Adventures in Mexican Cooking

I was really craving Mexican food. There are actually a couple of Mexican restaurants in Cape Town. The best is the Fat Cactus, which is in the upmarket Kloof street area in town as well as just south of the city. But being on a budget I thought I’d save a few rands and eat at home. After all, the fajitas are about R90(about $12) and making them myself will give me something to munch on for the next few days.

So I go to the store for a little shopping. I find tortillas. They are R50 (nearly $8!), but I figure I can make quesadilla’s and other things with them. So I purchase them. I then look for beans. Black beans or pinto beans will suffice. Unfortunately there is nothing like it. I do, however, find a can of “Mexi-Beans”. Unfortunately they are R23. A can of ANY other type of beans or canned product is going to be about R8. So R23 is very expensive. But I’ve already invested in the tortillas and I really want these enchilada’s now.

Of course, there is no such thing as enchilada sauce so I have to make up my own. I try to think about the flavors in the sauce. A bit of tomato paste, chicken broth, and cayenne pepper and other spices may do the trick. So there’s another R20 spend on ingredients for the sauce. I buy onions, sour cream (which isn’t really the sour cream in the United States… but that is a different story), avocado’s, and tomatoes. So by now I’ve spent nearly R110. But I am determined to make those dog-on enchiladas!

Excitedly, I start preparing to make the enchiladas. I open the tortillas. They are so old that they crumble when I try to pull them apart. If I had the gumption, I’d take them back. But I am worn down by my ambition for a homemade enchilada. I go to a different store. Amazingly, they have them for R29. When I bring them home, they are perfectly fine.

Next, I nervously look at this can of “Mexi-beans” and wonder what surprises lurk for me in this can. I examine it for clues. As I read the can I look to see where they were imported from. Perhaps Guadalajara? Even Los Angeles would make sense. But, no! They are imported from New Zealand. (Somebody please tell me how THAT works!). Now I’m getting nervous. I open them to find pinto beans that seem to be seasoned with a little Cheyenne pepper. Delicious!

I prepare the enchiladas and more than three hours after I started my quest for enchiladas they are ready to eat. I am ravenous with anticipation and hunger. Alas, they are delicious! But for several hours of my time and R139 I think I’ll go to the Fat Cactus next time!