Mexican chorizo: Spicy pork sausage. Use Mexican chorizo in Marcela's Mexican Made Easy Sauteed Potatoes with Chorizo recipe.
Substitute: hot Italian sausage or make your own with ground pork, garlic, cumin and paprika.
Purple bougainvillea: South American edible flower
Substitute: hibiscus
Chile de arbol: Small, bright red, fairly hot dried Mexican chile. Marcela's Easy Chile Salsa recipe uses this chile.
Substitute: chile powder
Tamarind pods: Tropical fruit both sweet and sour in taste
Substitute: lemon juice, lime juice or cider vinegar with a little sugar added
