MEXICAN DELIGHTS COOKING EXPERIENCE| PUERTO MORELOS, MEXICO

Mexico Lindo Cooking School is located in Puerto Morelos between Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. I liked that the location of the school is situated in nature and has an outdoor dining area. Alejandra (the owner) started the cooking school to give tourists a real taste of Mexico. I was very impressed that she created this business as a single parent and spent five years in business so far (after launching in three months only). Alejandra’s passion is to share recipes that are truly authentic and able to be replicated at home.

 After driving off road to the cooking school, I started the day with some Mexican pastries, fruit jam, & fresh hot chocolate. Then, Alejandra gave the group a tour of her organic garden. I really appreciated the fact that organic ingredients are used. The types of organic food grown are beans, basil, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, papaya, passion fruit, avocado, etc. 

After a brief history lesson of cultural and international food influences within Mexico and overseas, we jumped into preparing the recipes. First on the menu was two types of salsas: red and verde (green) in which we (four people per “team”) sautéed the tomatoes, onion, and herbs to then be added to a blender for processing. The salsa recipes were then followed by tamales with shredded chicken and a cold beef salad.For the tamales, we took maiz (or corn mixture) to later the corn husks and added the fresh salsa verde mixed with shredded chicken. The corn husks are then folded and tied to be ready for steaming.

Next, we prepped the salad ingredients like lettuce, peppers, onion, and cilantro whilst being shown how to “properly” use a knife like a “real chef.” As the salad and tamales were going in the background, Alejandra showed us a simple and delicious recipe for rice pudding than can be made directly on the stove top with everyday ingredients. It was very delicious and this is one of the recipes I plan to try soon as well as the amazing pumpkin seed salsa (provided during snack break).

Once the prepping is finished, the group can look forward to an authentic and satisfying meal outdoors in the open air. This class had the maximum of eight people and was split into two teams of four. I found that it might be better with less people since I don’t feel that I got to participate as much as I would have liked since I prefer hands on experiences. However, there was plenty of education and lessons involved such as practicing knife skills! The menu had a number of dishes (more than I expected) and I really appreciated being able to keep the apron as a souvenir also!