america part 5: mexican

fish and shrimp tacos - one of my must-have foods while in San Diego

Mexican food is far and away what I've missed the most being away from CA. I've eaten Mexican almost every day since I've been here and I can't get enough: carnitas, carne asada, fresh tortillas, mexican rice, refried pinto beans, salsa bars, horchata... ok, I'm going out to lunch right now.

Even better is simply the experience of eating out. I can be anywhere in San Diego and think, "I feel like eating tacos" and within a couple minutes, I'll drive by some Albertos or Robertos or Alibertos (almost always a variation on "bertos") taco shop where I can easily park, plop down $5 and be eating fantastic, fresh tacos in 5 minutes. It makes me so happy.

Zurich has a few mexican restaurants, but
a) it's too expensive - 25sfr for a burrito?
b) they usually use bottled salsa that tastes like tomato sauce - gross. There's just no excuse. Fresh, interesting salsa is the whole point of mexican food and it's so easy to make.
c) it's more "fancy" (duck enchiladas, anyone?) and tex-mex, than good ole california taco shop style.


this is what mexican food should look like: cheap, messy and delish!


this is where mexican food should be eaten - the beach!


gotta love those taco shop prices - $.99 guacamole and $.69 salsa


carne asada torta, an old favorite - grilled flank steak and guac on bread

Zurich speciality food tour

s'mores galore

A couple weeks ago, I led a little "Zurich speciality food tour" for several friends. I worried that my limited knowledge would be exhausted in the first five minutes and everyone would be bored, but we ended up having a great time. I took them to El Maiz (the Mexican market), the Thai grocery a few doors down from El Maiz (I don't know what the name is) and Jemoli Gourmet Factory. To make it relevant, I also provided recipes that required the special ingredients available at these shops, like Pad Thai, Tamales, and Arroz con Pollo. For anyone else in Zurich who might be interested, here's a list of some things available at these shops that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.

dried shrimp and preserved radish for Pad Thai

El Maiz

• fresh chiles like jalapeno, serrano, habanero (not every variety is there all the time, also check the freezer section)
• dried chiles like ancho, pasilla
• tomatillos
• masa harina
• corn husks
• chorizo (frozen) - for Arroz con Pollo
• refrigerated and frozen tortillas (corn & flour)
• premade tamales
• best tortilla chips (Mi Adelita brand, also available at Jelmoli)
• huge array of hot sauces
• vanilla extract
• dulce du leche
• tortilla press (40sfr)
• dried pinto and black beans

Thai market
There are better Asian markets in town, but this one is conveniently close to El Maiz. The staff is really friendly and helpful and even speak a little English. Besides all the regular stuff you might expect to find here, you will find:

• for authentic Pad Thai: thai scallions, tamarind paste, dried shrimp, and preserved radish (Hua chai bpoh)
• A & W root beer
• sweet mangos (totally different from mangos you'll see at Migros or Globus)
• black eyed peas
• canned coconut milk (which has the important top layer of coconut fat unlike the boxed Thai Kitchen coconut milk you'll find elsewhere)

Jelmoli

• US products: bbq sauce, oreos, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, big white marshmallows (most other stores only carry the little, multi-colored versions), canned soup like tomato and cream of mushroom
• Mexican: frozen tortillas, masa harina, corn husks, the good tortilla chips, dried pinto beans, & all the regular canned stuff
• Asian: besides the regular stuff you'll find in most Migros and Coop, you'll find a larger variety of sauces, canned coconut milk, tahini and falafel mix (also available at most natural food stores),
• Asian cooler: thai scallions, thai basil, lemon grass, thai broccoli, okra
• herbs, spices, etc. - Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, turmeric, powdered garlic (not garlic salt), kardamon, ground cumin (most other places only carry whole cumin), celery salt (sometimes). Some are available elsewhere, but I can never remember who carries what. Jemoli usually has all the weird ones
• yellow and white cheddar - for your Mex-American needs
• exotic fresh fruit in season, like litchi, fresh tamarind, star fruit
• big baking soda & baking powder packages for only 2.50sfr
• skinned hazelnuts - very helpful for making Nocciola gelato
• turkeys year-round (turkeys are usually only available at Christmas) with giblets
• lard (aka schweinefett), required for tamale dough (found in refrigerated meat section)
• vegetable shortening (aka planzenfett) - I don't like to use it but there are some special cases
• tapioca starch - I don't know what I'll need it for but I'm sure at some point I'll be looking for it

I'm sure there are other special things I've missed. This is just a start.

"I make you drunk, I make you hot"

this guy works at the store and
is very helpful, in German of course

Or so goes the tagline for Heuberger, a great food store I stumbled upon a couple weeks ago in the Werd quartier, near Bahnhof Selnau. While one side of the shop sells wine, the other sides offers an enormous array of spicy things: chile powders, salsas, speciality spices. But the really fantastic thing is that right now theyare selling chile plants! They carry 19 varieties, including Jalapeño and Serrano, which I purchased yesterday. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll flourish on my little balcony so I don't have to run across town to El Maiz every time I want to make salsa this summer. In combo with my tomato and coriander plants and trusty tortilla press, I'm approaching self-sufficiency for my Mexican cooking needs. Yay!

serrano on the left, jalapeño on the right

Heuberger, Morgartenstr. 12, 8004 Zurich, Te;. 044 281 11 61
Di-Fr 11:00-19:00, Sa 10:00-17:00

mex fest

My father graciously hauled over 6 pounds of tortilla press from the US. After my first batch, I will never buy tortillas again. I was worried that my memories of fresh masa would taint my enjoyment. But thankfully, I was wrong and they were great. I even mastered the time honored technique of laying the tortilla dough on the hot griddle by sweeping my hand backwards over the grill (see video below).

Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen provides wonderfully detailed instructions for this simple task (I love this cookbook). They're so easy - mix 1 cup masa harina with 3/4 cup water, roll dough balls, press and toast on griddle for 15 secs on first side, 30 sec on next side, then another 30 seconds on first side again. Hold cooked tortillas in a kitchen towel or warmer. I learned a couple things:

• cook longer than you think (a full 30 seconds on each side) or the middle tastes uncooked
• the tortillas stay soft in the warmer so don't worry if they seem a little stiff after cooking
• ziploc bags (cut open) are the perfect plastic for pressing - plastic wrap is too flimsy
• non-stick skillet is not necessary. I used my cast iron pan. The tortilla sticks for the first few seconds but then releases (if the pan is the proper temperature)

And what would fresh tortillas be without guac and pico de gallo? Oh, Mexican food, I love you so!