where do I find decent Mexican food around here?

Ahhhh.....I remember my first bowl of nachos......which came as an appeitizer to my first bowl of enchiladas.....sigh


 

i've only been in the UK for two months and this has been my quest since day one.  i had some mediocre nachos at a pub...but i've been looking for some really good enchiladas, refried beans and some rice!!!  i decided to try this mexican food place that was recommended to me.....ALL BAD!!  here's how it went:

1) the chicken in the enchilada was made with corriander and some other indian spices.....never have i seen any indian spices in mexican food in the US.

2) there was zero enchilada sauce....which made the corn tortillas hard and chewy.

3) i don't know what they were trying to do with the rice....but it sure as hell wasn't mexican.

i thought i was a shoe-in for some good mexican food when i pulled up to the place.  it looked like one of the good hole-in-the-walls in the bay area that i'm used to....but no such luck.  i'll never go back again.

i then decided to make some enchiladas at home....and everyone who knows enchiladas knows that the key lies in the sauce.  if you have sh*ty sauce, you mind as well not even bother.  i ventured out and bought some Old El Paso enchilada sauce.....i should have known better.  there aren't even words to describe how much i hated this sauce.  thank god my british DH has never had mexican food before....he loved it!! 

oh, oh,  oh....i almost forgot about the beans i bought.  i was at the store and i saw heinz "mean beanz" in mexican "flavor".  i got them home, opened the can and wouldn't you know it....they were freakin' baked beans with what they considered "mexican" spices.  i DO NOT recommend those either.  i should just freakin' make my own.  i made my own rice...and that was the only thing i ate on my plate.  it was a throughly disappointing night for me......

I can give you a great enchilada sauce if you like.....I made mexican last night and everyone loved IT!

Black Bean refried beans
Spanish rice
beef and cheese enchilada's
guacomole
salsa

I can give you a great enchilada sauce if you like.....I made mexican last night and everyone loved IT!

Black Bean refried beans
Spanish rice
beef and cheese enchilada's
guacomole
salsa

Sounds great!!!

I can give you a great enchilada sauce if you like.....I made mexican last night and everyone loved IT!

Black Bean refried beans
Spanish rice
beef and cheese enchilada's
guacomole
salsa

you can give me the recipe to make my own?  that would be killer!! i've got the rice and guac covered.  as for the salsa...i can only have salsa verde cuz i'm allergic to red tomatoes....but i gave up finding a jar of that in this country before i even got here.  i don't even know what i could find some tomatillos to make my own.....well...and i wouldn't really know how to make my own anyway...but i'm sure it can be difficult.  

yeah....whatever recipe you could pass my way would be great.  or a tip on where you buy your sauce would work as well.  

thanks!!

tomatillos are hard to find here but they are around, you might find it easiest to get them on line, try lupepintos.com

I think most of us have learned to be better Mexican cooks than we would have been back in the US!

you can give me the recipe to make my own?  that would be killer!! i've got the rice and guac covered.  as for the salsa...i can only have salsa verde cuz i'm allergic to red tomatoes....but i gave up finding a jar of that in this country before i even got here.  i don't even know what i could find some tomatillos to make my own.....well...and i wouldn't really know how to make my own anyway...but i'm sure it can be difficult.  

yeah....whatever recipe you could pass my way would be great.  or a tip on where you buy your sauce would work as well.  

thanks!!

Oh well this might not be a good recipe ..cause it takes 4 cans of red plum tomatoes......soo hhmmmm

Oh well this might not be a good recipe ..cause it takes 4 cans of red plum tomatoes......soo hhmmmm

Oh....i forgot to mention it's the acid in the ripe red tomatoes.  I can eat canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup...all the processed stuff basically...because all the acid has either been cooked away or there is only small amounts left and it doesn't effect me....even touching ripe red tomatoes makes me break out in a rash.  Don't ask me why my body does these things.....but i can't eat oranges, lemons, limes, and graprefruits for the same reason.  Do you know how many alcoholic drinks that excludes for me?   

Possible Sword:
I've HEARD that The Grill House restaurant in St Andrews has some decent Mexican. I haven't tried it yet, though, so I can't vouch for it.
http://www.grillhouserestaurant.co.uk/

Otherwise, maybe we can get together to cook a dinner sometime. We're just down the coast. I'm a native Texan so Mexican was a standard part of my diet. We do pseud-mexican (burritos and such) fairly often. Would like to have a good batch of enchiladas sometime. I'd be interested in your recipie too, MeShell.

) the chicken in the enchilada was made with corriander and some other indian spices

Wait a minute, coriander is cilantro and is used quite often in mexican cooking, as is cumin, are they not?

Yes they are some of the ingrediants for my enchilada sauce

I used cumin, chili powder, ceyenne

I will post the recipe later tonight..........

Yes they are some of the ingrediants for my enchilada sauce

I used cumin, chili powder, ceyenne

I will post the recipe later tonight..........

I can't wait, as I've got my mom sending me the little dry packets of enchilada sauce quite frequently!! Are you posting it here, or in the recipe section....I really can't wait to see your recipe!

I just use Discovery fajita spice in my enchilada sauce! works a treat. Fry a little choppedd onion & garlic, add the spices and a can of tomatoes, simmer for about 10 mins til thickened, add a little fresh chopped coriander (cilantro).  Voila!

Yes, but is it lumpy? I like my enchilada sauce smooth. I suppose you could puree it after it's cooked?