Mexican Arroz con Pollo

In my twenties, I started really experimenting with what I ate at Mexican restaurants. My go to dishes of the chile relleno-enchilada-tamale combination, chile verde, chorizo & eggs, chile Colorado, taquitos, nachos, fajitas and carnitas had become old. I discovered Mexican arroz con pollo (rice with chicken), most of the versions I have had included mushrooms. It became a regular dish. It typically is chicken, rice, onion, tomatoes, peppers (spicy and mild), and mushrooms. There is a sauce that is somewhat between a ranchero sauce and an enchilada sauce.

I call this Mexican Arroz con Pollo, because almost every Latino/ Hispanic culture has a version of this dish. It is a descendant of the Spanish Paella. Unlike Paella, Arroz con Pollo and its related dish Arroz con Camerones (rice with prawns/shrimp) only have one protein. Paella has multiple varieties of seafood, chicken, chorizo (the Spanish variety) and sometimes ham. The main difference in the Mexican variety versus others is the use of the spicier varieties of chiles or peppers. 

Arroz con Pollo Mexicano

On June 19, 2016, I finally made this from scratch. I had a few substitutions. I used chipotle powder instead of cayenne and at a slightly less amount. I had some left over piquillo peppers that I used instead of red bell peppers. Piquillos are typically pickled and are sweet. I also did not have nor could afford the saffron it called for, so used my annatto oil. Annatto oil is a typical substitute for saffron found in Latin American cooking. I also added some fresh chopped jalapeños. I topped it off with Mexican blend cheese.

I did cook it a little too long, but other than that is was great. Like the Pollo con Crema, I am going to try to make this at home rather than order this at a restaurant again. It had a bit of a kick in the finish. If I wanted less kick I would use Ortega mild green chiles or Anaheim chiles and a milder chile powder, like ancho or a mild guajillo. With my job cooking as an in home caregiver, I am learning how to tone down dishes for people unable to eat spicier foods. Overall this was a great experience.

Arroz Con Pollo

Mexican Arroz con Pollo: Chicken and Rice

Pad Thai with Shredded Green Papaya

I have had Pad Thai in many ways, from restaurants, grocery delis, microwavable dinners, and box dinners. It is a national dish of Thailand and traditionally made with rice noodles. It was promoted by Thai Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram in the 30’s and 40’s. It was part of a campaign to get the Thai people to stop eating Chinese wheat noodles and start eating rice noodles, since Thailand was a major producer of rice. There is evidence that the dish is possibly of Chinese origin. No matter what the origin it has become a national dish and is synonymous with Thai street food.

I personally prefer rice noodles to wheat due to my intolerance of wheat. I also have been trying to eat fewer carbohydrates. My mom brought the idea of using green papaya after we bought one. I thought we were going to go obvious with Thai green papaya salad. Mom wanted Pad Thai. We picked up a device that does noodle like shreds.

Pad Thai with Shredded Green Papaya

I made it with mom on June 14, 2016. We ended up blending two recipes. The main reason for that was several ingredients on the main recipe were missing the exact amounts and we did not want to guess. The reason we did not want to guess was that one of the ingredients was Thai chili powder. Guessing the amounts of that could be disastrous. We took a recipe calling for rice noodles and substituted green papaya shreds. The ingredients were tamarind water, fish sauce, palm sugar, green papaya, canola oil, pork, sweet pickled radish, Thai ground chili powder, eggs, bean sprouts, garlic chives, and garnished with lime juice and peanuts. On the second and third days of the dish we added shrimp. We added shrimp again on the third day, because mom thought there was not enough shrimp. The dish also called for dried shrimp, but we did not have that particular item.

Since having this, I now prefer the green papaya version to the rice noodle version. I love rice, but low carbohydrate versions are better overall. Both versions are good for those on a gluten-free diet. There is something one should be careful with if going gluten free. Not all Thai fish sauces are gluten free. If you are making this gluten free, you need to find a gluten free brand. I have noticed that the traditional version of Thai dishes tend to be more sour than the versions found in restaurants in the U.S. I like the increased sourness in this version of Pad Thai it works very well. It  is a bit more sour due to the green papaya. Mom and I loved this. Will I make it again? Dang Skippy, I will.

Green Papaya Pad Thai

Pork in Guajillo Sauce with Avocados

I had a pork roast and no idea what to make. Usually I wing it with roasts, this time I hit my cookbooks. I found this recipe, Pork in Guajillo Sauce with Avocados (Cerdo en Salsa Chile Guajillo con Aguacate in Spanish) in 1,000 Mexican Recipes by Marge Poore. According to the recipe, it is made traditionally with avocado leaves that give it an anise flavor. The recipe calls for anise instead due to the fact it is harder to find avocado leaves than anise at the store. The dish also calls for potatoes that are roasted.

My love of guajillo chiles started with the turkey breast marinated in guajillo chiles roasted in banana leaves from the Winter Holiday meal of 2015. I had heard about them from Aaron Sanchez’s Taco Trip on Cooking Channel. Guajillos were an ingredient in many dishes on the show. I even remade my pipián sauce with guajillos instead of anchos in the second batch. I left the seeds and veins in; it gave it a bit of heat. I bought some guajillo powder, but unfortunately it was a mild version.

Cerdo en Salsa Chile Guajillo con Aguacate 

On June 8, 2016, I made the dish. The ingredients were guajillo chiles, onions, garlic, olive oil, cumin, anise, salt, oregano, chicken broth, pork, red potatoes, and avocados. The recipe wanted this roasted in the oven; I however cooked this in the sauce in a slow cooker. The roast and sauce cooked for 6-8 hours. I roasted the potatoes in the oven as the recipe directed. The avocado was sliced and served on the side. I simmered the sauce and thickened it with masa flour.

The dish was wonderful; the avocado cut the fat and heat from the pork and sauce. The potatoes and sauce together were hearty. This is a meat and potatoes dish that is not your Standard American meat and potatoes. I added this to my menu rotation. I have made this a few times at work, and it is a hit.