Mexican Christmas Traditions

Guide to Mexican limes

82 · Oct 10, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Mexican limes are widely used in the cuisine and offer a bright, acidic touch to food and beverages.

Everything you need to know about Mexican limes, a guide from theothersideofthetortilla.com

All limes pictured in this post are Mexican limes.

Lime juice is an indispensable part of Mexican cuisine. It's used in everything from beverages to dressing ceviche, soups, salads, fruit and vegetables, meats, in desserts and more. And it's not just the juice; lime zest also makes its way into plenty Mexican recipes as well.

The limón chico (also known as limoncito or limón de Colima) is what most people think of when they think of Mexican limes. They generally measure between 2.5 and 5 centimeters in diameter, are more round (rather than oval) with thin, bright green skin, greenish-yellow pulp, have small seeds, and a very acidic flavor. As they age, the skin turns yellow and the flavor bitter when they're over-ripened.

Known as limón grande or limón sin semilla, the larger Mexican limes do not have seeds.

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What to order at Guisados in Los Angeles

20 · Oct 6, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Guisados is a family-owned restaurant that serves tacos stuffed with homestyle braises such as tinga de pollo, chuleta en chile verde, and cochinita pibil, and is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in LA.

The term "guisado" literally means "stewed" and usually follows a formula of meat (most typical are pork, beef or chicken) braised in a salsa made with chiles, tomatoes or tomatillos, spices and herbs, and sometimes vegetables. The type of chiles, spices and meat combinations used vary according to region and family recipes.

Tacos and tamales from Guisados in Los Angeles — Pictured above: Tamal de pollo, regular size chicharrón and bistek roja tacos.

You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu at Guisados. However, if you're indecisive and want to try several kinds, the best deal is to order the sampler that comes with six small tacos.

Most everything on the regular menu at Guisados is gluten-free. (Ask servers about the specials, though—sometimes those contain gluten.) They also have some vegetarian options. If you're vegan, they'll make you a taco with sauteed bell peppers and onions if you ask.

The tortillas at Guisados are made fresh, by hand, every day at every location, too. They'll sell you a half-dozen or dozen handmade tortillas to take home if you ask. They're not cheap, but they're damn good. A little on the thick side, but way better than grocery store tortillas for sure.

One of the things I really like about the servers at Guisados is that they always offer to tell you which tacos are which (especially if you order the sampler) when they deliver your order to your table. Although I eat there often enough to tell them apart without any help, the first time I ate there I thought it was a nice touch.

Portion sizes:

2-3 of the standard size tacos per person, or 1 sampler is usually sufficient for a meal.

Taco Sampler and jamaica agua fresca at Guisados in Los Angeles, California — The Guisados sampler comes with your choice of 6 tacos.

My favorite taco at Guisados: Chicharrón

In fact, I like their version so much that I made tacos de chicharrón guisado at home to share the recipe here on the blog.

Taco de chicharron at Guisados in Los Angeles, California

My meat-lovers' taco picks at Guisados

Bistek en salsa roja (flank steak simmered with red bell peppers and tomato, served over a smear of black beans and topped with chile de árbol and avocado), chorizo (served over black beans, topped with red onion and salsa verde), and steak picado (flank steak simmered with green bell peppers and bacon, served over black beans and topped with salsa verde).

Taco de bistec from Guisados in Los Angeles, California

The chuleta en chile verde is consistently good, but I don't order it often because that's something I make regularly at home. I don't love their tinga, but that's more of a personal flavor preference.

Taco de chuleta en salsa verde from Guisados in Los Angeles, California

Vegetarian taco picks at Guisados

Hongos con cilantro (mushrooms, onions and cilantro, topped with a dollop of salsa verde and queso fresco) or calabacitas (squash, tomato, bell peppers, corn and onions, topped with a chipotle sour cream and queso fresco). The chiles toreados taco is also excellent but very spicy. Skip the frijoles con queso and get a quesadilla instead.

Taco de hongos at Guisados in Los Angeles, California

To drink at Guisados

Jamaica or Armando Palmero (⅔ jamaica and ⅓ agua de limón) are your best choices because they're consistently good. Yes, they have horchata, but I don't love the one they serve because it always has too much grit at the bottom of the cup. In my opinion, you can skip the horchata latte (iced coffee with horchata) and spend your money on another taco instead.

Other details

Also on the menu regularly (but not listed on the menu on their website), the tamales are worth exploring. My favorite is the the tamal de elote, but the chicken tamal with green chile is a close second.

There are 5 Guisados locations across Los Angeles: Boyle Heights, Echo Park, DTLA, West Hollywood and Burbank.

How to doctor canned refried beans

132 · Oct 5, 2017 · 2 Comments

Canned refried beans are a cabinet staple in most Mexican homes, but you can expand your flavor options by doctoring your beans in a few easy steps.

If you're like me, you probably keep a can or two of refried beans in the cabinet at all times. In fact, I usually keep a can of refried pinto beans and a can of refried black beans in there because one can never be too sure when an occasion requiring beans could arise in a Mexican-American household. Am I right?

And while you may be perfectly OK with always eating the same beans out of a can, you have no idea what you're missing out on if you'd just play with your food a little bit!

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Strawberry hibiscus popsicles

15 · Oct 2, 2017 · 2 Comments

Strawberry hibiscus popsicles are a healthy treat with a uniquely Mexican-flavored twist.

This post is in partnership with California Strawberries. The recipe and opinions are my own.

If you love strawberries, but you’re also trying to cut back on added sugar, you’re going to love this recipe for strawberry hibiscus popsicles.
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Mexican chocolate-glazed doughnuts

21 · Sep 29, 2017 · 2 Comments

Try these Mexican chocolate-glazed doughnuts as a decadent treat you can serve to any crowd for breakfast or brunch.

These biscuit doughnuts are incredibly easy to make, and the frosting is something you can whip up in a flash. Just keep a can of flaky biscuit dough in the refrigerator and you'll be set for any breakfast. In fact, these are so easy, you can even make them on a weekday. Any pan dulce-lover will definitely be impressed by the familiar flavors.

How to make Mexican chocolate-glazed doughnuts with biscuit dough, recipe via theothersideofthetortilla.com

I've previously shared a recipe here for hibiscus-glazed doughnuts, and these follow the same method of using Pillsbury flaky biscuit dough for extreme ease. (Seriously, even people who don't consider themselves bakers can do it.)

RELATED RECIPE: How to make orejas

If you've never made biscuit doughnuts, you have no idea what you're missing! My husband was such a huge fan of these that he ended up eating two in one sitting.

For the frosting on these, I chose to garnish with a drizzle of dulce de leche, but feel free to leave it out or come up with another idea to make your doughnuts look pretty. (I like the squeeze bottles of Nestle dulce de leche to get an even drizzle.) You can also garnish with a little bit of chopped or crumbled Mexican chocolate sprinkled on top of the glaze before it's set.

It's OK if the glaze isn't completely smooth; sometimes the powdered Mexican chocolate gets tiny clumps, but that's part of the charm of being imperfect but still incredibly tasty. There are two brands of Mexican chocolate that come powdered: Abuelita and Ibarra. I like them both and think it's a matter of personal preference as to which one you like better. The Ibarra is what I happened to have in my cabinet recently, and I think it's a little more finely ground than the Abuelita.

Ibarra Mexican chocolate made into frosting

Can I reheat biscuit doughnuts?

They're great when they come straight out of the frying pan once the glaze is dried, but they don't taste the same reheated (plus the icing can run when reheated). If you won't make them all at once, separate the dough and refrigerate what you won't eat right away. It's easy to store leftover glaze, and that will taste fine the second day. Just cover with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator, too. Bring to room temperature when you're ready to glaze a fresh batch.

RELATED RECIPE: Churro French toast

Mexican chocolate-glazed doughnuts

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Author: Maura Wall Hernandez
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 10 servings 1x
Category: Breakfast
Method: Frying
Cuisine: Mexican

Print Recipe

Description

Mexican chocolate-glazed doughnuts made with Pillsbury flaky biscuit dough are an easy and decadent treat you can serve to any crowd for breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

Scale

Canola oil (pour enough so it's 1 inch deep in your pot)
1 can of Pillsbury Grands flaky layers original biscuits

For the frosting:

¾ cup Ibarra or Abuelita powdered Mexican chocolate (sold in most Mexican grocery stores and online at Amazon)
¾ cup confectioner’s sugar (aka powdered sugar)
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup whole milk

For garnish:

dulce de leche or roughly chopped Mexican chocolate

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Instructions

Pour about 1 inch deep of canola oil into your pan. Heat over medium to bring the oil to temperature.
Remove the biscuits from the packaging and place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Use a small circular cookie cutter or a small juice glass to cut circles out of the middle of the biscuits. You should have 8 doughnuts and 8 doughnut holes.
When the oil is ready, it should bubble or pop very slightly. You can test its readiness with one of the doughnut holes if you’re not sure. The dough should start frying immediately after touching the oil. Add the doughnuts to the oil 3-4 at a time and fry for a minute or two, until the dough starts to turn golden. Flip them gently with a wooden spoon or tongs. When they’re done frying, remove from the oil and place them on a paper towel-lined dish to drain any remaining oil. Repeat with the remaining doughnuts.
While the doughnuts are cooling off a bit and draining excess oil, add ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar, ¾ cup powdered Mexican chocolate, and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon to a bowl. Mix with a spoon, then add the ¼ cup whole milk (skim and 1% are too thin; don't substitute!). Stir the mixture until it’s a relatively smooth consistency. Some small lumps are OK and the glaze should be thick. (If the glaze is too thick, you can add another tablespoon of whole milk.)
Dip the tops of the doughnuts in the icing, twisting them slightly to ensure they’re coated evenly all the way around the tops. Place them on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet to dry.
Garnish with a drizzle of dulce de leche (as pictured) or roughly chopped Mexican chocolate.