Tiradito de salmon ceviche at La Tablita in Hyatt Regency Dubai Creek Heights, Dubai Healthcare City
Any challenges for chefs?
Hurtado: I asked my chefs who are non-Mexican this question and the first thing they said was the language — chefs shout in the kitchen, so Spanish is spoken at times. Another point was ingredients; they had never worked with some types of chillis before.
Schaeffer: Challenges include the sourcing of quality, authentic ingredients, particularly as South America is such a long way from the region. Another obstacle is changing consumer perceptions of Mexican food.
Lopez: Technique is hugely important; a challenge we face is expressing how seemingly simple cooking processes, if not perfected, can be the difference between okay and amazing dishes. It takes time and experience for chefs new to Mexican cooking to know exactly when a fresh tortilla is ready to pass from the hot flat top to the plate to be filled. I’m lucky enough to have grown up eating and cooking tortillas, so it’s second nature to me but it’s hard to teach by the book.
Canales: Since it is such a diverse and evolving cuisine, you need to stay informed of new trends and push the envelope when it comes to experimenting with new flavours.
How’s the supply stream for this region?
Hurtado: Most of our items are imported from Mexico like avocados, chillis (habanero, serrano,) and dried chillies (guajillo, pasilla) but some items are available locally, like fresh produce. There are some times in the year that fresh chillis might be a bit harder to get than others but in general we always get what we need.
Rito: Almost all of the common products are here; from fresh Mexican avocado, to dry chillies and corn flour.
Schaeffer: The supply stream is improving but it still has a long way to go — much of this is largely due to the distance from Mexico and the cuisine, until a few years ago, not being so popular.
Lopez: I thought that I’d be able to source almost anything here from Mexico but it’s surprising how little is available, despite plenty of produce available from other South American countries. Understandably, suppliers here have relatively limited knowledge when it comes to Mexican produce, and we’re very particular about the specification of our products.
Flores Nava: It’s difficult in the region to grow the fresh ingredients needed for our cuisine, so we understand there is an element of import, but the quality of suppliers is improving.
Canales: Surprisingly uncomplicated; in the UAE, you can order fresh avocados from Mexico on Sunday and receive them by Tuesday. We are fortunate in that there are many good quality, reliable suppliers in the region, and you can get the best products without many problems.
Meet the experts
Daniel Hurtado, chef de cuisine, La Tablita
Oscar Rito, head chef, Tortuga
Matthew Schaeffer, group executive chef, Bull&Roo (Muchachas)
Jimmy Rojas Lopez, head chef, Zoco
Juan Flores Nava, executive chef, Loca
Humberto Canales, head chef, Bu!
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