What Mexican food to cook this January

I’m all about the winter fruits right now, as we head into 2026. Guava’s sweet perfume as I enter a market is like a siren’s song drawing me straight to it. Big beautiful passionfruit, one of my all-time favourite fruits, are piled high. 

And this holiday season, I also fell in love with Atole de Tamarindo! The traditional seasonal atole with tamarind is a match made in heaven on a cool night. Join me for a trio of recipes using these delicious local fruits.

Passionfruit 

I love that passionfruit water is abundant this time of year. I can’t help myself; grabbing a bottle from the juice guys in the street while walking around just makes my day. Plus, it’s very easy to make. About 20 minutes, 3 ingredients, and 2 easy steps, and you have an amazing, refreshing drink at home. 

Agua fresca de Maracuyá

Ingredients:

• 5 passionfruit (add more if you like)
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions:

1. Cut four of the passionfruit in half and scoop fruit into a bowl. Keep the last passionfruit for topping the drinks. Add a cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar to a blender and blend for 30 seconds. 
2. Add the passionfruit and pulse two to three times then strain the mixture into a pitcher. Add the remaining three cups of water and stir well. Pour into glasses and top with the remaining passionfruit. 

Tip — line the rim of the glasses with tajín, it’s delicious! Or, for an alcoholic version, passionfruit is amazing in margaritas as well. 

Guava

Nutrient-packed and incredibly high in vitamin C (up to four times that of an orange), guavas have been a part of Mexican cuisine since approximately 200 B.C. I always snag a bag of guavas and make jam so I can enjoy it for weeks. Not only is it delicious, but at this time of year, our bodies could use a boost. If you’re a jam maker like me, consider adding a squeeze of lime and some chia seeds, but that’s just a matter of personal taste. 

Traditional guava jam

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of guavas
• 4 cups of water
• 1 ½ cup sugar

Pectin, which helps thicken the jam, is not needed as guavas already contain it.

 Instructions:

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, cover the guavas with the four cups of water and cook for 15 minutes until soft. Let cool until they can be handled, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds carefully, leaving as much flesh as possible.
2. Place the guavas, sugar, and one cup of the cooking water into a blender. Blend until smooth then return to the saucepan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for about half an hour. 
3. Jam is cooked when it has thickened enough that you can see the bottom of the pan while stirring. Pour hot jam into your jar, or jars, then let cool. It will last up to a month in the fridge. Properly sterilised canning jars will last up to a year in a cool pantry. 

Tamarind

This holiday season, I fell in love with atole de tamarindo. The delicious traditional warm atole with tamarind added is a sweet, tangy delight. The older the tamarind, the sweeter it is, so if yours tastes a little tart, add a little more sugar because it just means the tamarind pods were younger. 

Atole de tamarindo

Allow half an hour soaking time for the tamarind pods. I promise it’s worth it!

Ingredients:

• 4 oz, (114 grams) tamarind without the shell
• ¾ cup sugar
• 4 ¾ cups water
• 6 tablespoons masa harina
• An additional 1¼  cup of warm water for soaking the tamarind

Instructions:

1. Peel the tamarind and soak it in the warm water for half an hour. Then press the pods between your fingers to get the seeds out and rub to form a paste. 
2. In a medium saucepan, add the 4 cups of water and sugar plus the tamarind paste and place over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
3. While that’s heating, add the remaining ¾ cup of water with the masa harina to form a paste. Add it gently to the boiling tamarind mix. Simmer for about eight minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm. 

Mexico Correspondent for International Living, Bel is an experienced writer, author, photographer and videographer with 500+ articles published both in print and across digital platforms. Living in the Mexican Caribbean for over 7 years now, she’s in love with Mexico and has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.