Traveling Abroad: Mexican Explained: Chicken Fajitas, Enchiladas, Homemade Salsa and Guacamole, Prawn and Fish Tacos

I cannot, for the life of me, locate black beans on this side of the world. I don't really understand why they should be impossible to find as I have been able to locate every other kind of bean (I have had some trouble with lima, but it's just a young butter bean, so I could substitute) and they seem to make use of it in black bean sauces for Asian dishes. Well, I just want to say, you Aussies are missing out.
Anyway, I have substituted kidney beans for black beans, which is ok, but not ideal.

Mexican food here in general leaves a lot to be desired. I haven't ever had a great Mexican restaurant experience here, and I assume it is because there are no real Mexicans. I have had Aussies laugh at me when I say this, but I think they underestimate how many Mexicans there are in North Carolina and what an affect that has on our food experience. I have been trying to open some eyes about Mexican food and show people how amazing it is.

Below is some of the Mexican dishes I have made while here. You may notice that the ingredients will be similar for each recipe, but that's Mexican food: it's a meat, some spice, a corn or flour tortilla, and you just change the method of delivery for what dish it is.

Chicken Fajitas
Serves 4 (makes 8-10 fajitas)
2 chicken breasts
2 limes
packet of fajita/taco spice, or 2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper,1/2 teaspoon chili pepper, salt
oil
1 onion
1 green pepper (green capsicum)
large flour tortillas
toppings: lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro (coriander), seasoned beans, Spanish rice (microwave packet can be bought in store)

Thinly slice chicken breast put in airtight container. Slice 1 lime and squeeze juice onto chicken. Grate some of lime peeling onto chicken. Mix fajita/taco spice or cumin, pepper spices into chicken and stir. Let chicken marinade at least 2 hours, but overnight is better.

Thinly slice onion and green pepper, set aside. Heat large skillet and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Saute peppers and onions until tender, then add chicken. Saute until cooked. Serve chicken in a bowl with all toppings in separate bowls for eaters to create exactly what they want. Slice remaining lime into sections and offer with toppings to be squeezed over fajita before eating.

Chicken Enchiladas
Serves 4-5 (makes 10-12 enchiladas)
Special utensil: slow cooker

2 chicken breast
1 onion
1 green pepper (green capsicum)
2 teaspoons cumin
salt/pepper
4 cups grated cheese
1 large can enchilada sauce
corn tortillas
Toppings: lettuce, tomato, sour cream

Thinly slice onion and pepper/capsicum. Put half of this into slow cooker. Put chicken breast whole into slow cooker on top of onions and pepper. Sprinkle cumin and salt/pepper over chicken. Lay the rest of onions and pepper over chicken. Cook on low setting for 2-4 hours, depending on slow cooker. Chicken should be easily shredded with fork when done.

Remove chicken and onions/pepper. Reserve onions and peppers. Shred chicken with forks and stir into onions and peppers. Add 1 cup of cheese and 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to mixture, stir well.

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit/ 175 Celsius. Set up a work surface to prepare enchiladas. You will need a shallow baking pan to put finished enchilada as well as a plate to prepare the enchilada. Pour a small amount of enchilada sauce onto the plate. Heat corn tortilla in microwave or individually in pan on stove (they are much easier to work with and less likely to break if they are warm). Take warm tortilla and coat back and front with enchilada sauce. Add a small amount of chicken mixture to center of tortilla and roll from each side to close in a cigar fashion. Place finished enchilada in pan. Repeat until all chicken mixture is gone.

Pour the remainder of enchilada sauce over prepared enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top evenly. Bake in the oven 20-30 minutes or until cheese in melted and starting to brown. Serve with suggested toppings.

Salsa
Serves 4 as appetizer
2-3 tomatoes, ripe
1 lime
1/2 onion
1/2 jalapeno
1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro (coriander)
1 teaspoon oil
salt/ pepper

Chop tomatoes into small pieces and put in a bowl. Slice lime and squeeze juice over tomatoes. Finely chop onion and add to mixture. Depending on how much heat you would like, slice up jalapeno into small bits with or without seeds and add. Mix in oil and salt/ pepper to taste. Shred cilantro by hand and stir in last. Serve with quality corn tortilla chips or over your favorite Mexican dish instead of sliced tomatoes.

Guacamole
Serves 4 as appetizer
2 avocados, ripe
1/4 tomato
1/4 onion
1 lime
1/2 teaspoon cumin
salt/pepper

Remove pulp from avocado and mash. Finely chop tomato and onion and stir into avocado. Slice and squeeze lime juice, using just 1/2 at first and adding more if necessary. Stir in cumin, salt, pepper to taste. Serve with quality tortilla chips or with favorite Mexcian dishes.

Prawn or Fish Tacos
Serves 1-2 (makes 3-4 tacos)
12 prawns OR 2 or 3 fish fillets (fresh or frozen)
1 teaspoon mexican spices (cumin, chili powder, garlic powder)
oil
corn torillas
Toppings: shredded cabbage, tomatoes, shredded cheese, crema (recipe below)

Toss prawns or fish in mexican spices (it is ok if the prawn/fish is still frozen). Heat pan on medium heat and add 1/2 tablespoon oil. Saute meat until cooked, usually about 10 minutes. Make taco by placing 3-4 prawn or 1/2 of fish fillet on corn tortilla, then top with shredded cabbage, tomato, cheese, and crema. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Crema:
1/2 cup sour cream
juice of 1/2 lime
pinch of mexican spice

Mix and pour on top of seafood tacos.

my picture!!! prawn tacos

Hushpuppies

Oh, hushpuppies. When I mention them to Aussies here, they say "I know hushpuppies are a shoe." Yes, they are a shoe. But they are also a delicious little Southern bite, wonderful in it's simplicity, yet at the same time, complex with crunch outside, soft inside, some spice, and a little sweetness.

I had a hard time creating my hushpuppies here in Oz. I could not for the life of me locate cornmeal anywhere. People in the grocery stores that I asked were not even sure what cornmeal was. I finally googled it (oh google, how you have helped me over the years) and saw that yanks in Oz looking for cornmeal bought polenta instead. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it, polenta at it's base is just cornmeal after all. So next time I was in Woolies, I asked where the polenta was located. It was located with imported goods over near the fancy cheeses in the deli. There it was, polenta. I turned the bag over and it said "Ingredients: cornmeal." Oh, good grief.

Hushpuppies (I love telling this story) got their name because they were first (in their very primitive form) just leftovers from frying that were tossed to dogs to quiet them from barking and whining. Get it? Hush-puppies. But now-a-days, they have evolved into an appetizer/side that can have various forms and be dipped in a variety of dips to satisfy any tastes. This recipe is just a plain traditional southern recipe.

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup white sugar

1 large onion, finely diced

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup self-rising cornmeal

oil for frying

Mix together eggs, sugar, and onion. Blend in flour and cornmeal. Heat 1-2 inches of oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) (if you do 1 inch of oil, you will need to turn the hushpuppies over to fry other side). Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls in hot oil, and fry until golden brown. Cook in small batches so that there is room to move and hushpuppies do not touch. Drain paper towels. Serve hot with butter or Honey Cinnamon Butter.

image courtesy of google images.

**As I mentioned in the earlier description, hushpuppies can be changed for a variety of palettes. You can add lots of spices and kick them up a notch, add corn or cheese to make them a little more substantial. You be the mad scientist of hushpuppies and find your favorite version!

Brunswick Stew

Brunswick stew is amazing. It is actually found almost anywhere you can get great NC barbecue, and ususally contains some of said barbecue as well. I like to serve my Brunswick stew with hushpuppies, another Southern treasure also featured on this blog.
Special utensil: slow cooker

1 small whole chicken
optional: 1 cup (250 grams) pulled pork (leftover- I freeze a little for uses like this)
16 oz (500 grams) canned limas (butter bean)
two 28 oz (two 800 gram) cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
16 oz (500 grams) can creamed corn
16 oz (500 grams) can whole corn kernals
16 oz (500 grams) frozen limas (butter beans) *if you can't find frozen, just get 2nd can of butter beans
4 potatoes, peeled
1 large onion
small bottle ketchup (tomato sauce)
hot sauce
salt pepper


In large pot of salted water on stovetop, cook chicken, let cool, debone and shred. Refridgerate stock, skim off most of fat. In another pot of salted water, cook 3 diced potatoes and onion (until potatoes are tender), reserve water.
Combine chicken, pork, 1 cup (250 ml) broth, and potatoes, onion, 1/2 cup (125 ml) potato water, and 1 diced uncooked potato in slow cooker. Add tomatoes, 1 can limas, partially mashed. Add 1 can creamed corn, 1/2 cup (125 ml) ketchup, salt/pepper, hot sauce to taste. Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours, slirring occasionally. If too dry, add more stock or potato water. If too wet, remove lid and let excess boil off for a while. You want the stew to be thick.

Add rest of limas/butter beans and can of whole corn 1 hour before serving. Continue cooking, adding seasoning, ketchup, hot sauce as needed. (Sorry I can't be more exact, I just taste as I go and know what I am shooting for)

image courtesy of google images.

Southern Barbecue: Pulled Pork

So I know "barbecue" down here means meat on a grill or over an open flame, but in the South in America, and particularly from my home state of North Carolina, it is a very special and sometimes controversial dish consisting of pork cooked so fine that it falls off the bone. The controversy comes in when you ask people from different parts of the state what type of sauce to apply to this amazing creation. Westerners prefer tomato based barbeque sauce, which I traditionally reserve for barbecue chicken on the grill. Naturally, eastern style, vinegar based barbeque is the way to go, and is what I am demonstrating in the recipe below.

Special Utensils: Slow cooker

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons (37 grams) brown sugar
1 tablespoon (19 grams) paprika
2 teaspoons (9 grams) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.25 grams) black pepper
1 pork shoulder roast (4 lb, 1.8 kg)
2 cup (450 grams) apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup (80 ml) worchestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons (9 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2.25 grams) granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon (1.13 grams) cayenne pepper

Put chopped onions in bottom of slow cooker. If you like, remove some of the excess fat from the top of the roast (I do because you are still going to have plenty of fat even without this promenent strip). Create rub using brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pepper and rub over the whole roast, then place roast in slow cooker. In a separate container, mix vinegar, worchestershire sauce, crushed red pepper, sugar, granulated garlic, and cayenne pepper. Drizzle 1/2 of this mixture over roast and reserve the rest in refridgerator. Cook roast on low 6-10 hours, depending on your slow cooker (you want the meat falling apart when pierced with fork). Remove roast from slow cooker and shred with forks. Discard onions, but use juice from slow cooker combined with remaining vinegar mixture to season pork to your liking. Serve pulled pork on hamburger buns with coleslaw or (my personal preference) alone with baked beans and macaroni and cheese. Freeze any leftovers for use in Brunswick Stew (recipe elsewhere in blog).

picture courtesy of google images
 

** This is all approximate measurements. I usually add a touch more crushed pepper, as I like mine a little spicy.

Traveling Abroad: Potstickers (Wonton Dumplings)

So this isn't exactly "Southern," but it's one of my dishes that I am famous for both back home and here. Both places it seems that the name "potstickers," which is what I prefer to call these little deliciousnesses, does not stick, and the people requesting I make them call them "wonton things" or "asian dumplings." Whatever you call them, I call them "good eats."

Ingredients:
Wonton wrappers- (these are the square, prepackaged wrappers, usually in the produce or dairy sections. You can use the smaller, round wrappers if square is not available. It will just make more, smaller potstickers of a different shape.)
1 package of ground pork (pork mince)
3 spring onions, finely chopped
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of minced ginger or 1 teaspoon of powdered ginger
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
oil for frying

For dipping sauce: 1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1-2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon powdered ginger

If you are going to make a dipping sauce, I usually do this beforehand and store in the fridge.
Put soy sauce, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, and ginger into small sauce pan and heat until just boiling, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool, then store in fridge until ready to serve.

Mix together pork with spring onion, white onion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil. On clean work surface, put about 1 tablespoon of pork mixture onto middle of wonton wrapper. Use beaten egg to wet edge of wrapper and bring one corner of wrapper diagonally across to meet the opposite side and seal. Repeat until you run out of pork mixture or wonton wrappers**

Heat nonstick pan to medium heat and put about a tablespoon of oil into pan. Bring to heat, then add several wontons, leaving enough space between each so that they do not touch. Fry this one side until when you lift the edge it looks golden brown. Add a small amount of water (about 1/4 a cup) to pan and cover immediately, allowing the dumplings to steam. Let all the water evaporate and remove the potstickers. Repeat until all are cooked.

picture courtesy of google images

**I had the exact correct amount of both wrappers and pork mixture here in Australia, but in the states, I tend to have wrappers left (maybe packages of more wrappers or less pork). What I do with leftover wrapper is experiment making dessert dumplings. You can put any kind of fruit (I've made sauteed apples with cinnamon and brown sugar) or spread center (jams, nutella and banana, or- eeek- maybe even vegemite...) and fry/steam the same way you prepared the pork ones, then dust with powdered sugar  (icing sugar) or serve with cream or ice cream. Get creative!

Sausage Balls (and Breakfast Sausage)

I was utterly heartbroken to discover breakfast sausage is literally non-existent in Australia. I think Aussies would love it, so I don't get why it is absent. I miss it a lot as I generally prefer sausage to bacon when I want a breakfast meat. After some googling, I actually found a chat room/ support group for American Expats craving breakfast sausage and a recipe to make my own!

*below recipe for breakfast sausage courtesy of yanksdownunder.net*
Breakfast Sausage
2 lb (approx 1 kg) pork mince
1 tablespoon (25 grams) sage
2 teaspoon (10 ml) marjoram
2 teaspoon (10 ml) thyme
(I didn't have all of these, but I did have Italian seasoning that had these, plus basil and oregano. It is kind of wrong to put basil and oregano in southern breakfast sausage, but I didn't want to spend $10 to get 3 seasonings that I would use only a tsp. It tastes ok, but I think I may splurge for sage next time. It needs more sage than anything else.)
2 teaspoon (10 ml) red pepper flakes (I always add more, I like the spice!)
1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon (5 ml) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2 1/2 ml) pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Cook in patties on nonstick pan, flipping over occasionally until done. Traditionally eaten in a biscuit (or buttermilk scone, I guess) or with eggs. I have also made patties and frozen for future consumption. Just mix pork, form patties and freeze uncooked, then cook when you remove from freezer.

Sausage Balls
Well, to my horror, I also discovered bisquick was absent from Aus supermarket shelves. It's no big deal, not nearly as complicated as making my own sausage, but I would have to find a substitute for bisquick to make sausage balls. Again, the internet answered my call.

photo courtesy of google images.

Bisquick (double this if using it to make sausage balls below):
1 cup (250 grams) flour
1 1/2 teaspoon (7 1/2 ml) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 1/4 ml) salt
1 tablespoon (20 grams) oil or butter (cut into flour)

Sausage Balls:
1 lb (or 1/2 kg) of breakfast sausage (recipe above)
2 cups (500 grams) grated cheese
2 cups (500 grams) bisquick

Preheat over to 350 Fahrenheit, 175 Celsius. Mix bisquick and breakfast sausage together. Add cheese and mix until combined. Form into small balls and place on baking sheet with baking paper. Bake 20-25 minutes until starting to turn golden brown on surface.

Sweet Potato Biscuits (Scones) and Honey Cinnamon Butter

Sweet Potato Biscuits (or probably more truthfully, the Honey Cinnamon Butter to be slathered on said biscuits) are one of the recipes that inspired the creation this blog. The sugar amounts can be adjusted in these biscuits to make them more "Aussie biscuit"-like or can remain as suggested to give them a more savory "scone" taste.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
1 cups (250 grams) sweet potato (about 1 large sweet potato or several small ones), cooked and mashed
1/2 stick of butter (4 oz, 125 grams)
1/2 cup (4 oz, 125 ml) of milk
2 cups (500 grams) self rising (self raising) flour
pinch of baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
2 tablespoons (50 grams) brown sugar
pinch of salt
cinnamon optional

Preheat oven to 400 Fahrenheit, 205 Celsius. Mix sweet potato, milk and sugar together. Cut butter (slice into bits, then knead into flour), and add baking soda and salt. Mix sweet potato mixture into flour mixture, roll into ball, knead 10 times until just mixed. Roll out and cut into circles using glass or cup. Place 1/2 inch apart (1.27 cm) on baking sheet with baking paper. Optional: sprinkle tops with cinnamon. Bake 15-20 minutes, serve warm with Honey Cinnamon Butter (recipe below).

image courtesy of google images. forgot the camera!

Honey Cinnamon Butter
1 stick of butter (8oz, 250 grams), room temperature
3 tablespoons  (60 ml) of honey
1/4 teaspoon (1 1/4 ml) of cinnamon
pinch of salt

Mix all of these ingredients together until combined (it's better to have an electric mixer and really whip the butter, but kneading it with a spoon until combined also works). Store in airtight container in refrigerator and spread on scones, toast, fruit bread, all kinds of things.

Crazy Conversions

I am going to try my best to include the conversions already in the recipes, but in case I forget one or mess up, here is a copy-paste from a website on American-Australian cooking measurements conversions.

Australian Metric, Cup & Spoon Measurements
*Australian tablespoon is 20 ml, UK is 15 ml, and American is 16 ml.
metric      cup
60 ml       1/4 cup
80 ml       1/3 cup
125 ml     1/2 cup
250 ml     1 cup

metric      spoon
1 1/4 ml   1/4 teaspoon
2 1/2 ml   1/2 teaspoon
5 ml         1 teaspoon
20 ml       1 tablespoon

Weight Measurements
metric     imperial      pounds
10 g        1/4 oz 
15 g        1/2 oz
30 g        1 oz
60 g        2 oz
90 g        3 oz
125 g      4 oz             1/4 lb
155 g      5 oz
185 g      6 oz
220 g      7 oz
250 g      8 oz             1/2 lb
280 g      9oz
315 g      10 oz
345 g      11 oz
375 g      12 oz           3/4 lb
410 g      13 oz
440 g      14 oz
470 g      15 oz
500 g      16 oz           1 lb
750 g      24 oz           1 1/2 lb
1 kg        32 oz           2 lb
1 1/2 kg  48 oz           3 lb
2 kg        64 oz           4 lb

Liquid Measurements
metric       imperial         cup
30 ml        1 fl oz
60 ml        2 fl oz            1/4 cup
80 ml        2 1/2 fl oz      1/3 cup
100 ml      3 3/4 fl oz
125 ml      4 fl oz            1/2 cup
150 ml      5 fl oz
180 ml      6 fl oz            3/4 cup
200 ml      7 fl oz
250 ml       8 3/4 fl oz     1 cup
375 ml       13 fl oz         1 1/2 cup
430 ml       15 fl oz         1 3/4 cup
500 ml       17 fl oz         2 cups
750 ml       26 fl oz         3 cups
1 L             35 fl oz         4 cups
1 1/4 L       44 fl oz         5 cups
2 L             70 fl oz         8 cups

Bon Appetite, Y'all!

So cooking, at least for the last several years, has been one of my favorite hobbies. It is such a great feeling to plan a meal in detail, select all the perfect items for the menu, create the dish, and watch others enjoy something you've spent time making. Almost as a way to stave off homesickness, I find myself more and more preparing traditional southern cuisine for meals while down under, despite ingredient and utensil obstacles I have encountered along the way. I have had several requests for recipes, and decided creating a blog would be an easy way to get the info out there, also while chronicling the cooking. I will include conversions for the Aussies (as best I can, southern cooking is definitely not an exact science), as well as what is traditional ingredients versus Aussie substitutes I have had to make. I hope you enjoy!