Best mexican cooking, food & wine books according to redditors

I cannot recommend Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen highly enough. It's my go to for authentic mexican cooking from all over mexico. It talks you through basic ingredients, base sauces, techniques, and recipes for 450 pages. All of the recipes have been collected by him on his travels around mexico. Probably the best $20 you'll spend if you love to make mexican food.

It was delicious and perfect for Fall, but took forever, and i made a huge mess. I think i will stick with canned pumpkin in the future. ;)

Recipe came from this Mexican cookbook, which is awesome, I recommend it.

Soup recipe.

Spice blend. I love this stuff and make large quantities to keep around the house. There is another recipe in this book for mushrooms and onions in cast iron with this blend. It is so good; my favorite taco filling ever!

Chili paste. I got lazy here and used some chipotle chili puree that I keep in my freezer, with a blend of other chili powders I had on hand. I still added the vinegar for some bite.

Vegetable stock. Also lazy here, I bought this. I only used 8 cups. I had more than enough liquid. Actually, the soup was a little thin even with 2/3 the stock, so I reduced it for a while at the end; it thickened up nicely.

Pepitas recipe. Like I said, I love anything with that spice blend. I made these early and snacked through the rest of my cooking.

Cashew crema recipe.

EDIT: Roasting action shot. And don't worry, I've already been told I used the wrong type of pumpkin, but the results speak for themselves so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Learn from my mistakes, I guess!

Rick Bayless is a Mexican food fanatic and actually spent a lot of time traveling around Mexico and learned how to cook it properly. His cookbook Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico is a great starter book. I would highly recommend it.

> Larousse encyclopedic dictionary of Mexican gastronomy

Ordered!

I think you are starting from the wrong place if you think it will be like Texan chili [con carne]. Mole negro and soft cheeses are the main culinary exports of Oaxaca and they are fantastic. This is one of my two favorite culinary regions in Mexico!

Mole negro
First off, the famous mole negro using the regional pasilla de Oaxaca pepper (aka "chile negro" when dried). There are many recipes for that; find one that has ingredients you can pick up at your local Mexican supermarket or order online. You can cook meat (often chicken) in it or use it to make enchiladas enmoladas. They're soft, cheesy, and the rich, black sauce has a great pepper flavor but also a complex mixture of spices that lend subtle notes to the flavor like a fine wine. Every abuelita in Oaxaca has her own special variation on the recipe.

Traditional meal: nopales + meat + oaxaqueño cheese + guajillo sauce
Another personal favorite coming straight out of restaurants in Oaxaca is often called the Conquista Plate. As you can see, a thin steak over grilled cactus, Oaxaca cheese and chile guajillo sauce. The cactus is nopales; learn to love it's mild flavor, as it's in tons of authentic Mexican dishes. Guajillos are a fairly mild chili with a distinct, tart taste. They're also used all over Mexico so you should be able to find them pretty easily. Oaxaca is famous for cheese, so you can also easily find that in most Mexican markets.

Recipe for the sauce (use only guajillos and ancho). You can find your own instructions on grilling nopales and the steak or whatever meat you want to go with it. That red sauce can basically go on anything.

Chile verde: more like a SW "chili"
Although it's not from further south than Chihuahua and Sonora and has become a staple in New Mexican cuisine, chile verde is probably going to be the best marriage of rich Mexican sauces and a more traditional southwestern US "chili" where chunks of tough meat are stewed or braised in the sauce until tender. I've tested and approve of this recipe as a basic starting point. However, in The Food Lab, Kenji goes into detail about why it's better to let this dish braise in the oven. Here is his final recipe, which is amazing and pretty simple once you get through it a couple times (and usually provides leftovers for days). I do believe he is a bit misinformed (in the book, in particular) about how unique Hatch chilies are; the exact same chilies are widely available as "Anaheim peppers" in addition to other sub-cultivars of the classic "No.9 chile". But I digress.

More about chile verde and SW food
I collected about a dozen cookbooks when living in NM trying to find more chile verde recipes to try. Two more recent ones I highly recommend are New Mexico Cuisine: Recipes from the Land of Enchantment and Red or Green: New Mexico Cuisine. For authentic Oaxaqueño recipes, I have only read Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy but it's very good and sub-divides the region to give you a sampling of coastal seafood, cheese from the mountains, and about a thousand mole recipes!

Finally, I want to say I agree with your friend: Tex-Mex is a mistake and traditional Mexican food is where the good eats are at!

As a proud Texan I was raised on these kinds of TexMex staples, and veganizing them has been a true challenge. I will certainly give this a shot! Also, I found a recipe in “Vegan Mexico” by Jason Wyrick that’s been pretty killer. (https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Mexico-Soul-Satisfying-Regional-Tostadas/dp/1941252214)
I’ve NEVER been able to cook any sort of rice properly, though. That’s another tough nut to crack for me...

My favorite tacos are carne asada and carnitas. Here are some very detailed articles on them:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/09/food-lab-carne-asada-best.html

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/07/the-food-lab-how-to-make-crisp-and-juicy-carnitas-without-a-bucket-of-lard.html

I'd also highly recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Mexico-Recipes-Streets-Markets/dp/1909487279

It's not tacos, but one of my favorite recipes from there that I've tried so far can be found here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/enchiladas-verdes-green-chicken-enchiladas-56389864

Edit:
A few other ideas:

• Make your own salsa verde: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/01/charred-salsa-verde-tomatillo-salsa.html
  
  
• Or, if you prefer tomato salsa: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/05/roasted-tomato-salsa.html
  
  
• Make fresh corn tortillas: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-corn-tortillas-from-scratch-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-85904

I agree that "How To Cook Everything" is a good reference guide for complete beginners and those with gaps in cooking knowledge.

It might be a bit over your head at this point, but if you truly want to understand cooking and what's happening when you do it try "On Food And Cooking" by Harold McGee.

For Asian you might like...

"Every Grain Of Rice" by Fuchsia Dunlop (or any of her books)

"Japanese Soul Cooking" by Tadashi Ono

"Ivan Ramen..." by Ivan Orkin (Good for ramen and other japanese-ish food.)

"Momofuku" by David Chang (Really good mix of general Asian flavors)

Other books that might interest you:

"Irish Pantry" by Noel McMeel

"The Lee Bros. Simple Fresh Southern" - Matt Lee and Ted Lee

"Real Cajun" by Donald Link

"Authentic Mexican" by Rick Bayless

"Fabio's Italian Kitchen" by Fabio Viviani

For Vegetarian try anything by Alice Waters or David Tanis.

A few from different regions:

Yucatán: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition for Yucatecan / Mayan food. It is the best one for this, period.

Sicilian Food

The Nordic Cookbook for Scandinavian food.

Cuisine of Hungary.

Churrasco: Grilling the Brazilian Way

Acabo de conocer este libro y se ve bueno:

Cocina esencial de México - Diana Kennedy

I'm not the person you're responding to, but I can provide some input. :)

This is an excellent (and authentic) tamale tutorial. Be sure to read both parts:
https://www.homesicktexan.com/2006/11/lets-make-tamales-part-1.html

If you want to get into making your own masa, then check out this cookbook which really does break down Mexican cooking into it's very basics. My cooking group has been cooking from it this month and it's all been amazing food:
https://www.amazon.com/Nopalito-Mexican-Kitchen-Gonzalo-Guzmán-ebook/dp/B01ILZPRK8/

Making vanilla extract is as simple as buying good quality vanilla beans and steeping them in some kind of alcohol for a while. I make several different varieties, but vodka is the main one since the alcohol is pretty much flavorless and so you get a pure vanilla. I also make a version with bourbon which I use a lot with chocolate recipes. So take your vanilla beans and split them lengthwise (exposes more of the inside to the liquid) and then put them in a bottle or a jar. Fill with the alcohol of your choice. Put in a cool dark place and let steep for at least 6 weeks (but the longer it sits, the better it gets).

What'd she cook for the dinner? Fajitas? Maybe with three months of prep time she could handle it (snark). Does she have a birthday coming up? Maybe you could get her this? https://www.amazon.com/Easy-Fajita-Cookbook-Delicious-Authentic/dp/1537688499

Sorry if that's laying it on too thick, but I went back to read your fajitas post and man, do you have a handful of a MIL. I'm imagining her looking like a Miss Frizzle with some bar miles.

Voor degene geïnteresseerd in Mexicaans vegetarisch/vegan eten, ik hoor altijd goede verhalen over het Mexicaanse kookboek "Salud!". Bevat 150 vegan Mexicaanse recepten. 4.4/5 sterren met 135 reviews op de Amerikaans Amazon en bij Bol.com ook te verkrijgen voor iets van 15 euro. Enige nadeel is dat het volgensmij (heb het boek zelf ook nog niet, staat op m'n lijstje) geen foto's bevat. Dat maakt het boek wel echt weer een stuk goedkoper dan de meeste kookboeken.

Yucatán by David Sterling is really great! It has lots of old Maya recipes as well as modern Yucatec food! And it's a beautiful book. link

I'm not familiar with the store but since Latin American, let alone Hispanic, cooking is so incredibly diverse I'm simply going to assume you are going to start with Mexican cuisine. "Hispanic" spans 20~ different countries with climates that range from the pampas to the sub-tropics, plus Spain.

The different cuisines of Mexico are divided by region and influenced by history -- what you find in coastal Veracruz is not what you get Oaxaca. This is a really old, basic, but comprehensive thread that covers a lot of the cuisine from the perspective of a native and might help along with simply reading the wiki page on Mexican cuisine which has terms in Spanish and English. Just don't pay attention to any of the peanut gallery comments or nonsense from Americans about burritos.

This book is a classic, and covers a pretty wide range of dishes and regions.

I'm personally very fond of Oaxacan cuisine and my favorite cookbook for it is this one by Zarela Martinez, which you might be able to find at your local library. Her book on Veracruz is good too.

I grew up with many Mexican friends, and they (and their abuelas) were always my best resources for learning to how to cook. If you have friends, ask them, the worst they can do is say no.

If you don't mean Mexican food, I can also give you some direction about Argentinean cuisine which is more directly influenced by German, French, and Italian cooking as well as Spanish, since that's what I grew up with at home.

profit motivated enough to ruin the enjoyment in watching a cooking competition. profit motivated enough to make competitor's efforts, creativity, and talent mean nothing. the funny thing is, they're so up their own asses and don't realize they would sell more books from genuinely awesome chefs who the people liked watching (for this season derrick, stephen).

case in point from season 4 : https://www.amazon.com/My-Italian-Kitchen-Favorite-MasterChef/dp/1617691038

to now: https://www.amazon.com/Claudias-Cocina-Mexico-Winner-MasterChef/dp/1617691895

/u/tragopanic is awesome because she makes this sub what it is supposed to be. She is fun and very generous. I wish I could be just like her.


She needs this from her kitchen list so she can make delicious things!

Tyara, I'm not used to the username yet.

This is a interesting cookbook.

https://www.amazon.com/California-Rancho-Cooking-Mexican-Californian/dp/1570613842

Go buy this book - http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Baylesss-Mexican-Kitchen-World-Class/dp/0684800063/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313691721&sr=8-1 It'll keep you busy w/ those things for a while. I've done the chipotle salsa out of it, amazing base for lots of stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/Yucat%C3%A1n-Recipes-Culinary-Expedition-William/dp/0292735812/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1499695656&sr=1-2&keywords=yucatan
Yucatan by David Sterling. RIP

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.com

amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

http://www.amazon.com/Mexico-Beautiful-Cookbook-Susanna-Palazuelos/dp/000215949X

This is an amazing cookbook. Check your library, online is expensive.

What about Aaron Sanchez? There's also Gonzalo Guzman.

​

​

I've been happy with Diana Kennedy's books, e.g., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/290797.The_Essential_Cuisines_of_Mexico

No personal experience with these books but they look interesting:

https://www.amazon.com/%C2%A1Salud-Vegan-Mexican-Cookbook-Mouthwatering/dp/1623157781

https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Tacos-Authentic-Inspired-Favorite-ebook/dp/B00JKNMFP6

Instead of some of the generalist books already featured here, let me recommend you two books which are more narrowly focused:

• Oaxaca al Gusto: An Infinite Gastronomy by Dianna Kennedy
  
  
• Yucatan: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition by David Sterling
  
  If you are at all interested in learning about Oaxacan or Yucatan food, you can not go wrong with either one of these books.

Chicken skewers and corn?

My recipe is shamelessly cribbed from here. Everyone loves my fish tacos.

(If I use the right kind of fish, I can even get my wife to eat one...or two).

Some avocados, some minced garlic (I often like to roast it first to mellow it out a bit), lime juice (usually just one), salt to taste, cilantro (if everyone eating it is a fan), and occasionally some chopped onions and tomatoes, but I'll usually leave them out.

But yeah, traditionally I think it's really just avocado, garlic, salt, lime juice, and cilantro (coriander in NZ?).

And also, I didn't mean to say anything bad about your guac, I'm sure it's tasty - I merely just wanted to point out that it's not authentic. :)

edit: also, if you really are interested in pretty authentic Mexican food, Rick Bayless has a couple of really good cook books. I have both of these and they are great. The Mexican Everyday book is especially awesome for tasty, quick, weekday-friendly options. Although I don't know how easy/hard it might be to obtain some of the weirder ingredients in NZ...