When we travel, one our favorite activities is to recreate some of the delicious foods we enjoyed on the trip in our kitchen back home in San Francisco. What better way to learn how to do this with Mexican cuisine than taking a cooking class in Mexico City?
We examined several different classes (all of which were able to accommodate my Celiac needs) and opted for Aura Cocina Mexicana based on the reviews, the fact that it incorporated a market tour, and the fact that it was an authentic four course Mexican feast.
If you’re looking for an outstanding culinary class in Mexico City, look no further.
We booked experiences through Airbnb experiences, which is developing into one of our go-to travel resources. On this trip, we participated in four separate Airbnb experiences – a Mezcal tasting,a trip to Teotihuacan,a coffee tasting experience, and the cooking class outlined here. All of them were fantastic and we will consider Airbnb experiences again on future trips.
Click here to explore all of the Airbnb lodging possibilities in Estes Park
Oh, and this is not an ad. I paid for the class, and this represents my honest perspective on an amazing cooking class in Mexico City.Affiliate Disclaimer: if you click through the links in this post and book an experience, I do get a small amount of money at no additional cost to you.
Aura Cocina Mexicana: An Authentic Cooking Class in Mexico City
We have participated in cooking classes before, both while traveling like in Valparaiso, Chile, and at home in the Bay Area. We cooked often at home, so cooking classes are one of my favorite ways to explore the food culture of a new city or place we’re exploring.
For this class, we arrived at 10 AM at their lovely location in Roma Norte and were directed to our kitchen on the third floor. It’s a lovely three-story building with ample natural light, colorful decorative elements, plus a gas stove that I was really excited about (I dislike electric stoves intensely).
As we waited for the class to start we introduced ourselves to the others in our class over a very refreshing agua fresca. We were a group comprised of six people from different places, including an American couple from Denver and a Swiss couple.
I also spent some time conversing with Lorena and confirming that everything would be gluten free. The only two components that will include gluten are bread for the mole (which we omitted) and flour for dusting the cornbread pan (we used rice flour).
For those locations, our writeups will be somewhat shorter (as we lack firsthand knowledge), so we`ll ensure to recommend a resource for learning more about them.
The Market Tour (+ Snacks)
On our journey, we stopped a few times. My favorite stop was undoubtedly the intersection of Coahuila and Medellin. Two noteworthy events occurred at this junction. The first was an exquisite squash blossom blue corn quesadilla, which rapidly became one of my favored foods of the trip. The Quesadilla stand has been situated there for decades, and the 84-year-old Mexican woman owner is still regularly crafting quesadillas most days of the week
The second occurrence on that intersection introduced us to tamales dulces. A man on a bicycle was transporting a large metal drum brimming with tamales, which Lorena clarified to us are regularly consumed as a breakfast food in Mexico. Anytime, truly. Tamales dulces are identical to regular tamales, with the exception of fruit flavors and a vivid pink hue (undoubtedly an all-natural coloration, I`m certain). We returned three times for breakfast – they were that gratifying.
After filling up on tamales and quesadillas, we ventured into the market to learn about Mexican cuisine and produce. We stopped by a fruit stand displaying an assortment of chiles and a stand highlighting traditional foods from Oaxaca, where I tasted the most delectable chocolate of the trip.
My most significant takeaway from the market tour led by Lorena? It was uncovered that fresh chiles varieties including poblanos and serrano transform into ancho chiles and chiles de arbol when ripened until red then dried. I was certainly unaware previously. An enlightening revelation.
After walking through the market with Lorena’s informative commentary, it was time to head back to the Aura kitchen, roll up our sleeves, and begin cooking.
The Four Course Mexican Feast
The first dish we prepared (also the last dish we consumed) was corn bread. But not the type of corn bread you’d find here in the US. It was made with lots of fresh corn kernels that need to be removed from the cobb within 24 hours of baking for best results. It’s a dessert rather than a side dish. Although after the amount of butter and honey I spread on cornbread at home, it’s basically a dessert, isn’t it?
Next, we learned how to prepare roasted chilies for salsas. We removed the charred skin, cut them open, and took out the seeds and veins to minimize the spice levels (keeping the veins so we could add them back in to increase the spice levels later if needed).
We created two delicious salsa recipes, one green and one red. The green salsa was SUPER simple – chiles and lime that were blended together to create a tangy and spicy condiment. Next, we used a molcajete to make the red salsa, grinding the garlic and chiles into the side of the molcajete before adding tomatoes and using the juices to bring it all together.
I found the salsa we created from our class ingredients to be an interesting case, as the three versions we obtained were entirely unique based on the heat levels of the individual peppers incorporated. While we anticipated our blend would be very spicy according to the fragrance of the chilies, it transpired to be the mildest and most tomato-centric of the trio. Still, freshly prepared salsa vastly surpasses store-bought varieties in quality, and this workshop confirmed how simple yet delicious it is to generate. An awareness I previously held, but the session emphasized.
The initial course we consumed was sopes – a thick tortilla molded to resemble a bowl for holding all the toppings. We had attempted to prepare this at home before, but I learned precisely what we were doing incorrectly (they turned out terribly). You need to cook them first, then shape them when they come off the stove while still warm. We had formed them raw and cooked them in the molded shape, resulting in plenty of raw masa dough in the final product. The more one comes to know, right? We topped them with beans, lettuce, cheese, and salsa. Delicious.
The next dish was Mextlapiques, which essentially resembles a tamale without the corn husk. We took corn leaves and stuffed them with all types of veggies (including nopales, the cactus foliage), cheese, and an incredible spearmint sauce that I proudly created.
By made, I mean combining a few whole ingredients that were poured into a blender, salt was added, and the blender was activated on the “blend” setting. Extremely easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious.
They were wrapped like tamales, and cooked over the comal until the veggies were cooked through, the corn husk was a little charred, and the cheese was the perfect amount melted.
Next, we moved forward with the primary attraction – the mole blanco. We took turns toasting sesame seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, almonds, and raisins before integrating them with chilies and chicken stock to develop the creamy base. We ended up including all the pepper stems we had to boost the spiciness, but it did not end up extremely spicy. We simmered it for a few moments to thicken it, and got ready to eat.
Finally, once the labor was done, it was time to dine.
The Final Product (aka the food)
The paragraph contained imagery depicting the variety of foods and drinks that were enjoyed by the group of six travelers plus Lorena during their outing. Visuals were provided of the Mexican cuisine and craft beers they sampled, including a women-distilled mezcal from Oaxaca that was consumed twice by one individual.
Overall, I really enjoy cooking demonstrations as a means of learning about the culinary culture of a location I`m traveling to. Aura went above and beyond to make the experience truly amazing for the six of us in attendance. Lorena was an exceptional host, and I would highly recommend this class for food enthusiasts.
traveling to Mexico City. They also offer other activities and cooking classes in Mexico City, which you can check out here.
Final Thoughts: Aura Cocina Cooking Class in Mexico City
Overall, I would advise this class to basically anyone. Whether you enjoy cooking at home regularly or find yourself ordering meals for delivery more often than preferred, you`ll learn something new, enjoy some delicious food, and meet some like-minded travelers through this cooking experience in Mexico City.
Wanting to learn more about Mexico City? I’ve got the information you need.
