Ah, we have all heard of the joys of rich, spicy and varied Mexican cooking and enjoyed the zesty flavors in a restaurant so many times; besides being a way to partake of a new country's culture and food habits, Mexican cooking is a great style to learn for the number of specialty dishes it has to offer.

The basics of Mexican cooking involve the most fundamental meal that Mexicans have as part of their daily fare: some of these staple food items include Ancho Chiles, (dried Poblano Chiles that are used for making a marinade, and really chili-hot), Cilantro (the fresh herb is preferred to the dried version, especially when making salsa sauce or guacamole).

A storage tip for keeping Cilantro fresh is to wrap it in a moist towel while another handy hint about the famous dried Guajillo Chiles is that they are a whole lot spicier than the earlier mentioned Ancho Chiles; however, the former is sprinkled generously over veggies, fruits, soups and stews. Another must-have in the Mexican pantry is Jicama, a root vegetable similar to potato, which is used for making slaws and salads and sometimes doubles up as a snack!

Dried grains of corn give the Mexicans Masa Harina, which is typically cooked with lime, ground to a paste and when dried of water, becomes flour-like and the raw product used for making tortillas. Cow's milk cheese, Queso Anejo, is used to give the sodium flavor to dishes while Serrano Chiles provides a kick to many others!

A great Mexican cooking for homes are the tortillas, consumed hot, straight off the griddle and supplemented by chilli (roasted over the fire), dried chillies roasted on the griddle and tomatoes cooker in a broiler or fry-pan. All the above are basic components of all Mexican specialties like marinade, salsas sauce, spicy condiments and that are seasoned with onions, Cilantro and Radishes.

Mexican cooking lovers can learn to make many dishes at home, including the famous tortillas with store-bought Masa Harina, made into soft dough and after dividing it inot 12 equal parts, they can roll each part into a ball. With a tortilla press that has been covered with plastic wrap, they can press the dough ball after placing it in the center and twisting the handle side to side (flatten the dough evenly).

After this, you need to lift the press open to give the dough one half-turn and close it once more; then, cook the tortilla in a non-stick pan on medium flame for 15-30 seconds before flipping to cook the other side, then repeating the action for another half minute.

A tasty chicken dish made according to Mexican cooking recipe includes a marinade adobo with pre-sauted and strained red chilies made into a sauce, vinegar, garlic and other spices that are poured over the chicken and roasted with potatoes.