Mexican Restaurant Copycats

Mexican food at chain restaurants gets simplified and oiled-down: the tortillas are fried in vegetable shortening, the beans come from a can pre-seasoned with yeast extract, the salsas are made from concentrate. The underlying cuisine — one of the most sophisticated in the world — deserves better.

These recipes lean on the real techniques: dried chiles for depth, fresh lime and cilantro, lard or avocado oil instead of soybean blend, rice cooked with real tomato. Whether you're after Chipotle's bowl or a proper street-style taco, this is the clean version.