The Art of New Mexican Cuisine: A Journey Through Traditional Recipes and Cultural Significance

As we embark on this culinary journey, it's clear that traditional New Mexican cuisine is more than just a meal - it's an experience that brings people together. The dish at the center of our attention today is a staple of the region's rich cultural heritage, one that has been passed down through generations with love and care.

Soaking Overnight Beans

The journey begins with soaking overnight beans, which have been a cornerstone of New Mexican cuisine for centuries. We put them in boiling water with some salt and a little bit of grease to cook them until they're tender. The result is a delicious side dish that's both comforting and flavorful. As we mentioned earlier, the key to cooking these beans lies in the soaking process - allowing them to absorb all the flavors and textures before serving.

Red Chili Beef

Next up is our star dish: Red Chili Beef. We start by seasoning beef shoulder or neck with salt, searing it in hot oil until browned, then transferring it to boiling hot water for 3-4 hours to cook. The slow-cooked beef falls apart effortlessly, making it perfect for shredding and mixing into the rich red chili sauce that's about to be introduced.

Red Chili Sauce

The star of our show is undoubtedly the red chili sauce, made from an assortment of ingredients including chili pods, beef broth, garlic, and a pinch of cayenne pepper. We steep the chili pods in hot water to extract their flavor and blend them with some of the cooking liquid, creating a fragrant paste that's both spicy and savory.

Fried Bread

To complete our meal, we need a sturdy foundation: fried bread. A staple of New Mexican cuisine, this crispy delight is made by flattening dough into thin sheets, dredging them in flour, and then frying them to perfection. The result is a golden-brown tortilla that's both delicate and substantial.

Tacos al pastor

Now it's time to assemble our tacos al pastor. We start with a generous helping of shredded beef, topped with a dollop of sour cream, some pinto beans, diced onions, cheese, lettuce, and of course, a sprinkle of red chili powder. The combination is nothing short of magic - the crunchy texture of the fried bread providing the perfect contrast to the softness of the tortilla.

Poule and Choth

As we take a break from our tacos al pastor, we're treated to two traditional dishes that showcase the rich cultural heritage of New Mexico: Poule and Choth. The poule is a hearty stew made with pork, onions, garlic, and a blend of spices - think Native American meets modern flavors. Meanwhile, the choth is a thin, delicate tortilla used to scoop up the flavorful broth.

Native American Cuisine

New Mexican cuisine has deep roots in Native American culture, which has played a significant role in shaping the region's culinary identity. The influence can be seen in every dish we've discussed so far - from the use of traditional ingredients like chili pods and choth to the incorporation of spices and herbs that have been passed down through generations.

Golden Steins: Behind the Scenes

One person who has played a significant role in preserving New Mexican cuisine is Golden Steins, a family-owned business that has built an outdoor kitchen for their restaurant. The Steins are friends of ours, and we're honored to have them on board as part of our culinary journey. From designing the menu to overseeing the construction of the kitchen, this family has dedicated themselves to sharing their love of New Mexican cuisine with the world.

James Beard Award Winner

As we prepare to wrap up our meal, it's clear that the hard work and dedication that goes into creating these traditional dishes have paid off. The James Beard Award has recognized the efforts of local restaurants like ours, paving the way for a new generation of chefs and food enthusiasts to explore the rich cultural heritage of New Mexico.

Food is a powerful tool for bridging cultural divides and bringing people together. As we savor each bite of our meal, let's remember the stories behind these dishes - the history, the culture, and the love that goes into every single ingredient.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhere in Phoenix Arizona love this town for triple D been here a ton of times great chefs great restaurants all kind of diversity here to check out a restaurant that won a James Beard award back in 2012 and you know what we need to see more of this food and more of this culture Native American you're going to dig it this is the Fred Bread House FR bre going in so when you come into a restaurant and you see that they have a James Beard award you know it's going to be good green chili stew authentic Southern tribal Cuisine vegetarian taco up simple but complex at the same time and it all started when Cecilia Miller decided to share her family recipes with the masses back in 1992 and now her kids Jennifer and Richard are carrying the torch my mother passed away in 2020 I'm sorry for L thank you as a family we just decided that we were going to continue to keep it going she had no idea that her food was going to have the appeal to a wide array of people not represented enough what are we making today uh red chili beef ultimate Taco are we making a fried bread heck yeah that's what the native Taco comes on well yeah we call the fried bread the W it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside a warm pillow of dough let's see this all right flour salt baking powder and then shortening yep mix for about 10 minutes add the milk and water 15 minutes that's right let it rest and then portion them out the way you're pinching it seals it pulls it tight that's right I let it sit for 5 10 minutes and then start stretching it okay so we've got some pinto beans here we are going to soak overnight gotcha then we put them in boiling water with some salt little bit of Grease cook them couple hours still tender that's right we're going to mash them yep okay so we're going to make the red chili beef got some vegetable oil beef shoulder neck off got it season it with salt we're searing it we're going to flip it now when that's done we're putting it in boiling hot water and we're going to cook it for 3 to 4 hours we'll let it cool down we'll break it down we pull apart y right now we're going to make our red chili beef cook the chili pod well he or New Mexico New Mexico so steep them in the hot water and we're going to blend this uh a little bit of the steeping liquid now we're going to finish our red chili beef vegetable oil onions garlic beef bullan chicken bullan pepper cayenne pepper light that up a little bit that's right then we're going to add our beef red chili sauce starts to boil a little bit and then it's done all we need now is to get the fried bread that's right flattened it out and then you're just going to go and float it in that hot oil that's right you flip it so I'm going to build you our Taco our beans red chili sour cream onions cheese and lettuce fold it in half and then invite Paul bunion over it is a meal for two there's no easy way to do that look at that it's delicious the fry bread itself is fantastic I mean I love the texture of it the chili beef inside of it is really nice great flavor in that the pinto beans although smashed you'll get really nice texture out of it's delicious one red ultimate Taco for table too there's a lot more to it than just your regular tortilla we like the red chili a lot it does have a little bit of a kick at the end the beans it just makes it it's messy it's sloppy it's really good it's just great to dig into now that's a pro bite it's so good there oh there go so these are good friends of mine the golden Steins they built my outdoor kitchen that you've seen at guys ranch kitchen they designed the kitchen they designed the overhang incredible I think Native American gets more recognition and representation in New Mexico Arizona I grew up in Phoenix of course we know about Fred bread every time I've been to a Native American restaurant the food is just tons of flavor honestly it's in everybody restaurant it shows that cultural education that's occurring through food and that's a powerful thing tras for table s the poule is amazing here got some homon in it some pork the chouth is like a tortilla just dip it in your stew and it's good what's going with the facility chth more like a tortilla yeah but if you're in a native restaurant you got you had to say Chim start by searing our pork so a little bit of oil pork loin we are going to make pistle we go oil onions the h h h hon garlic oregano oregano black pepper water chicken base that much cayenne red chili sauce cilantro and green onions and then once that pork's done we're going to add that in that's right we're making some Chim chth allpurpose flour some salt FL warm water warm water okay so we'll mix this up we're going to let it r we're going to portion it out and then we're going to sheet it and what do you call this tortilla cooking apparatus it's getting hot over here we call it a cormel all right Daredevil you're going to dive right into the fire over there you turn that off just lay it in tattoo your arm wait about 5 seconds and then turn it over no need to have any tongs or anything there just use your hands and let that just get piping hot get your pli together green onions and some cilantro use the Chim also kind of to dip it in there soak up the juices and enjoy the timoth is like a basically a flower tortilla I like this scarring that's GL tender pork nice and light not shy flavor at all good delicious I love it I'm working on the P the poule here is unique it's a thicker stew it has such a great flavor the spice makes it amazing what do you think of P it's excellent I can smell the flavor green ultimate coming up for table 12 it's good food period when you come to Phoenix you stop by the fry bread house I believe that your mom is having the moment of all moments right now you know getting the James Beard award is amazing now getting a chance to share with the world this amazing culture this Heritage job well done guys that means so much to me thank you so muchhere in Phoenix Arizona love this town for triple D been here a ton of times great chefs great restaurants all kind of diversity here to check out a restaurant that won a James Beard award back in 2012 and you know what we need to see more of this food and more of this culture Native American you're going to dig it this is the Fred Bread House FR bre going in so when you come into a restaurant and you see that they have a James Beard award you know it's going to be good green chili stew authentic Southern tribal Cuisine vegetarian taco up simple but complex at the same time and it all started when Cecilia Miller decided to share her family recipes with the masses back in 1992 and now her kids Jennifer and Richard are carrying the torch my mother passed away in 2020 I'm sorry for L thank you as a family we just decided that we were going to continue to keep it going she had no idea that her food was going to have the appeal to a wide array of people not represented enough what are we making today uh red chili beef ultimate Taco are we making a fried bread heck yeah that's what the native Taco comes on well yeah we call the fried bread the W it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside a warm pillow of dough let's see this all right flour salt baking powder and then shortening yep mix for about 10 minutes add the milk and water 15 minutes that's right let it rest and then portion them out the way you're pinching it seals it pulls it tight that's right I let it sit for 5 10 minutes and then start stretching it okay so we've got some pinto beans here we are going to soak overnight gotcha then we put them in boiling water with some salt little bit of Grease cook them couple hours still tender that's right we're going to mash them yep okay so we're going to make the red chili beef got some vegetable oil beef shoulder neck off got it season it with salt we're searing it we're going to flip it now when that's done we're putting it in boiling hot water and we're going to cook it for 3 to 4 hours we'll let it cool down we'll break it down we pull apart y right now we're going to make our red chili beef cook the chili pod well he or New Mexico New Mexico so steep them in the hot water and we're going to blend this uh a little bit of the steeping liquid now we're going to finish our red chili beef vegetable oil onions garlic beef bullan chicken bullan pepper cayenne pepper light that up a little bit that's right then we're going to add our beef red chili sauce starts to boil a little bit and then it's done all we need now is to get the fried bread that's right flattened it out and then you're just going to go and float it in that hot oil that's right you flip it so I'm going to build you our Taco our beans red chili sour cream onions cheese and lettuce fold it in half and then invite Paul bunion over it is a meal for two there's no easy way to do that look at that it's delicious the fry bread itself is fantastic I mean I love the texture of it the chili beef inside of it is really nice great flavor in that the pinto beans although smashed you'll get really nice texture out of it's delicious one red ultimate Taco for table too there's a lot more to it than just your regular tortilla we like the red chili a lot it does have a little bit of a kick at the end the beans it just makes it it's messy it's sloppy it's really good it's just great to dig into now that's a pro bite it's so good there oh there go so these are good friends of mine the golden Steins they built my outdoor kitchen that you've seen at guys ranch kitchen they designed the kitchen they designed the overhang incredible I think Native American gets more recognition and representation in New Mexico Arizona I grew up in Phoenix of course we know about Fred bread every time I've been to a Native American restaurant the food is just tons of flavor honestly it's in everybody restaurant it shows that cultural education that's occurring through food and that's a powerful thing tras for table s the poule is amazing here got some homon in it some pork the chouth is like a tortilla just dip it in your stew and it's good what's going with the facility chth more like a tortilla yeah but if you're in a native restaurant you got you had to say Chim start by searing our pork so a little bit of oil pork loin we are going to make pistle we go oil onions the h h h hon garlic oregano oregano black pepper water chicken base that much cayenne red chili sauce cilantro and green onions and then once that pork's done we're going to add that in that's right we're making some Chim chth allpurpose flour some salt FL warm water warm water okay so we'll mix this up we're going to let it r we're going to portion it out and then we're going to sheet it and what do you call this tortilla cooking apparatus it's getting hot over here we call it a cormel all right Daredevil you're going to dive right into the fire over there you turn that off just lay it in tattoo your arm wait about 5 seconds and then turn it over no need to have any tongs or anything there just use your hands and let that just get piping hot get your pli together green onions and some cilantro use the Chim also kind of to dip it in there soak up the juices and enjoy the timoth is like a basically a flower tortilla I like this scarring that's GL tender pork nice and light not shy flavor at all good delicious I love it I'm working on the P the poule here is unique it's a thicker stew it has such a great flavor the spice makes it amazing what do you think of P it's excellent I can smell the flavor green ultimate coming up for table 12 it's good food period when you come to Phoenix you stop by the fry bread house I believe that your mom is having the moment of all moments right now you know getting the James Beard award is amazing now getting a chance to share with the world this amazing culture this Heritage job well done guys that means so much to me thank you so much\n"