP (Embassy Group).  

Achiote paste is a thick deep red seasoning popular in Mexico, and is best rubbed on meats or tossed with vegetables.Blend into a smooth marination.Tear four husks to make 16 strips for tying tamales. Born into a culturally-rich family in Amritsar, Chef Seth is a multi-faceted chef, who has authored books for private circulation The Modern Indian Odyssey showcasing Indian food and a unique twin cover restaurant book on ‘Sanchez and Sriracha. It was a common belief then that the tamale sticking to the bottom of the pot was a sign of good luck, and would protect them on the battleground. Knead a minute.As a well-travelled chef with an innate understanding of culinary concepts and a strong passion for Mexican cooking, I travelled to Mexico to explore its intrinsic cuisine, and was I amazed at the depth. Roll husk and tie ends tightly with a strip of husk to secure. Remove the pit. Stir in cumin, oregano, crushed black pepper and cloves, and cook for a minute. Divide dough into small 20 gm balls. For best results, Achiote paste needs to be mixed with orange juice before use.Corn TortillasIngredients225 gm masa harina, ½ tsp salt , 150 ml warm water   MethodMix masa harina, salt and warm water to form a dough.The method of cooking “Tacos al pastor” actually is inspired by the Middle Eastern shawarma.  

It is then cooled, shaped and sold, or sold warm. Once cooked, take off grill, rest for a few minutes before slicing. A common theory is that they originated in Central America and were colloquially called “ahuacatl” meaning “testicle tree” by the Aztecs who bought it into Mexico. I am sharing the Aztec-style recipe, where the tamale is served cocooned in a corn husk.. The importance of guacamole in Mexican food is ascertained by the fact that it is the single dish that distinguishes a good restaurant from the rest, and of course, a good cook too! It was the first dish that the Spaniards took fancy to, and began spreading the word about the amazing “guacamole” they had while in Mexico.Leave ends open.Press each tortilla in a tortilla press or roll out between two pieces of plastic sheet until it is about two to three inches across and thin. Sauté garlic, onion and fresh jalapenos for a couple of minutes.Cook until the chicken starts to shred on the touch of a fork, about 20 to 30 minutes.Pat husks dry. Warm corn tortillas, add in the torn romaine lettuce, top it with sliced pork, seared pineapple and lemon wedges. It is quite versatile, and you can choose to add any filling — meats, vegetables or fruits. They even took the first few samplings to California in 1871. They should be about one inche indiametre.  

For long, the tamale remained a military food, and the reason behind women’s presence in the armed forces as cooks to make the masa for the tortillas and the meats, stews, drinks, etc.Fold in both sides, and press the seam together, ensure the chicken filling stays completely inside. Pre-dating corn by at least a couple of thousand years, tamale was first made by the indigenous tribes from wild “teocintle,” the ancestor of modern maize.Add in just enough water to cover the chicken.  Tortillas cool quickly, so keep them warm in a tortilla warmer lined with paper towels to prevent condensation. Take off heat.The mixture should roll into a ball without sticking to your fingers.Interestingly, little has changed in the way a classic guacamole is made today — which is coarsely forked avocados with onion, chilis and tomatoes with perhaps a sprinkle of cilantro and lime.Spread dough onto husks.