Provecho: Real Mexican Food at Home (Daniella Guevara Muñoz, Murdoch)

Author and cook Daniella Guevara Muñoz brings the flavours of her childhood in Mexico City to life in Provecho: Real Mexican Food at Home, with co-writer David Knight. Guevara Muñoz, who runs La Popular Taqueria in Port Adelaide, calls her upbringing ‘the best food education that money can’t buy’. In her debut cookbook, she explains how every dish carries a depth of flavour rooted in traditions passed down through generations. From street food essentials known as ‘Vitamin T’ (tacos, tortas and tostadas) to breakfast ideas, soups, mains, desserts and salsas, Provecho covers the building blocks of Mexican cooking, giving readers the foundation to create endless flavour combinations at home. The cookbook delivers on every front: a wide variety of dishes you’ll want to cook immediately, evocative location shots and inviting food photography by Simon Bajada, a modern design, and a friendly authorial voice. It blends personal anecdotes, cultural and historical context, and even a language element, weaving in English and Spanish terms with their meanings. Guevara Muñoz also highlights the international influences that have shaped Mexican cuisine, exemplified in recipes such as pasta seca enchipotlada (chipotle dry pasta with tomatoes, angel hair pasta and refried beans). She also adds a uniquely Australian twist, including a recipe for barbacoa de cola de canguro (kangaroo tail barbacoa) – something you won’t find in Mexico. Provecho proves that cooking authentic Mexican food is achievable for any level of home cook – even in an Australian kitchen.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Jess Lomas is the reviews editor at Books+Publishing. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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