Notes about Recipes in this book

• Mexican red rice (Arroz rojo)

  • anu_luke20 on March 19, 2026

    Recipe was straightforward. The finished rice had odd onion- garlic aftertaste. Next time, will skip adding onion and garlic after sauteeing rice, but will keep in the tomato 'salsa'. Also added some fresh squeezed lime juice. Will definitely make again.

• Stovetop beans (Frijoles de la olla)

  • anu_luke20 on May 19, 2026

    Easy to make and very flavorful. Added kombu while cooking beans as well as a tablespoon of tamari. Also reduced cloves to 3. Need to adjust salt and acid to taste. Definitely a keeper recipe!

• Roasted salsa (Salsa asada)

  • AmomentOfMusic on February 05, 2026

    Very good basic salsa recipe - definitely better than what you can buy in a jar without too much extra work. I do think that I probably didn't have a hot enough pan: it took more than 5 minutes to get somewhat blackened tomatoes. But maybe I just had extra large tomatoes!

• Guacasalsa

  • anu_luke20 on May 19, 2026

    Easy and straightforward to make. Delicious!

• Portobello mushroom and roasted soy tacos (Hongos portobello y soya asada tacos)

  • anu_luke20 on May 19, 2026

    Each component was delicious. Did not add canned adobo. Tacos made with corn tortillas and were very tasty.

• Gringa al pastor tacos

  • AmomentOfMusic on March 04, 2026

    I served this as a grilled burritos rather than quesadillas, and the results were delicious. I do wish I had used fresh rather than canned pineapple - I think the pineapple flavor was not quite as pronounced as I would have liked.

• Oyster mushroom "chicharrón" tacos in green salsa (Tacos de "chicharrón" de setas en salsa verde)

  • AmomentOfMusic on December 17, 2025

    This was definitely a success, though we admittedly cheated and used a canned green salsa to make this meal weeknight friendly. Still, the fried mushrooms were a nice change from our usual bean tacos. Would definitely make again.

• Tacos de "carnitas"

  • AmomentOfMusic on April 19, 2026

    We enjoyed this - it's a fairly simple seasoning, reminiscent of pulled chicken or pork. Our version did not turn as dark as the picture, despite following the timings fairly closely. I think I could have been more aggressive with the heat when cooking the mushroom and jackfruit separately. Without the extra caramelization I think they benefited from a bit of hot sauce to up the flavour. Will report back if I make them again!

• Black mole with roasted oyster mushrooms (Mole negro con setas asadas)

  • AmomentOfMusic on January 07, 2026

    I made the mole sauce to go with the plantain enmolada recipe. This was a bit of work but can't argue with the results. Definitely recommend you read all of the instructions ahead of time and prep all of the ingredients. Once you start cooking, things move quickly.

• Plantain enmoladas (Enmoladas de platano macho)

  • AmomentOfMusic on January 07, 2026

    I was overall happy with the recipe: the plantains provided a nice simple filling to contrast with the mole. I was afraid the whole meal would read too much like a sweet crepe but the balance was just right. Unfortunately however, my execution left something to be desired, lol. So some advice to newbies to Mexican cooking such as myself: first, make sure you are using ripe plantain. Mine was still a touch green, and while not inedible, it was difficult to mash, even boiling for longer. Second, take the time to look up videos of people dipping tortillas into the sauce. My technique was completely wrong, using a deep pot instead of a shallow frying pan. The result was sad ripped tortillas. I ended up just spooning the sauce over as a last resort. So don't be like me and visit Soto's Instagram beforehand for an illustration of the proper method. I do think the mistakes were mostly mine, though some pictures of the process would have been helpful.

• Cucumber margarita (Margarita de pepino)

  • AmomentOfMusic on February 05, 2026

    This was a great refreshing drink - I really felt that the cucumber helped elevate it from a more run of the mill margarita. It made more cucumber juice than we needed, but I'll let that pass considering the variable sizes!