Chilaquiles are one of Mexican food’s hidden treasures. They are rich, hearty, and colorful. Moreover, you can add your personal touch to chilaquiles easily, without breaking any traditions.
Mexico’s Independence Day is near, and you don’t have to be Mexican to celebrate it.
I mean, yeah, of course you’re not going to feel the same way as Mexicans do, but hey, it’s a happy holiday to meet with friends, family to honor a culture that is fascinating and enriching at the same time. Plus, it’s the perfect excuse to spruce up on your Mexican cuisine discoveries. Aaaand yes, there’s more to Mexican food than just tacos.
Yes, there is a whole world of how to use tortillas. There are even cookbooks made only about tortillas (don’t believe me? See this one, and this one, and this one). There should be a tortilla dictionary (mmm…!). Because, believe it or not, they all taste so much different!
Like in these chilaquiles
In this dish the tortillas are even called differently: totopos de maíz. They call them like this when they’re fried, and they are usually triangle-shaped.
Chilaquiles and Nachos aren’t the same!
There’s a lot of people that confuse chilaquiles with nachos but those people don’t matter. Even if you were to spot chilaquiles or nachos from afar, you would clearly see that the tortillas are all submerged and smothered in the sauce, as opposed to nachos, that usually have melted cheese and other things on top and u gotta fight your friends to get one with enough goodies on it.
Now you know! So, nobody can’t trick you. Specially that you’re going to learn to make them at home with this practical and easy to make recipe.
The great thing about this dish is that it’s like a chameleon: you can mix and match and subtitute many things for others. The original chilaquiles are just the totopos with the salsa, but you can add a whole lot of things such as sour cream, cheese (usually a dry/salty cheese works well – I used cotija cheese – but I know some people melt cheese over it), avocado, shredded pork, chicken or beef, chorizo, etc.
Let me know what you like to put in them in the comments below!
Hope you have a very fun fiesta and celebrate… even if it’s just in your mouth while having some of these delicious chilaquiles!!
Red and Green Chilaquiles
Ingredients
- 1½ cup of vegetable oil (to fry)
- 20 corn tortillas (preferably from the previous day)
- Salt, to taste
Red Chilaquiles Salsa
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ of a red onion
- 2 serrano peppers (if you are into spicy things, you can add a bit more!)
- ⅓ cup of the water where you’ve boiled the above veggies
- 3 big tomatoes
Green Chilaquiles Salsa
- 1 california pepper (You can use 1 guajillo pepper instead if you want it spicier)
- ¼ of a white onion
- 1 garlic clove
- ⅓ cup of the water where you’ve boiled the above veggies
Decoration & Add-ons
- Shredded Cotija cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Chopped red onions
Instructions
- Heat the oil and cut the tortillas into strips. Once the oil is hot, deep fry the tortillas.
- When the tortillas get crispy, take them out of the oil and place them in a bowl with absorbent paper towels.
Green Salsa
- Boil green tomatillos with garlic, onion, and a Serrano or a Jalapeño pepper.
- Once the tomatillos change their color, it's time to drain the water. Save 1/3 of a cup of this water for later use.
- Blend the boiled veggies with the boiled water until you get a salsa consistency. There, you can choose how chunky or liquid you want it.
Red Salsa
- Put tomatoes and chile in a pot to boil. Remember to save about 1/3 of a cup of the boiled water.
- Once the tomatoes are soft, add them to the food processor with the chile, a garlic clove, and the boiled water you saved. Then, blend your red salsa.
Puting it all together
- Now, we will fry our salsas. First, heat oil on a pan and then add chopped red onions. Once the onions are done, add the red salsa mix. Add the totopos and let them cook in the salsa for a bit. If you want, you can add other ingredients to this mix. I used a couple of eggs for each pan, but you can add pork, shredded beef, or chicken if you want.
- In a separate pan, heat some oil and pour the green salsa. Like we did with the red chilaquiles, add the totopos to the green salsa and let them cook with a couple of eggs.
Now, let's serve!
- Fill half of the dish with red chilaquiles and the other half with green chilaquiles. In the middle, put a bit of sour cream. On top, add shredded cotija cheese. You can decorate with chopped red onions and cilantro too.
- Enjoy your Mexican-style breakfast!
Video
Notes
*Remember you can always combine it with meats and other protein-filled foods like eggs, which I used for my recipe
If you liked this chilaquiles recipe, you might like some of my other recipes too. You can check them here.
And remember, if you try this recipe and want to share your pictures, remember to tag me @lacooquette on Instagram. I’d love to share your pictures on my IG stories.
Note: We published this recipe first on September 13, 2014.
YouTube Beginner’s disclaimer 😄: we shot the video in 2014. We were beginners, but the recipe is still quite good. Enjoy!
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