Mexico is a country of tequila and Luis Alberto, sombrero and corn tortillas. It absorbed the traditions of the most ancient civilizations (Maya, Toltec and Aztec) and Spanish conquistadors.
This explosive mixture is reflected in the gastronomic predilections of desperate macho. Mexican cuisine is a kind of synthesis of Aztec and Spanish culinary traditions. This riot of colors and flavors – sharp burning sauces with chili pepper, meat flavored with spices, corn, avocado, beans and, of course, cacti.
But today we are talking not about prickly green foods, but about a meat dish, which is much closer and more understandable to the Siberian stomach.
We prepare the home of the famous Mexican dish
Before the arrival of Europeans, the Indians did not breed chickens and cattle. But since they still wanted to eat, they did not shun the local game – they cooked the snakes and extinguished the iguanas. However, beef and pork Mexicans liked, and they quickly adapted new products to the usual dishes. Mexicans like to fry beef and pork on grills and coals, and prefer medium to medium (meat almost roasted, pink inside).
Instead of a side dish in the form of dishes from corn and potatoes to meat dishes quite often serve a variety of thick sauces and tortillas tortillas. These cakes served as the main food since the time of the Aztecs. They say that the tortillas found by archaeologists continued to smell wonderful after hundreds of years. In the “fresh” form of them you can build a lot of dishes. This and the famous burritos – a kind of Mexican shaverma, as well as quesadillas – baked flat cakes with cheese, meat, sausage. And enchiladas – tortillas wrapped in a roll with turkey meat, and tachos – tortillas with beans, vegetables, meat. And, of course, fajitas, which is due in origin not only to Mexico, but also to America.
In Spanish, fajita is a diminutive form of the word “faja”, which translates as a belt, belt. The Butchers from Texas used this word to refer to the long rib-abdominal part of the beef.
It was not very soft, so the meat had to be cut across the fibers. According to researchers, this same fajita, flavored with spices and wrapped in tortillas, was pleased to eat Latin American cowboys as far back as 1930. However, the dish was completely formed and was not known until the 1970s when it was written about in a Texas newspaper.
Meticulous fans of fajitas insist that it should be prepared exclusively from the very costal-abdominal part. But the world community has long waved at them and waved for both cheeks fajitas from pork, chicken and even shrimp. Respect for the tradition of cutting meat with long strips remained. Initially, fajitas consisted only of meat, lime juice, salt and pepper, but gradually they were joined by onions and peppers.
For fajitos you will need:
6 chicken breasts without bones and skin
2 large bulbs
1 Bulgarian pepper
2 tablespoonsolive oil for frying
Sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole, tortillas when serving
For marinade you will need:
Juice of four limes
Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
Oregano – 1 tsp.
Salt – 1 tsp.
Cut the bird into long pieces. In order for it to become soft, it needs to be soaked in the marinade. It’s better if you leave the future fajitas marinated for the whole night. However, if time is short, and you really want to try the Mexican dish, you can limit yourself to a couple of hours. Do not forget to turn the meat over so that not one centimeter is left unprotected. Do not forget that fajitas is cooked on very high heat, and it must be constantly stirred. What is good in this case is chicken fillet, so it’s speed of cooking. After 4-5 minutes your semifinished product will be ready. Put it out of the frying pan, add butter and load there onions and bell peppers. Stirring constantly, bring the vegetables to the ruddy softness. Return the meat to the frying pan to the vegetables and fry a little more, without stopping stirring.
A shkward miracle is served right in the pan. If you sprinkle the finished meat with lime juice, the hiss will intensify. On a separate plate should lie a set of “DIY” – fragrant tortillas, and in small plačečkah – grated cheese, sour cream, salsa sauce and guacamole. All this is laid out, smeared or, if desired, dipped and eaten until it is cold. Ready tortillas can be bought in the store, and you can cook by yourself. And do not let them smear you with the scent of corn, but they will be made with your own hands.
For tortillas you will need:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
50 grams of margarine
1. 2 cups of hot water
Mix the flour with salt, add the margarine and rub with your hands until the mass turns into crumbs. Pour hot water into the dough into the dough, stirring continuously until a plastic mass is obtained. Lay it on a flour-covered board and continue to mix, gradually adding the necessary amount of flour. For 10 minutes, cover the dough with a damp warm cloth. Divide the dough into 12 pieces, each roll the ball, and roll each ball into a very thin cake. Spread the frying pan, then, reducing the fire, lay out the cake. Roast for 30 seconds, turn over and fry 10 more seconds on the other side. Cool before serving. If you have left the flat cakes, you can store them by transferring oiled pieces of parchment and wrapping them in polyethylene film.
Sauces
Fajitas is served with salsa and guacamole sauces. Salsa in Spanish means “sauce”. Guakomole is more ancient, its name comes from the Aztec “ahuacamolli” (“ahuacatl” – avocado + “molli” – sauce).
If you want to feel like a real Aztec, do guacomole only from the pulp of avocado, lime juice and salt. However, if you like to experiment, you can add tomatoes, chili, onions, garlic or greens if desired. Make mashed avocado, add salt and lemon juice – it, by the way, not only gives a special flavor to the sauce, but also does not allow the avocado to darken. The selected additional ingredients are finely chopped and added to the sauce.
Salsa is the most popular Mexican sauce. Consistency is not uniform, and depending on the preferences of the cook, it can be sharp, piquant or very sharp. Scald boiled water with 3 ripe tomatoes, peel them off, chop in a blender with 4-6 sharp chili peppers. Finely chop 1 medium onion, add 2 teaspoons of lime or lemon, salt and mix.
Novosibirsk fajitas establishments are loved and offered in a large assortment. For example, in the Mexican restaurant “Mexico City” you will be offered fajitas not only from the usual chicken and beef, but also from pork, lamb, salmon and seafood. Chicken costs 400 rubles, of beef – 420, of pork – 460, and of salmon – 470. In pub “501” you can try a double or built fajitas (chicken, beef and pork) – this is for those who want to try everything and immediately . There will be such a dish in 185 rubles. In the Mexican grill-bar “Salsa” you can order fajitas from one kind of meat (chicken, pork, beef), and you can combine – for any fajitas you will have to leave 289 rubles.
Bon Appetit!
