By Monday 1:34 AM • 02 Apr, 2018
Even if you rarely dine on Mexican cuisine, you're probably quite familiar with tacos and burritos. But what about the other dishes you see on Mexican menus - like chile rellenos and taquitos? Every Mexican dish has its own flair, so read on to learn more about these lesser-known Mexican favorites.
Chile Rellenos
If you love peppers, then you will love chile rellenos. They're a Mexican version of stuffed peppers - roasted poblano chiles filled with peppers, onions, cheese, and sometimes other ingredients. The peppers are coated in an egg batter for a nice, crispy coating. Sometimes, chile rellenos are topped with mole sauce, a spicy chocolate sauce, before serving.
Taquitos
The word taquito means little taco, and that's pretty much what these delicious treats are. Typically served as an appetizer or snack, taquitos are tortillas that are stuffed with ingredients like beef, cheese, or even potatoes, and then deep fried until crispy.
Diners may dip them in salsa, guacamole, or queso. Traditionally, taquitos are made with corn tortillas. The same dish made with a flour tortilla is called a flauta.
Enchiladas
Enchiladas are as close to a casserole as you can get in Mexican cuisine. Corn tortillas are rolled around a savory filling that's often made with meat, chicken, or beans. The rolls are lined up in a pan and covered with chile sauce and cheese. Then, they are baked until warm and eaten with a fork. Enchiladas can be messy, but they're great comfort food.
Tamales
Tamales have an ancient history - there is evidence of them being made as early as 8000 B.C. Tamales are made with a corn-based dough called masa, which is wrapped in a corn husk and then steamed.
Sometimes, tamales are stuffed with chile peppers, cheese, or pork. The steaming liquid is often seasoned to impart extra flavor to the masa. Before eating the tamale, you peel the corn husk away, revealing soft, flavorful masa.
Chimichangas
Their name may be tough to say, but once you try a chimichanga, you'll order them again and again. This dish is thought to have been brought to the United States by Mexican immigrants who moved into Arizona.
Crispy and delicious, chimichangas are essentially deep fried burritos. A flour tortilla is stuffed with rice, cheese, beans, and various meats and then fried in canola or corn oil. Some people dip their chimichangas into salsa, and others prefer sour cream or guacamole.
Tostadas
Fine dining restaurants have begun creating deconstructed versions of classic dishes. The tostada took this deconstructed approach before it was cool - tostadas are essentially deconstructed tacos.
The base is made from a crunchy, fried, flat tortilla. Chicken or pork is layered onto the tortilla, along with refried beans and various toppings like cilantro, onion, and sour cream. You typically eat a tostada with a fork.
Fajitas
When served fajitas, customers often ponder as to how they differ from tacos. The difference lies in the fillings. The base of the taco filling is meat, which is usually cooked alone without vegetables. Fajitas are stuffed with meat that has been prepared with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Chicken and beef fajitas are both common.
Some restaurants serve fajitas unassembled and let customers assemble them at the table. In this case, you are given a plate of onions, peppers, meats, and toppings like sour cream and guacamole. You custom-stuff your fajitas in either corn or flour tortillas.
Now that you're more familiar with these excellent Mexican dishes, it's time to visit a Mexican restaurant. El Indio Mexican Restaurant and Catering
