Begin The Day With A Bite Of Mexico

With versatile ingredients, Mexican-style eggs are a traditional breakfast dish. It received this name because the chili peppers, tomato and onion that star in this emblematic dish match the colors of the Mexican flag: green, white and red.

“It is one of the favorite dishes of Mexican families because it is very quick to prepare. Its ingredients are prevalent in kitchens, and they are cheap,” said Elvia Prieto Mendoza, a gastronomy graduate from Le Chef College in Boca del Río, Veracruz.

The recipe is simple, but it varies depending on the cook. Some housewives try to supplement it without changing the main ingredients. Plus, they have their tricks.

“For the Mexican-style eggs to be rich and fluffy, one must beat them very well,” said Prieto Mendoza, who uses butter instead of oil and serves the Mexican-style eggs on top of some picadas — corn snacks — or with refried beans and tortillas.

Chefs in hotel kitchens prepare the dish in the Spanish omelet style, serving it in the shape of the pan in which it is cooked.

Other cooks play with the ingredients. Yedith Flores Peña, a 33-year-old housewife in Boca del Río, Veracruz, adds shredded chicken to the recipe, “to make the eggs a little more complete. The flavor also changes. They get tastier,” she said.

The amount of pepper may vary, depending on how hot diners would like their dish. “One can also change the serrano pepper for habanero pepper if one wants the eggs to be a little spicier,” Flores Peña said.

Do you want to prepare this colorful, patriotic breakfast dish?

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cooking oil

Half a white onion, finely chopped

2 serrano peppers, finely chopped

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

4 eggs

Salt to taste

Preparation method:

In a heated pan with oil, fry the peppers, tomatoes and onion. Add the beaten eggs and stir well for 3 minutes. Serve on a plate with refried beans and corn tortillas or bolillo bread.

(Translated and edited by Gabriela Olmos. Edited by Kristen Butler)