Mexican Spice Mix Recipe

I had an aim this week when I did my weekly shop - not to spend over £50.

We usually eat Mexican food once a week - nachos, enchiladas, chilli, fajitas. I usually buy a Mexican spice mix pack from the supermarket to make it quick and easy but I realised that they cost almost 90p per pack. I thought I would have a go at making my own 'bulk' Mexican spice mix in the hope that, in the long run, I could save some money.

I got a cheap airtight plastic pot and after trawling the internet and browsing some spice mix recipes, I decided upon the ingredients I would buy and added a little twist of my own.

I scaled this up, but the basic recipe mix was as follows:

1 1/2 teaspoons hot chilli powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion granules
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon cocoa powder
a good grind of rainbow peppercorns

Then I shook the spices all together - it smells amazing.

First test was on nachos (recipe to follow) and it was good - spicier than the store bought packet mixes though - you could maybe use a third less and still get the flavour overall. The cocoa really adds some depth and a little bitterness (I know it sounds a little weird, but it doesn't make it taste like chocolate at all!). If you want it a little less spicy, I'd cut down on the chilli and cumin - perhaps to 1 teaspoon each.

Anyway, even with spending around £8 on spices (I did already have salt, pepper and cocoa powder at home), I still managed to get my weekly shop under £50. I will be able to make substantially more than 10 dishes out of the Mexican spice mix which I now have stored so I have saved money in the long run too. I also still have plenty of spices left in the original jars for other dishes or to replenish my stocks.