Albuquerque City Lifestyle magazine went searching for uniquely New Mexican cuisine for the holidays. The Pueblo Kitchen at The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center fits the bill of fare. You may find this menu as an inspiration for your own holiday cooking.
The Pueblo Kitchen prepared us a meal that included: well-seasoned and marinated Christmas Green Chili Enchiladas, Blue Corn Fried Kool-Aid Pickles made fresh and soaked in Kool-Aid for one day, Taco Salad taco shells deep fried and piled high with ground beef, beans, calabacitas, and red and green chili for garnish, a Monte Cristo made from Pueblo Oven Bread and raspberry Chili Compote made from fresh berries, and an Indian Taco made using fresh Fry Bread. All created for us by Chef Joshua Aragon and his staff.
Sous Chef Joshua Aragon has worked at the Indian Pueblo Kitchen for the past four years. After starting as a dishwasher, he worked his way up to his sous chef position. He says, “I learned from all the previous chefs at the Indian Pueblo Kitchen. Everything that I was taught, I used that knowledge and passed it down to my cooks.”
Unique ingredients are important to Aragon. “I love to cook, using different ingredients for my meals. He enjoys teaching his staff and experimenting together in the kitchen.
Aragon says, “The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center is a destination spot for all guests visiting Albuquerque. We are unique because there is no other spot that guests can visit to learn about pueblo culture, history, and cuisine unless you go directly to a pueblo.” Many of the traditional dishes at the restaurant are the same dishes Aragon grew up eating at family gatherings and on feast days. He says using local fresh ingredients plays a significant role in making food tastier.
Aragon uses traditional southwest ingredients like blue, white, and red sweet corn, along with zucchini and beans. Corn, beans, and squash are affectionately called “the three sisters.” Planting these crops close together helps each of the crops to grow. Red & Green Chili is also a main ingredient and a big part of New Mexican cooking.
“New Mexican cuisine is very unique, as you can’t get this type of food anywhere else in the U.S. or Canada. Indigenous cuisine is even more unique, as it is only found in specific parts of the world, and the ingredients used are items that were used long before European settlers came to this land,” says Aragon.
The menu items are a combination of Pueblo, Spanish, and New Mexican dishes. Aragon says, “These ingredients are unique to New Mexico. A traditional Native American meal is somewhat similar to New Mexican meals, but we harvest and dry a lot of our foods so they can be used year-round.”
Kool-Aid and Prickly Pears have made it onto Aragon’s menu. Prickly Pears, commonly found in desert regions, can be mixed with a Kool-Aid puree for meat marinades, sauces, drinks, and dessert flavoring.
Aragon hopes visitors feel at home at the Indian Pueblo Kitchen. He says, “I hope they feel comfortable. I like to see the expressions and hear the good comments about our cooking to give my staff feedback, so they are proud of what they are cooking and doing for our guests.”
The restaurant at the cultural center feeds guests from all over the world. Aragon says, “The unique culture and history that people from all over want to come and experience at the center is special. There is always laughter, smiles, and good vibes here.” For more details, visit https://indianpueblokitchen.org
“New Mexican cuisine is very unique, as you can’t get this type of food anywhere else in the U.S. or Canada."