Salbutes: Make your own street food
While we all tend to thnk of Mexican cuisine as meat-heavy, I found a lot of street vendors who either had vegetarian options or who were willing to put together a vegetarian option that was a whole lot more than just leaving out the meat.
On a hostel hop last year, we were in the Yucatan. We were staying in a tent by the most beautifully blue lagoon you've ever seen, just a mile from town where there was a good produce store, a general grocery store and a good carneteria for the hub's meals.
Between our accomodations and town, there were several vendors (two of them making round on bicycles with coolers strapped to the handle bars). One was serving up Salbute, which are traditionally made with poultry, but when I followed my nose, I found the chef there willing to talk about some options.
She had vegetarian friends who liked sweet potatatos in lieu of flesh. Sometimes, they based their fillings on corn or beans. Seasonings were key, she said. You can elevate every day sides to glorious meals with a little spice or even by pickling.
Lime juice is a favorite flavor booster. White vinegar is an inexpensive and fast pickling basis. The best thing is, you can use cheap ingredients that are full of flavor and mix it with your imagination and you can have some pretty great meals.
Most street food, of the tortilla-wrapped sort, is made with small 12 cm (4,5 inches) corn wrappers. Sometimes they're deep fried. Often they're grilled with the fillings on a plancha in the cart.
That's the food I love.
I made my three favorites below: a corn mix, topped with avocado; a double bean mix with pickled red onions and a sweet potato mash. Use your imagination to create your own favorites.
Vegetarian Salbutes
Corn Mixture
4 servings
- 1 cup of fresh or thawed frozen corn
- 1/2 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon of oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of cojito cheese, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon of mayo
- 1 tablespoon of sour cream
- 1/2 tablespoon of cilantro leaves, minced
- 1 teaspoon of lime zest
- Saute the corn and bell pepper in a skillet until it is heated through. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Mix all the other ingredients (except the avocado) and stir into the corn.
- Divide among 4 fried street tortilla.
- Top with sliced avocado.
Bean Mixture
4 servings
Includes a recipe for refried beans which are superior to any canned version.
In a hurry? Use the canned version.
- 1/2 cup of dry pinto beans
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 2 cups of water
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of lard
- 1/2 cup of canned black beans
- 1/4 cup of pickled red onion
- Soak the beans overnight (12 hours or so) in water in a medium bowl. Be sure the beans are completely covered.
- Strain and put the beans, the garlic and the onion into a pot with the 2 cups of water. Make sure the beans are fully covered.
- Bring the pot to a boil and stir in the salt before turning the heat down to low and cover. Leave it to simmer for half an hour.
- Take off the cover, stir the mixture and cook, uncovered for another hour.
- Once the beans are soft, heat the lard over medium heat, in a cast iron skillet.
- Put the beans (along with the garlic and onion) into the lard and start mashing them. The beans will begin to fry in the lard as they are being smashed.
- Add the cooking water as necessary to make the mashed beans smooth.
- When they are the consistency you want, spread on the tortillas.
- Top with black beans and red onions.
Sweet Potato Mash Mixture
Serves 4
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon of butter
- 1 scallion, sliced, both green and white parts
- 1 teaspoon of rosemary, fresh or dried, for serving
- Boil the sweet potato until it's soft.
- Drain and mash, mix in the butter, the cumin and salt and pepper.
- Divide between the tortillas and top with the scallions and the rosemary.
