We were invited by Fairmont Heliopolis & Towers to cook with the talented chefs at Maria’s Restaurant. We ended up with a scrumptious Mexican lunch, which we can’t wait to recreate. The prawn aguachile is refreshing and zesty, a pure delight! And the Enchiladas were full of delicious, strong flavor – nothing like their fast food counterparts. Maria’s offers genuine Mexican cuisine cooked by ultra talented Mexican chefs. Below, you’ll find the delicious recipes we’ve learned from them.
Entrée: Prawn Aguachile
Ingredients: 2 green chilies – 1 cup of lemon juice – ½ cup of coriander – 12 medium shrimps – salt – 2 cucumbers
Directions:
Blend the coriander, green chilies and lemon juice then strain the mix. Peel and cut the shrimps in halves. Then, marinate them in the mixture for four hours in the fridge. Cut the cucumbers in slices and serve with the marinated shrimps.
Main Dish: Enchiladas Rojas
Ingredients: 12 corn tortillas – 2 chicken breasts – ½ recipe of Salsa Roja – 6 slices of Gouda cheese – 1 onion – cooking oil
Directions: Preheat the oven at 180C. Boil the chicken with half of the onion. When cooked, shred the meat and set aside. Blend the salsa with some cooking liquid from the chicken until you get a smooth mixture. In a pan, heat a little of the oil, then take the tortilla with a tong and fry for a couple of seconds. Repeat this with all the tortillas, and then transfer them to a working surface.
Cook the salsa in a little of oil until it boils. In a bowl, put the chicken and add ½ cup of the salsa. Divide the chicken evenly in the tortillas and roll them. Transfer them to a tray and pour the salsa. Cover evenly with the cheese and bake until the cheese melts. Take out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Add some slices of onions and serve.
*Salsa Roja Recipe:
Ingredients: 1kg tomatoes – 1 medium onion – 2 cloves of garlic – 3 green chilies – ¼ cup of chopped coriander – 1tbsp. of salt
Directions: Preheat the oven at 180C. Peel the onion and garlic and chop the tail of the chilies. Cut the tomatoes and onion to four pieces. In an oven tray, put the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chilies and bake for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are lightly roasted. Then, transfer to a blender. Put the salsa in a bowl and add salt and coriander.