For Foodies: The Mexicali Hot Shop

I eagerly await the annual visit to the in-Iaws to gorge myself on rich, chocolaty mole and carne asada wrapped up in fresh corn tortillas (of course I’m happy to see my in-laws too). Until now, whatever myriad collection of canned goods and bottled hot sauce I could cram in my suitcase had to tide me over between trips to Mexico. But what if I told you that I found a place here in Prague that sells both mole and fresh corn tortillas? And I’m talking must-use-in-three-days fresh, not that strange, canary yellow variety of tortillas sold in Tesco and Albert. Yep, that’s right. The Mexicali Hot Shop supplies all the products you need for your Mexican fix.

The whole time I was politely listening about the different products, I couldn’t take my eyes off the pozole (112 CZK). Of course this thick pork and hominy stew is best sampled from a big cauldron at a market stall in Mexico, but what’s a girl in Prague to do? The cuitlacoche (165 CZK) grabbed my attention as well; I mean, it’s not often you see corn fungus sold in a can. By the time I walked out of the shop, I had acquired two bags laden with chips, salsas, tortillas, pozole, cuitlacoche, mole and seasonings. Get ready stomach, here we come!

Once home, I barely managed to hang up my jacket and set my bag down before digging into the chips and salsa. The plain restaurant style chips get my vote over the fancy Sabor Especial ones because the salsa is so tangy and flavorful you don’t want to detract from it. That said, if you’re into flavored nacho chips, the Nuevo Progreso version is much better—they don’t leave that salty, chemical aftertaste in your mouth. Of all the La Costeña salsas, my favorite, as usual, was the salsa verde (250g 47 CZK)—I have a weakness for tomatillos (green tomatoes).