Cooking School In Mexico

We were so fortunate to return to Mexico, a country we love visiting so much. We were in Mexico on a monthlong trip in 2020 when the pandemic started. We’ve been looking forward to going back, but know we needed to be very cautious in our planning.

After a long year, and an especially long winter then cool spring in Texas, we were anxious to find a warm beach. We decided to return to the Caribbean side of Mexico, where we are more familiar, for our first adventure. More to come on our trip and the safety precautions we took later.

Our goal in starting this blog, is, to share our two passions, cooking and traveling; together! While on this trip we were fortunate to find a cooking school where we spent a terrific afternoon learning and eating from long time chef, Sandra de la Mora at Cooking School el Publito Mayakoba.

The kitchen was spotless and very well equipped. They know what they are doing. We got to choose our menu for the afternoon’s class. We selected Chicken Enchiladas in a Tomatillo Sauce and a traditional Chili Relleno. Everything was prepped and ready for us when we arrived.

The class holds up to 17 people but since we are still in a pandemic, they are only doing groups traveling together. We lucked out, as it was just us. Besides our chef, Sandra, there were two helpers, so we didn’t even have to do a dish. Wish we had that at home.

The first thing we made was guacamole. We’ve all made it, I know, but we were taught some new techniques. First, we mashed fresh garlic in a molcajete, then we added 2 avocados that had been cut into chunks. Once those were mashed to our liking, we added tomatoes, onion, cilantro and jalapeno. Then a whole small lime was juiced over the top. Finally, we added salt and pepper to taste. Super easy! And, it was so delicious. We munched chips with this guac during the rest of the class.

We also were offered beverages when we arrived, so we chose a homemade margarita. That’s the way to cook!

Can you tell I’m in my happy place? We then moved on to chopping onions and tomatoes to begin the red sauce for the rellenos.

Sandra de la Mora, Chef at Cooking School el Pueblito Mayakoba

Sandra is from Mexico City and has owned businesses there. She moved to Mayakoba in February 2020 to run the cooking school. We loved her hands on explanations while we were cooking. She shared traditional recipes of Mexico, including the red sauce which is handed down from her grandmother.

After some chopping, we moved on to make the tomatillo sauce. First we roasted the tomatillos, onion and one jalapeno in a frying pan. Once roasted, we placed them in a pot of water and cooked for about 10 minutes. We were cautioned to not “break” the tomatillos or we would lose the beautiful juices. After the tomatillo water turned a slight green we removed tomatillos and onion with a slotted spoon and placed in a blender. We then cut the jalapeno in half stemed and seeded it. We added that to the blender as well.

All was blended together and poured into a saucepan to cook.

Next, it was time to roll the chicken (that had been pre-cooked) into the tortillas. Sandra shared that they get their tortillas from a local business. She then shared the technique for “softening” the tortillas, which is slightly different than ours. First, add a tablespoon of corn oil into a pan. Once hot, place a tortilla in for about 5 seconds a side, sliding in at the leading edge and move around. Do not let the edges get too crispy. Turn over and repeat. Then place on paper towels until ready to roll.

Once we rolled the chicken into the warmed tortillas, it was quite easy. We will try this method again. Note below…we did have a learning curve as one broke in the rolling.

After rolling, we placed in shallow bowls. Then Sandra spooned that amazing tomatillo sauce over. We then sprinkled some cheese and popped in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Look how beautiful they were coming out of the oven!

A drizzle of crema (sour cream), some freshly chopped cilantro and red onion and we were ready to eat.

What impressed me the most is that this dish tasted like it took hours to cook. In reality, with the chicken already cooked, it took less than 30 minutes. And it was so fresh, so authentic to the flavors we love in Mexico.

We sat and enjoyed for a few minutes, while Sandra demonstrated steps in the next dish.

Next it was time to make the red sauce for the chili rellenos.

We cut tomatoes and onion into quarters. Then, we threw in a whole clove of garlic, salt and pepper into the blender . Then we blended until liquefied. The sauce was poured into a pot where Sandra place a cinnamon stick in. This was her grandmother’s secret ingredient. Then simmered it on the stove until it warmed and, just slightly, foamed. It was kept warm until we were ready to use.

Wash the chilis. After roasted over an open flame on the stove, we used a fork to gently scrape off the char.

Next, we washed the chilis under a cool stream of water getting the remaining char off. With a slit cut on one side of the chili, we then pulled out the seeds. Sandra showed us how to pull the seeds from the “crown.” The “heat” in the chili is actually from the seeds, so this important step will ensure they are not too spicy hot.

We then stuffed the chilis with a bit of refried beans Sandra had previously cooked, and then cheese.

Once stuffed they were closed up like a cardigan sweater. The trickiest part is to not tear the chili further. This is by far the most time consuming. I cannot imagine making dozens of these.

While we were eating our enchiladas Sandra removed the cinnamon stick from the red sauce. She then poured the sauce around the chili already in the bowl and placed in the oven to warm.

So simple, so delicious! The chili rellenos were a nice departure from the fried version we find in the US. The sauce did have a hint of cinnamon but not overwhelming in any way.

It was a great way to spend an afternoon, learning new cooking techniques while also learning about the culture behind the techniques. It reminded what we love most about travel, diving into the culture, history and people of the place we are visiting. We look forward to more cooking travel adventures. And, we also made a new friend!