Mexican Comfort Food: Warming Dishes for Rainy British Days

Comfort Food That Actually Comforts

British comfort food - shepherd's pie, beans on toast, a roast dinner - is magnificent, but it operates in a narrow band of flavour: savoury, stodgy, warming. Mexican comfort food does everything British comfort food does, but adds bold spice, bright acidity, smoky depth and vivid colour. On a grey Tuesday in November, when the rain has been falling since dawn and shows no sign of stopping, a bowl of caldo tlalpeño or a plate of chilaquiles delivers not just warmth but joy - a blast of colour and flavour that lifts the spirits in a way that plain stodge cannot.

The recipes in this guide are specifically chosen for British conditions: cold, damp days when you want food that is warming, substantial, easy to prepare and deeply satisfying. Every one of them can be made from ingredients available at British supermarkets, supplemented by the occasional trip to a Mexican shop for chillies and spices.

1. Caldo Tlalpeño (Mexican Chicken and Chickpea Soup)

This is the soup you need on the coldest, wettest, most miserable day of the British year. It is a hearty, brothy, deeply flavoured soup of shredded chicken, chickpeas, vegetables and chipotle chilli - substantial enough to be a complete meal, spicy enough to warm you from the inside, and bright with lime and avocado to lift your spirits.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
• 1.5 litres chicken stock
• 1 tin chickpeas, drained
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 courgettes, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 chipotles in adobo, chopped (or 1 tbsp chipotle paste)
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper
• To serve: diced avocado, lime wedges, fresh coriander, tortilla chips

Method

1. Place chicken thighs in a large pot with stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, shred the meat, discard skin and bones.
2. In the same stock, add onion, garlic, carrots, cumin and chipotles. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add courgettes and chickpeas. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Return shredded chicken to the pot. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime.
5. Serve in deep bowls topped with diced avocado, fresh coriander, a squeeze of lime and crushed tortilla chips.

2. Chilaquiles Rojos (Fried Tortilla Chips in Red Sauce)

Chilaquiles are Mexico's answer to the question: "What do you eat when you are hungover, cold, sad, or all three?" They are tortilla chips simmered in salsa until softened but still slightly crisp, topped with cream, cheese and a fried egg. They are messy, comforting and absurdly delicious.

Method (Serves 2)

1. Make a quick red sauce: blend 1 tin of chopped tomatoes with 2 rehydrated guajillo chillies, 1 garlic clove, salt and a pinch of cumin. Simmer in a frying pan for 10 minutes until thickened.
2. Add a large handful of tortilla chips to the sauce. Toss gently to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes - the chips should absorb some sauce but retain some crunch.
3. Top with a fried egg (runny yolk is essential), crumbled Feta, sliced spring onions, fresh coriander and sour cream.

Chilaquiles are traditionally a breakfast dish, but we are giving you explicit permission to eat them at any time. They are particularly magnificent at 4pm on a Saturday when you have just come in from the rain.

3. Birria (Slow-Braised Spiced Beef)

Birria has become a global phenomenon in recent years, largely through the viral success of birria tacos on social media. But birria is far more than a trend - it is one of Mexico's great slow-cooked stews, a dish that rewards patience with extraordinary depth of flavour.

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 1.5kg beef shin or chuck, cut into large chunks
• 6 guajillo chillies
• 4 ancho chillies
• 2 árbol chillies (for heat)
• 4 tomatoes, halved
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp cloves
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• Salt

Method

1. Toast and rehydrate the dried chillies (see our dried chilli guide). Blend with tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, cloves, oregano, pepper, vinegar and 200ml soaking liquid until smooth.
2. Season the beef generously with salt. Place in a large, heavy pot or casserole dish. Pour the blended sauce over the meat. Add bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Add enough water to barely cover the meat.
3. Cover tightly and cook at 150°C for 3.5-4 hours until the beef is completely tender and falling apart.
4. Remove the meat and shred with two forks. Strain the broth (this is the consommé - the most valuable part). Skim excess fat from the surface.
5. Serve the shredded beef in warm tortillas (for birria tacos) or in a bowl with the consommé ladled over the top (for birria stew). Garnish with diced onion, fresh coriander and lime wedges.

For birria tacos: dip corn tortillas in the consommé, fry in a pan until slightly crispy, fill with shredded birria and cheese. Serve with a small bowl of consommé for dipping. The combination of crispy, cheesy taco and rich, beefy broth is one of the most satisfying eating experiences on Earth.

4. Sopa Azteca (Tortilla Soup)

Tortilla soup is the Mexican equivalent of chicken noodle soup - the thing you make when someone is ill, cold or in need of comfort. A rich, smoky tomato-chilli broth ladled over crispy tortilla strips, topped with avocado, cheese and cream.

1. Char 4 tomatoes, 1 onion (halved) and 3 garlic cloves under the grill until blackened. Blend with 2 rehydrated pasilla chillies and 1 chipotle in adobo.
2. Fry the blended sauce in oil for 5 minutes, add 1 litre chicken stock, simmer 15 minutes.
3. Cut 4 corn tortillas into strips, fry until crispy.
4. Serve the broth over tortilla strips, topped with diced avocado, crumbled cheese, sour cream and fresh coriander.

5. Enfrijoladas (Tortillas in Bean Sauce)

If you know enchiladas, enfrijoladas are their lesser-known but equally magnificent sibling. Instead of chilli sauce, the tortillas are bathed in a smooth, velvety black bean sauce - creamy, earthy and deeply satisfying.

1. Blend 1 tin of black beans (with liquid) with 1 garlic clove, 1 chipotle in adobo and salt until completely smooth.
2. Heat the sauce in a frying pan. Dip corn tortillas briefly in the warm sauce, fold into quarters and arrange on a plate.
3. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Garnish with crumbled Feta, pickled red onions, sliced avocado and coriander.

This is a 15-minute dinner that tastes like it took an hour. The bean sauce is silky, rich and deeply comforting.

6. Arroz con Pollo (Mexican Chicken and Rice)

Every cuisine has its chicken-and-rice dish, and the Mexican version is one of the best. The rice cooks in a tomato-chilli broth, absorbing flavour and colour, while chicken thighs braise on top until tender.

1. Season 4 chicken thighs with cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Brown in a large ovenproof pan.
2. Remove chicken. In the same pan, fry 1 diced onion, 2 garlic cloves, and 250g rice for 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes, 400ml stock, 1 tsp cumin, 1 chipotle in adobo. Stir.
4. Place chicken thighs on top. Cover and bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.
5. Garnish with coriander and lime wedges.

7. Pozole Rojo (Red Hominy Stew)

Pozole is one of Mexico's most ancient and beloved dishes - a rich, chilli-red broth filled with hominy (nixtamalised corn) and shredded pork, served with an array of fresh garnishes. It is traditionally made for celebrations, but it is equally perfect for a cold British evening.

Use tinned hominy (available from Mexican shops and Amazon) to make this accessible. Simmer shredded pork in a broth made from toasted guajillo and ancho chillies, garlic and oregano. Add the hominy and cook until everything is tender and flavourful. Serve with shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, dried oregano, lime wedges and tostadas.

8. Mexican Hot Chocolate

Not a dish but a drink - and the perfect companion to any of the above. Mexican hot chocolate is made with water (not milk, traditionally), Mexican chocolate (which contains cinnamon and sugar), and is whisked to a thick froth with a molinillo (wooden whisk) or a regular whisk.

Use Ibarra or Abuelita chocolate (from Mexican shops) or substitute dark chocolate with a generous pinch of cinnamon and a tiny pinch of cayenne. Heat 250ml water per person, add the chocolate, whisk vigorously until frothy. The result is thinner than British hot chocolate but richer in flavour - the cinnamon and hint of spice make it uniquely warming.

Why Mexican Comfort Food Works in Britain

Britain and Mexico are not obvious culinary cousins, but they share one crucial thing: terrible weather. The Yucatán has hurricanes; Britain has drizzle. Mexico City has cold, grey winters at altitude; Britain has cold, grey winters at sea level. Both cultures have therefore developed robust, warming, soul-sustaining comfort foods designed to make miserable weather bearable.

The difference is that Mexican comfort food adds chilli, lime and bold spice to the equation, which - on a neurological level - triggers endorphin release, genuinely improving your mood. There is a reason that the happiest people at the table are always the ones eating the spiciest food.

For more warming Mexican recipes, explore our recipe collection. Find the ingredients at Mexican shops across the UK. And on those evenings when you want comfort without cooking, discover Mexican restaurants throughout Britain.