Latin American Enchiladas Recipe: Spicy & Flavorful!

Enchiladas drive your taste buds crazy, in a great way. Sara, a Guatemalan native gives us her original enchilada recipe using UK ingredients for truly Latin American spicy enchiladas!

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I live in the United Kingdom and to be brutally honest, their food is not the best. Yes, they have some tasty chipolata sausages and sweet mustardy roast gammon. But their other dishes tend to lack the flavour that South Americans are used to. Most of the meals I tasted after moving to the country have been a bit bland to the taste. Even though I’ve been living here for almost 11 years, I still call my mum often asking her for recipes and food substitutes. Sometimes, finding the exact ingredients is a challenge!

But when it comes to cooking, you want to make sure it’s a party to your taste buds!! I often cook enchiladas for my friends, a very Latin American dish, full of flavour that you can’t help but smile, let alone the aroma that emanates out of the kitchen as you are cooking it.

Some say enchiladas originated in Mexico and were invented by the Aztecs, but really most Latin American countries can lay claim to a different variation of this popular dish!

If you want to experiment with new dishes and surprise your other half, or friends, or simply if you are just a person that enjoys good food like myself, I absolutely recommend that you cook our Guatemalan version of Latin American enchiladas.

Enchiladas as Latin American food

Today I will ask my special chef to join me in making enchiladas, my 9-year-old daughter Anika. Even though she was born here in the UK, she enjoys the flavoursome Latin American food. She often asks me ‘Como hacer enchiladas?’ simply because she wants me to make them!

If you want to get into the perfect mindset to cook Latin American food, I would recommend putting on some Latin American music in the background. I normally use Spotify and search for ‘Merengue-Mania’ and just shuffle to some good music whilst you cook. Merengue is a type of music and dance originating in the Dominican Republic, which has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America.

Enchilada filling recipe

So to cook the filling for 8 enchiladas for 3 to 4 people you will need:

• 4 diced chicken breast fillets
• Diced smoked Ham
• Mozzarella cheese
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 medium size onion
• Green, Red and Yellow peppers
• Mushrooms
• 3 Chopped tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Vegetable Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Thyme
• Laurel Leaf
• Coriander
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• Flour tortillas wraps

I usually cook 8 or more when I have friends over, but if you’re cooking for one or two adjust the measurements accordingly.

Another thing, when I cook, I just go with it. There aren’t any fixed measurements to the ingredients. Just throw in everything and keep adding more till it tastes just perfect. We cook the centre and simmer the sauce at the same time. But let me tell you the recipe for the filling first.

Let’s begin! Chop the garlic and the onion and get them into a fry pan with just a dash of vegetable oil. Stir for 2 minutes and then add the diced chicken and ham with a teaspoon of honey until looking nicely golden. Then add a pinch of thyme, pepper and a couple of laurel leaves.

My little angel helps me by cutting the tomatoes. She’s shaped them into a heart this time. Lovely, innit? Next add in the mushrooms and chopped tomatoes and stir for 2 minutes, followed by tomato paste to give it some colour. Then add the chopped green, red or yellow peppers followed by some coriander to taste, and a bit of mozzarella cheese.

Sauce Recipe

To make the sauce you will need:

• 4 tomatoes
• Salt
• 3 garlic cloves
• Half onion
• Laurel Leaf
• A pinch of Sugar
• Thyme
• Half a carrot
• Half a red pepper

In a saucepan with about 300 mls of water, boil the tomatoes, onion, garlic, red pepper, carrot and laurel leaves for 15 minutes. Then take out the laurel leaves, run the sauce through a blender, and it’s back to the saucepan for another 20 minutes on a low heat, with a pinch of salt, pepper, and sugar. Sugar takes care of the sweet tooth and also sugar kills the acidity of the tomatoes.

Soften the tortilla wraps by heating in the microwave for 30 seconds. Butter a baking tray and keep it ready. Then wrap the enchilada filling inside the tortillas, roll them and place in the tray.

Cover the tortillas with the tomato sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Every inch, cover every inch of the tortillas. Make it saucy and cheesy. Put it in the oven until the cheese is all melted and looking nicely golden.

That’s about it. But wait, you truly cannot cook Latin American food without some tortilla nachos, Guacamole, and a nice spicy Salsa. Tortilla nachos are easily available anywhere and a good snack to munch on while cooking.

Guacamole Recipe

Now on to the Guacamole. You will need:

• 4 or 5 ready to eat avocados
• Salt
• Half a finely chopped onion (the other half of the onion that didn’t go into the sauce)
• Finely chopped coriander
• 1 finely chopped tomato
• 2 juicy lemons
• Salt

Mash the avocados and add the fined chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander. Add a pinch of salt and squeeze the 2 juicy lemons and stir until the paste is perfectly mixed.

Spicy Salsa Recipe

To make the Spicy Salsa you will need:

• 4 chopped tomatoes
• 2 chopped onions
•  Fined chopped coriander
• 6 juicy lemons
• Salt
• 30 ml of water
• Green and red spicy chilly

Now this is pretty easy. All you have to do is chop the tomatoes, onions, coriander, and green and red chillies. Squeeze in the lemons, 30 ml of water and add salt to taste.

You’re done. Your Latin American enchiladas are ready. Yatusabes! My daughter and I are delighted with our cooking, as are our guests. Set the table, light the candles, stop the dancing for a bit and enjoy!!

Cooking Tips & Tricks

• The Guacamole and the Salsa can be made while the Tortillas are in the oven.
• There is a lot of chopping involved so if necessary you can do this in advance and keep the chopped ingredients ready.
• Remember to cover the tortillas with lots of cheese.

Questions about Latin American Enchiladas

How Long Can You Store Enchiladas?

You can store enchiladas for about 2 days in a refrigerator or in a freezer for 3 months in air-tight containers.

Can You Reheat Enchiladas?

Yes, enchiladas can be reheated either in the same dish or a microwave. Allow them to thaw for a while before reheating.

What Is A Dash?

A dash is usually a small amount of a liquid ingredient that measures about 1/8th of a teaspoon or about 4-5 drops.

How Much Is A Pinch Of An Ingredient?

A pinch is a tiny amount of a powdery ingredient between your thumb and the tip of your index finger, it is about 1/16th of a teaspoon.

About the author Sara

Sara, a Guatemalan by birth, has made the United Kingdom her home for the last 16 years. She loves her new country, but sometimes misses the spiciness of Guatemalan home cooking. She loves cooking spicy food for friends, especially her to-die-for enchiladas, the recipe of which we’ve asked her to give us in this blog.

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