My First New Mexico Green Chili Burrito

My First New Mexico Green Chili Burrito

 Unless you traveled passed the Mississippi River you will never know what you are missing by feasting on a New Mexico green chili burrito. Although there are many recipes out there for such a delight it wasn’t till I went to the house of a friend who cooked a home cooked meal for us for no special occasion except our friendship. 

She is a Native American woman living on one of the pueblos close to Albuquerque and she cooked like her mother did before and her grandmother did before as well. You could tell it was a family tradition. The art of making this meal lies in the attention paid to the ingredients as each have a special need to be sliced, shredded, stirred or drained or cooked.

Green chili is common in New Mexico and most people aren’t aware there are many different types of green chilies out there to use for a great meal. Other ingredients include frijoles or beans (refried beans), potatoes, cheese (Colby Jack or Monterey or blended) sour cream, lettuce and whatever spices one might want to sprinkle on to give it the flavor that can’t be beat. Some like to add some avocado to the mix but usually this is put to the side.

Meat choices range from chicken, sirloin beef or a favorite pork meat and whether they are shredded, sliced or cubed into little “carnitas” the taste of a green chili burrito made with the right ingredients will last your memory forever. It is something you will brag about for years to come and never forget the culture where it came from. Never use hamburger to make burritos for the meat does not do the deliciously prepared item any favors. 

Such a delight wrapped up in a warmed up homemade flour tortilla melts the taste buds in your mouth and if the chili is hot enough, make you lips and tongue tingle with fire depending on the chili picked and flavored mild medium or hot. There are hotter than hot flavors but this is usually not recommended for beginners who are trying the delicious treat for the first time. She mentioned she preferred hot chili from the Diaz Farms in Hatch New Mexico and takes a trip annually to buy enough to last her for a full year making it last till the next harvest season. 

The hardest thing about making this meal it the time it takes to chop all the ingredients and put them all together as a meal.  Finding the right flavor is important and can only be done by sampling the different kinds of chilies out there. Normally the use of Anaheim and Poblano chilies is most common but they are grown in California so if you want New Mexico green chili you must buy New Mexico chilies home grown within the state. 

She left us with one comment or advice. Never use the canned chilies or any other product that claims to be green chili. There are many hot peppers out there advertised as green chili but sticking to the Hatch type pods will give you peppers that will set your mouth on fire depending whether you get mild medium or hot.