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Rofl!! A puffy taco is a taco that is "puffed". What makes it puffed is the fact that baking soda is added to the harina mix,so when you fry the harina dough in oil, it will puff up and swell.

Hi there: I recently moved from CA to Tokyo, and have been going on serious fish taco withdrawal. My favorites are the ones with the batter fried fish, creamy spicy sauce and cabbage. So, this week I am going to take my first attempt at making baja fish tacos myself, and was wondering if you experts can give me some advice? I thought the recipe below (found via the wonderful internet) sounded interesting. Does anyone know why the recipe suggests that the batter needs to rest for 3 hours? Other recipes I've seen say to use the batter up quickly. This point is important to me because I will be making a large batch of them for all my friends, and any work I can do ahead of time will be really helpful. If you guys think this isn't a good recipe, or have other suggestions, please let me know. Oh, I will be making corn tortillas also as my kind friends brought me a bag of masa, so if you have tips for that, please let me know too.. -thanks ***************************************** This recipe will make about six largish tacos. * 3/4 cup flour * 1/2 tsp baking powder * 1/2 tsp crushed oregano * 1/2 tsp garlic powder * 1/2 tsp chili powder * 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper * salt & pepper as you like * 1 egg yolk * 4-6 oz beer * oil for frying * 1/2 cup mayonnaise * 1 tbsp chopped cilantro * 1/2 lime * 1 ripe avocado * 2 cups shredded cabbage * 1 lb shark filet * steamed tortillas * Lime for squeezing 1. First get all the batter ingredients together. In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, spices, beer, and egg yolk. If the mixture is too think, feel free to add a bit more beer, but don't let it get watery. It should be plenty thick to coat the fish. 2. Now cover the batter and let it sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours. You can even let it sit overnight or through the work day. As a variation you can whip an egg white into a thick froth and fold that in just before you dip the fish. This will make a deeper, lighter batter. But I actually prefer it without, which happens to be less work. But whatever you like. 3. Okay. When you're ready to start cooking the fish, heat the oil (I use peanut oil) to 375 or so. Mix the mayo, cilantro, and enough lime juice to make it "saucy." Slice the avocado. Slice the cabbage paper thin. And cut the shark into portions that will fit well in a taco after you fry them. 4. Once the oil is hot, dip the shark in the batter and get it well coated. Cook one slice at a time. Drop a slice into the oil while the batter is still dripping off and fry it for about 4-5 minutes, turning half way through. While the fish is cooking, go ahead and steam the tortillas. 5. And you're done! Grab a steamed tortilla, add a piece of fish, a couple slices of avocado, sprinkle on some cabbage, add sauce to taste, and just before you eat it, squeeze on some lime juice. Rinse. Repeat.

Hi, I am a newbie both to this board and to the world of mexican cooking. I love tamales but the place where I live distinctly lacks good mexican restaurants. The best tamales I've tasted were made by my mexican friends mom at home and served fresh and they tasted like something that'd be served only in heaven. Am dying to try making them myself but I don't have the slightest idea how to get started. Can someone give me a tried and tested recipe using ingredients that I'm likely to be able to buy in the US? I'd be really really really grateful. Oh and I'm a vegetarian although I do eat eggs from time to time. So I need a vegetarian recipe too . Really looking forward to some help!!! Thanks a million, worm@work

Hi- Can you recommend any of the following Mexican restaurants? Jose's in New Providence Casa Maya in Meyersville Tortuga's Mexican Village in Princeton On the Border in Princeton Thanks.

Hello all, Going to Seattle in two weeks and will need to stock up on a few ingredients. Since we won't have a car and will be staying in Belltown/Pike Place area, can anyone recommend places to buy fresh tortillas and cheeses close by? Any good latino markets, even a little ways out of town that I need to visit? Muchas gracias! Shelora

I am planning a trip to the city soon to stock up on some ingredients I need to make Mexican food. I miss being able to easily find Mexican ingredients in most groceries, as is the case in CA, so I have to go on a hunt. I'm especially interested in finding masa (including masa harina for tortillas), chiles both dried and fresh, crema and cheese, and some herbs and produce. I'd also like to catch a bite to eat while I'm there. Could anyone suggest some good markets for such things? I'm open to places in both Jackson Heights and in Manhattan, although I suspect things would be less expensive and fresher in JH because of the demand there. Thanks in advance!

Just purchased some verdolagas (otherwise known as Purslane) at the Farmers Market this morning. D.K. in her book, The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, has a simple stew recipe for pork and purslane, which I will make tomorrow. Have not found any other references for it in other cookbooks and I don't seem to recall eating it Mexico. Can anyone out there speak about verdolagas and its uses in Mexico? Esperanza? Theobroma?

Last night, I had Enchilada con mole at a local neighborhood Mexican restaurant. This was the first time I've ever tasted mole sauce, so I had no idea what to expect. The color was a dark brown, and my first impressions were that it was bitter, smoky and sweet. The flavor was strong, perhaps overly so. Curiously enough, the sauce was not spicy at all, and only slightly salty. However, the bitterness pretty much dominated the dish as I was not able to taste the ground beef filling of the enchilada. My question is... how should a good mole sauce be? Is it unusual to have such a strong tasting sauce for enchilada? I'm curious because I am not sure if I just had a poor rendition of the sauce or, that was just the way it's supposed to be. Appreciate any insights you guys could give.

Hola! Just devoured another favourite summertime treat that we first encountered on the streets in Oaxaca. Corn tortillas on the comal with torn pieces of squash blossoms and fresh epazote. A bit of cheese (I used Monterey Jack as I can't get quesillo where I live) and sea salt. Presto, change-o, I am instantly transported to Oaxaca. After four years, we know have serious leaves of epazote growing in our garden. For squash blossoms, we phone a local farmer to major amounts and a local tortilla maker supplies us with tortillas. In Oaxaca, you are asked if you want a bit of asiento - that yummy pork fat and bits - don't have that going on. Yet. Truly an exquisite snack. Anyone else have some seasonal favourites they would like to share? Shelora

Hey All, I'm currently doing my pediatrics rotation at Mary Bridge Hospital in Tacoma and they've provided me with an apartment in the area. I'm wondering if any of you have a list of Tacoma Faves for me to try while I'm livin' down South. Thanks!

Has anyone tried the new Mexican restaurant in Alexandria, Tacuba? It's in the Bradlee Shopping Center in the space formerly occupied by another fairly lame Mexican take out (maybe called Desert Moon??) right by the Chicken Out. I believe it was mentioned in Tom's weekly chat on Wednesday. Its website claims "authentic" interior mexican cuisine and the menu looks somewhat promising. I'm going to try and swing by sometime this weekend but would love to know if anyone else has tried it yet.

Hi All: I'm off to Vegas in a few weeks and would love to find out if there are any good Mexican restaurants on the Strip. Ideally we're looking for a place that is within a short walking distance from Caesar's.

Esperanza and I constantly return to the realm of private dining in Mexico. as it's hard for visitors to find their way in to private houses, I thought an example might help. A couple of weeks ago, Ricardo Muñoz, one of Mexico's leading chefs and food authorities, brought a culinary tour to Guanajuato. He asked if I could arrange a traditional family meal in a home. This is what we were able to come up with, thanks to my neighbor LuzMaria Gonzalez de Cárdenas. She's the leading caterer in town but on occasion also uses her house as a restaurant. We asked her to leave to one side the "muy elegante" meals she prepares for catered events. What we wanted was a tasting menu of traditional regional family dishes. This is what she prepared. (Of course families would have only one dish in each course). I won't editorialise right now except to say that I was thrilled by the group's reaction. Rachel Sopas Sopa de acelgas con papas (Chard and potato soup) Capon (soup of xoconostle with chicharron) Sopa seca de fideo con frijol negro y queso fresco (thin noodles with black beans and fresh cheese) Entradas Chile ancho relleno de frijol y chorizo bañado con jocoque de la sierra (Dried red chile stuffed with beans and chorizo and served with buttermilk from the sierra) Tortitas capeadas de coliflor en salsa de jitomate (Cauliflower fritters with tomato sauce) Penca de nopal rellana de nopalitas y flor de jamaica (Penque of nopal filled with sliced nopales, cheese and flowers of Jamaica) Platos Fuertes Carne de cerdo en salsa especial de mi abuela (Pork in my grandmother’s special sauce-hot) Las pacholas (thin patties of spiced beef served with a green salad) El mole de mi abuela con arroz y pollo (My grandmother’s mole served with rice and chicken) Postres Ate de membrillo con queso (quince paste with fresh cheese) Gelatina de cajeta Nieve de coco con xoconostle (coconut water ice with xoconostle)

A friend from Nicaragua brought me some chicken (what she called) nacatamales recently. Anyone have a recipe? How are they different from tamales? She wrapped them in foil and boiled them, I think. lkm

Just wanted to see if I could find out about how people use their pozole. I have been using Goya white hominy for our pozole soup for a while, but decided to try to use reconstituted dried pozole. It looked like an utterly different thing. Then I went to Racho Gordo and their pozole looks like yet another utterly different thing. So... anyone smarter than me care to share? Thanks! Edited to add: Specifically, if people can talk about how they reconstitute dried pozole, and how it compares to the canned stuff, I'd appreciate it.

When we lived in Mexico City we could drive to Toluca, 40kms to the west and buy bright green sausage at just about every market stall and from homes along the way. When I say green I mean emerald. About the size of BBQ sausage here in houston and fresh not smoked or dried. I've made Diane Kennedy's green sausage and it's nothing like what I'm looking for. Anybody got a source in Texas?

I love tinga pablano. I had a really good recipe two hard drives ago. I have been craving it for weeks and I would like to make it for some friends this weekend. Anyone have any recipes they can share?

It had been a while, so yesterday I dropped in on my local Chipotle for some tacos with their (in my humble opinion) oh so delicious barbacoa. Given that I received a crock pot over Christmas, I thought I'd try to replicate their recipe. What cut of beef should I use? What is our collective best guess at the other ingredients? Shamelessly, Al

I was hoping that someone here could assist me with deciphiring an ingredient. I was attending a birthday party for the daughter of a dear mexican friend and we were discussing food (imagine that) and she said that the salsa had tomillos(not tomatillos) in it. I don't know what tomillos are, even tho she swears i use them at the restaurant all the time! "Cositas verdes" she said. little green things. She said they are not a spice. Something like that just drives me NUTS Anyway, any help would be appreciated. Barry

Decent Mexican food does not exist in France. Passing through Toronto and wondering where I can go for dinner to taste some really lovely Mexican food. Thanks

Is there anyone packaging chiles in the toothpaste-type tubes that e.g. tomato paste is sold in? I haven't seen such a thing in person or on any of the online Mexican grocers. If it doesn't exist, what do you think of the idea? Seems to me that it would be pretty cool. Dried chiles could be toasted, re-hydrated, ground, packaged. I, for one, would probably keep on hand at least a few varieties. michael

In the denver/boulder meeting thread, conversation is veering towards Mexican food (right now, in East Boulder County). I think it deserves a thread of its own. If you do want to try La Familia, call first (303-665-8592). They keep some strange hours. Oh yeah, definitely. I've never been able to figure out the schedule. And the matrons that run the joint have never cracked a smile, even for my friends that have been regulars for a decade. But the rellenos are worth it. Some folks speak very highly of the chili verde too, but I prefer Efrain's. Mexican food is a staple in Colorado (and no, it is not the same as Tex-Mex, or Cali-Mex, or Mex-Mex, or New Mexican). What are your favorite places, from the gritty, grungy to the sublime? Not only the places you recommend when somebody asks for great Mexican, but the places you go for your everyday, convenient fix. To add to the commentary of what's in Lafayette, Casa Alvarez has expanded from Boulder and now has a branch on Public Rd. a couple of blocks south of La Familia, Santiago's, and Efrains. The deli counter at the Albertson's supermarket in Lafayette stocks fresh Mexican style cheeses made locally at a dairy in Brush Colorado (the name of the dairy escapes me at the moment) and carries products such as crema fresca. I ventured out to Erie the other day. (The main street is actually paved now.) I've been hearing good things about Casa de Mina. I went at lunch time, and the menu was fairly standard fare, so I finally settled for a burrito with carnitas, smothered. It was delicious, and huge, a bit more refined than a standard burrito; smothered with good hot chile, but not so out of the ordinary as to be worth a special trip ($6.95). I looked at the dinner menu, though, and the choices looked far more interesting, including a few different moles, fish, beef, chicken dishes beyond the standard burritos, enchiladas etc. It was more expensive than the standard Mexican as well, with prices for most choices ranging between about $10 and $18. The burrito I had at lunch was good enough that I do want to try dinner, to see if it might actually be worth the trek.

http://www.rumshop.net/newsletters/may2004.pdf (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader) The May issue of GOT RUM? Magazine put out by Luis Ayala has a lot of cool information and recipes for mexican rum drinks, food and drink recipes with Piloncillo (a type of unrefined brick sugar that is common in Mexico), as well as some interesting history of the spirit in that country.

I just saw Bobby Flay (i know, i know) making fish tacos and using "crema mexicana" as a topping. Apparently it's sort of like creme fraiche or sour cream. I read a description online that said it was the consistency of Devonshire cream. Does anyone know what the (albeit subtle) differences are between crema mexicana and these other old standards? Where does one buy it?

Does anyone have a good recipe for a Mexican Martini? I know they are similar to margaritas, but I'm not sure exactly what makes them different; does anyone have a recipe? They're so good; I'd love to know how to make them at home.