Chilaquiles Verde

Since being in Mexico, chilaquiles has become one of my favourite breakfast/brunch meals.

It is quintessentially comfort food for Mexicans, but you will often see it on breakfast menus around the country, smothered in either verde (green) or roja (red) salsa.

Although chilaquiles may seem quite tricky to make on first glance, it is actually very quick and easy to prepare, hence why I have made it several times since trying it in markets and at restaurants.

Chilaquiles are fried strips of tortilla covered in salsa and then topped with cheese, onion and sour cream. They are usually served with any-style eggs or meat. When making it for breakfast, I usually accompany it with a fried egg (although I've been know to polish off the chicken ones on occasion when eating them out).

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What To Eat In The Yucatan

The Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is known for its amazing white sand beaches, its colonial-style buildings and also for having some special dishes which can only be found in this part of the country.

Be sure to try out these local specialties if you visit Cancun, Valladolid, Merida, Tulum or Isla Holbox.

Fish Tacos

Although fish tacos can also be found on the west coast of Mexico, you will find plenty of fresh seafood along the coast in areas such as Cancun and Tulum. Luckily, you can also often find Baja-style breaded fish tacos, accompanied with salad and a spicy yet refreshing creamy sauce.

If you prefer your tacos un-breaded, these will often be served with diced white fish smothered in a tomato salsa and perhaps also topped with salad.

• Get your Baja-style fish taco fix at El Camello in Tulum

Salbutes

Salbutes, also sometimes known as Panuchos, as similar to tostadas although not quite as crispy.

They consist of a fried corn base which inflates when cooked on a griddle and they can sometimes be stuffed with meat and then topped. Alternatively, like tostadas, the chosen meat is piled on top of the fried base, along with salad or marinated onions.

• Sample chicken salbutes at the night market in Merida

Cohinita Pibil

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The Best Carnitas Tacos at Xochimilco Market

Just like all great things, it happened totally by accident.

We had headed to Xochimilco (on the outskirts of Mexico City) for one thing - to ride the riverboats - but of course hunger always gets in the way. Unfortunately for me, something else also got in the way. One of my flip flops broke.

Yep, it was the second time in about six months I have had a pair of Havaianas break on me while nowhere near home (the last time I was walking around Belgrade). Maybe I'm doing something wrong with these damn things, if so, I'd love for someone to tell me, but either way it was pretty embarassing.

So even though my stomach was growling, I had to hobble through the streets of this small town looking for a shoe shop.

Even though there are no shortage of shoe shops in Mexico (there seems to be somewhat of a shoe obsession), I have big feet and nowhere in the town had anything remotely cute in remotely my size.

Long story short - I was screwed.

Luckily for me I have a wonderful boyfriend who offered to wear my broken flip flops for the rest of the day, while I "clunked" around in his big Reefs. (This isn't quite as bad as it sounds - the flip flops were green and coincidentally, the same colour as Scott's shirt that day! Plus, he managed to tie the thong so that he didn't have to walk barefoot). Like I said, I have big feet, so Scott's flip flops weren't too big on me and vice versa.

After all of this hassle, I was hungrier than ever.

We headed towards the local market, where you are usually guaranteed to find some hot food stands and followed our noses. Immediately, vendors came rushing out with small pieces of meat for us to try, hoping that we patronise their stalls.

What happened next was something of a miracle.

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Jalapeno Guacamole

My love affair with guacamole is an undying one.

If you follow me on Pinterest, you've probably already discovered the fact that I'm addicted to avocado, and guacamole is no exception.

If there's one thing that irks me about supermarkets and Mexican restaurants at home, it's how much they charge for guacamole (or anything with avocado in it) and yet in many places in the world avocadoes are cheaper than many other fruits or vegetables, meaning that you get them with everything.

This, in itself, is one of my favourite things about being in Mexico right now. I have a plentiful supply of cheap, ripe, fresh avocadoes at my disposal constantly, which means it's guacamole time!

This jalapeno guacamole has a bit of a kick to it, so if you don't like spice, simply use the same recipe but omit the pepper. Both white or red onion can be used in this recipe, but onion-haters (I know there are a few of you out there!) can choose to leave that out.

I would recommend that if you aren't using one to use the other, as the end product could be a bit bland otherwise. Also, feel free to garnish with cilantro if you wish - I don't as I don't like the flavour of cilantro in my guacamole.

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Tuesday Market In The Condesa, Mexico City

Our first full day in Mexico city this time around was a Tuesday, which was lucky because we discovered that there is a weekly market held on Tuesdays in one of our favourite neighbourhoods; the Condesa.

The Condesa is kind of like the Greenwich Village of Mexico City. It is full of young, hip people sipping lattes and walking their cute little dogs. It's also full of great little restaurants, bars and coffee shops - you won't find much street food action going on down here.

The Tuesday market, however, caters perfectly to your street food cravings. Not only is it a wonderful place to pick up fresh fruits and veggies (a lot of the vendors will even give you samples to try for free), but at the back of the market is a large hot food section where you can sample many wonderful Mexican delights.

Having not had any good flautas since being in Mexico (a crime in my book), I decided to try a portion of chicken ones hot from the fryer, smothered in sour cream, spicy verde salsa, lettuce and crumbled Mexican cheese.

They were so good that Scott convinced me to go back and order us some more, this time with barbacoa inside (barbecued beef). Delicious, but chicken is still my favourite.

They also have several stands selling wonderfully huge tacos, with fillings like rib eye steak and fries, all for no more than $1.50 each.

If you happen to be in Mexico City on a Tuesday, I would definitely recommend this place, if only to enjoy the social atmosphere and a some fried stuff with cheese.

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What To Eat In Oaxaca

The second post in the "what to eat" series focuses on some of the tastiest meals you'll find in Oaxaca, Mexico; often considered to be the culinary melting pot of the whole country.

Known for its sauces, its traditional Mayan-style chocolate, its grilled meats and especially its creamy, string white cheese, Oaxaca is a delight for foodie lovers.

Chapulines (or grasshoppers) unfortunately did not make it on to this list, even though they feature highly in traditional Oaxacan cuisine (usually mixed in guacamole or grilled in cheese quesadillas), mainly because I did not try them and so couldn't give an accurate description. If you're a hardier soul than me, you can find them being sold in large piles at any market in the city and can try them on their own, without any accompaniment.

Tlayuda

Nicknamed the "Oaxacan pizza" due to its shape and the fact that the toppings are arranged similar to that of a pizza, tlayudas actually taste nothing like their Italian counterparts.

Using a large, toasted tortilla as the base, tlayudas are then spread with lard and black bean paste, topped with stringy Oaxaca cheese, tomatoes and avocado. Like this, it is served "sin carne" (without meat), but if you order it with meat (usually chorizo, chicken or beef), the meat will be placed on top or on the side.

If you order a tlayuda from a street stand as opposed to in a sit-down restaurant or market stall, they will serve them folded, similar to a calzone.

• Grab an open-face tlayuda at Fonda Florecita in Mercado de la Merced

Oaxacan Chocolate

Ok, this doesn't technically fall into the "eat" category, but you can't talk about Oaxacan culture and cuisine without mentioning chocolate.

Oaxacan chocolate isn't usually eaten in bar form, like it is in a lot of the rest of the world (although you certainly can if you like, it just takes some getting used to the high cacao content and stronger flavours), but instead ground up into a pot of hot water or milk to make a delicious cup of hot chocolate.

You will find hot chocolate ("chocolate con leche" or "chocolate con agua") on almost every menu in the city and served at most market stalls. Typically it will be served with a sweet bread, which you are supposed to dip into the drink and enjoy.

• Enjoy a chocolate con leche in the courtyard of Cafe Brujula

Chilaquiles

Chilaquiles are a popular breakfast dish which can be found in several areas of Mexico, but which seemed to be more prevalent on menus in Oaxaca.

Consisting of fried strips of tortillas covered in sauce (usually a green "verde" or red "rojo" slightly spicy sauce), the chilaquiles are then topped with white cheese, sour cream and usually a choice of different meat (above is chicken).

• For a big portion of chilaquiles verde, go to Fonda Rosita in the Mercado de la Merced

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What To Eat In Mexico

After spending over a month in Mexico, and with two months still left to go, I have sampled a wide variety of dishes in several of the various states.

In my opinion, the following are some of the best and tastiest foods you'll find all over Mexico, sold everywhere from street stands to fancy restaurants. Obviously prices can vary according to dining establishment, city and town, but the following foods also tend to be fairly budget-friendly.

If you're anything like me and your knowledge of the Spanish language or of Mexican food in general is fairly limited, I tend to find it helps to be actually able to visualize what it is you are ordering. Hopefully this post can help with that.

Huaraches

Literally named after the word for sandals which have the same oval shape, huaraches consist of a base of fried corn masa (maize dough) topped with onions, green or red salsa, one of a variety of different meats (such as ham or crispy pork), cheese and sour cream.

Tacos Al Pastor

The most popular tacos in Mexico, particularly Mexico City, is tacos al pastor. Al Pastor refers to marinated pork which is cooked on a large vertical rotating spit, similar to the way lamb is cooked for kebabs and gyros. Al pastor is always cooked underneath a block of fresh pineapple, as it's believed that the juices from the pineapple that run down on to the meat make it more tender.

These types of tacos should always usually be served with a slice of pineapple to make them authentic al pastor tacos, however some vendors seem to omit this addition. They are also usually topped with chopped onions and coriander (cilantro) and then, as with any tacos, you can add your own salsas and vegetables or just enjoy them as they are.

Chiles Rellenos

Chiles rellenos are roasted mild poblano peppers stuffed with either meat or cheese, coated in batter and then fried. The battered peppers are then covered in sauce (usually tomato, although sometimes a creamy cheese sauce).

Chiles rellenos are a popular dish in markets across Mexico and can be found in almost every town and city.

Enchiladas

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