I have guacamole on my chin. There’s a splodge of hot sauce on my jeans. A napkin is stuck to the side of my hand, collapsing pathetically at the onslaught of barbacoa juices. (You had ONE JOB.) I’m an absolute mess, and I don’t care. This burrito is the size of a baby, and it is going in my tummy. All of it.
The third annual Taste of Mexico festival rolls back into Dublin in November. This fiery little fiesta will see a lecture on tequila, a competition to discover who does the best tacos in town, and a discussion on genuine Mexican cuisine, in addition to a range of other talks, tastings and workshops.
With all of this going on, now is as good a time as any to re-fry some beans, chilli-challenge those tastebuds, and check out the wealth of Mexican food that’s erupted in Dublin over the past few years. I’ve come to Boojum, on Millennium Walk, to do some “research” (it’s a tough job, et cetera.) Once I finish tackling my enormous burrito and clean myself up, I sit down with Boojum’s Stephanie Lindsay to have a chat about Dublin’s Mexican food scene, and how Boojum manages to distinguish itself amongst ever-increasing competition.
Stephanie reckons the atmosphere in Boojum has a lot to do with it. “There’s a casual, communal seating style, which is great for socialising with more than just your group, and we’ve always got funky, upbeat music playing in the background. We’ve also got an eclectic mix of beers, including a lot of authentic Mexican and American beers – and that’s not even having mentioned our food, which the constant queues out the door vouch for.”
Boojum also hosts regular burrito-eating challenges, where contestants attempt to cram jam-packed burritos down their throats as quickly as possible. “The burritos are equal in heat, mess and overall massiveness! They’re packed with rice, beans, meat, salsa, cheese and sour cream, as well as our naga chilli sauce: homemade in our kitchens from the second hottest chilli in the world,” says Stephanie, with a smile which suggests she’s been burned by said sauce on many an occasion. “In the last competition, there were 12 teams, and Boojum entered our own staff team. One of our staff members finished the burrito in 34 seconds.” She grins proudly. “It’s pretty entertaining.”
I ask Stephanie what it is about Mexican food that’s made it so popular over here, and she’s quick to point out that, ten years ago, there was a definite gap in the market. “Fast food was becoming monotonous. It’s been popular in the U.S. for so long and with such good reason that, like most things, we were bound to have the same interest.” She observes that the trend for healthier food choices has also made a difference. “The fact that Mexican food can be a healthy alternative to fast food is a huge selling point. Our regulars rave about our super-healthy guacamole and our vegetarian pinto beans.”
Finally, I ask Stephanie whether she thinks Irish Mexican food is the real deal, or whether it has evolved upon entering a new country as so many diasporic foods tend to do. “Well, we have a lot of Mexican customers in Boojum, so that has to be a good sign. Many of them are delighted to see Pacifico beer in our fridges, which they miss from home. We’ve had lots of Mexican people come in asking for a pinto bean and cheese burrito, which isn’t often ordered by our Irish customers but is very authentic.” Stephanie adds that Irish Mexican food is really as authentic as its ingredients. “Our avocados are Hass avocados, used in Mexico to make guacamole. Tomatillos (a type of green tomato) are used in our salsa verde, another Mexican staple.”
I leave Boojum stuffed and satiated, grateful for the option of food like this in Dublin, my mouth still tingling in burrito aftermath. That naga chilli sauce is dangerously, painfully delicious. There are plenty of great places like Boojum for Mexican food around the city these days, but if you fancy a night in instead, it can also be incredibly satisfying to make at home. I was first shown how to make homemade flour tortillas by a Californian friend of mine (you know someone’s a good friend when they shovel Mexican food into your mouth at every possible opportunity.) These are perfect for at-home tacos; just add beef, chicken, pork, fish or beans, and pile on the salsa, guacamole, and whatever other trimmings grab your fancy. Making tortillas is pretty time-consuming, but it’s completely worth making extra; that way, you can make chilaquiles the next morning, a typical and insanely tasty way to use up leftover tortillas and salsas.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Grab these:
450g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
80ml vegetable oil
235ml hot (but not boiling) water
Now do this:
1. Pop your flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl, and stir them together. Add the oil bit by bit, stirring as the mixture starts to break up into small, pea-sized lumps. Next, add the water, also bit by bit. Keep stirring as the dough comes together and begins to form a ball, and continue until the dough is smooth.
2. Transfer the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Divide dough in half, then in half again, continuing until you have 16 equal(ish) portions. Roll each one into a ball; if the dough is very sticky, use a bit more flour. Cover the balls of dough with a clean kitchen towel, and leave them to rest for about 15 minutes.
3. After the dough balls have had their rest, heat a large pan over a medium-high heat. Roll each dough piece into a rough circle, as thin as you can reasonably make it. Keep your work surface and rolling pin lightly floured. (It’s better to roll just one out at a time, because uncooked tortillas will stick to each other and get soggy.)
4. When your pan is very hot, place the first dough circle into it. Cook it for about a minute, or until the top begins to bubble and the bottom is lightly browned in spots. If the tortilla is browning too fast, you need to turn down the heat a bit; however, if it’s taking longer than a minute to see golden brown spots on the underside, turn it up baby.
5. Flip the tortilla over and cook for another minute or so. You want it to have small golden-brown spots on both sides. When it’s done, take it out of the pan with tongs, unless you have magical heat-proof fingers, and pop it on a plate. Keep cooking the tortillas one by one and stacking them on a plate until they’re all done.
If you’re not planning on eating your tortillas straight away, let them cool completely, and they can then be put in a sealable bag or plastic container. They’ll keep at room temperature for another day, or you can freeze them for pretty much as long as you’d like.
Boojum is located at Millennium Walkway, Dublin 1. Follow them on twitter @Boojum_Dublin or www.boojummex.com
