THE FLAVORFUL WONDERS

TEX MEX CUISINE IS NOTHING SHORT OF A FIESTA OF FLAVORS

By: Luke Hasleen

As Malaysians we have been blessed with various cultures and practices be it with our
holidays that we share together or our traditions but one thing that we have in common
as Malaysians is that we love to eat. Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur especially, has
become a hotspot for so many gourmands and food enthusiasts due to the many
delicious food that we have, from Nasi Lemak, Yee Sang, the various dough-based
treats that you can get from any mamak. We are considered as a food haven.

But today we will be talking about a cuisine that has made its way to Malaysia is Tex-
mex cuisine also known as Mexican cuisine. Mexican cuisine only came to Malaysia
via western restaurants like chilis and T.G.I.F Fridays where they serve these types of
food as part of their menu items which most likely introduced Malaysians to the
mouthwatering dishes that would make anyone drop their jaw and salivate.
There are many types of food in Mexican cuisine. One of them would be the quesadilla
with its satisfying cheese pull, a stuffed burrito filled with rice and delicious braised
meat and who could forget the even cheesier enchilada which makes it even better.
Mexican cuisines main gimmick is that it is a festival of flavors in the mouth that is a
combination of sweet, sour, and most importantly spicy. Mexican food is a joy to eat
and savor due to how simple these foods are. A quesadilla is only a corn tortilla and
cheese in its most basic form can still be delicious. Of course, the quesadilla can be
added with more delicious condiments like meats, sauces, salsa, and other vegetables.

Malaysians overtime got to try even more interesting food like the birria taco a taco
that has been dipped in sauce that is made from beef stock and then once ready to be
consumed, is then served with a special sauce that is tangy and spicy at the same
time. This cuisine encourages experimentation as when one wants to make a taco
anything is a fair game. Anyone who wants to have a hand at making these very simple
dishes all one needs is cheese and a corn tortilla.

The best dish however is no less than the enchilada. It is a tortilla that has been
wrapped similarly to a burrito but loosely then it is also given a generous amount of
cheese usually a combination of Monterey Jack, cheddar, and pepper jack cheese to
finish it off, it is also lathered in a beautiful coating of chili.

This cuisine continues to grow in Malaysia as most roadside stalls have begun to adopt
their own versions of the wonderful dishes from this culture due to how customizable
it is and can be enjoyed amongst many people here in Malaysia as there are many
restaurants that serve Mexican food like Chica Bonita, Taco Bell, Los Tacos and much
more coming to Malaysia.