Chile Verde is a popular Mexican dish with an aromatic green chile sauce with cilantro, and tomatillos. These chile verde tacos have all the flavours of the Mexican dish, and taste delicious with tomatoes, onions, avocado, crema, queso fresco or lettuce.
Chile Verde Tacos
By Dhanistha Rivera (www.TheVegetarianBlog.com)
Chile Verde
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeño chile, minced
1 package of chicken style strips or pieces – for example Fry’s or Quorn, 1inch tofu strips, pre grilled, pan or deep fried, texturized vegetable protein)
1 cilantro bunch
1 tsp salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Salsa Verde
1 tsp oil
1 Poblano chile, minced
1/2 jalapeño chile, minced
1 yellow banana pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
8 tomatillos
1/4 cup water
1/2 yellow or white onion, quartered
1 tsp salt
Tacos
8-12 corn tortillas
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
2-4 limes, quartered
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Method
1 Heat 1 tbsp of oil on a high flame and add cumin seeds, onions and chilies. Sauté onions until translucent and you can smell that goodness of all them flavors.
2 Add protein (tofu, soy chicken strips) and add to the sofrito (Mexican word for stir fry) and mix well. Crack some fresh black pepper and chop the cilantro bunch in half separating the stalks and leaves. Mince the stalks and add to the Sofrito and set leaves aside for later use.
3 Continue to occasionally stir for the next 10 minutes or until seitan has become a bit crispy, browned and absorbed the spices. Lower the flame if your ingredients are burning.
4 Meanwhile heat 1 tsp of oil in a large frying pan, and place chilies, garlic and tomatillos on a high flame and roast for 5 minutes, letting the tomatillos blacken in spots.
5 Add 1/4 cup of water and cover for only 1 minute (cooking tomatillos too long makes them bitter and sour). Place onion in a blender with a tsp of salt and add the tomatillos, garlic, and chilies with no liquid. Blend salsa until smooth and thick, and then add cilantro and pulse for a few seconds to mix. And now, ladies and gentlemen, you have yourself a Mexican Chile Verde Salsa!
6 Check on the sofrito, fry and turn off when it has become crispy, then add enough salsa (about half of the blender) to soak the protein to make it juicy but not soggy. Mix well and add remaining cilantro leaves. Save the rest of the salsa to serve on tacos.
7 Heat up tortillas to your liking and add the Chile Verde, salsa verde, cabbage, a sprinkle of cilantro and a squeeze of a lime.
Optional toppings could be: tomatoes, onions, avocado, crema, queso fresco, lettuce, Pico de Gallo etc…
About the author: Dhanistha Rivera, AKA the “Creative Latin Diva” is passionate about cooking with seasonal garden fresh and local fruits and vegetables, to obtain the maximum flavor and benefits of their natural harvest. She is a California based web designer and blogger of The Vegetarian Blog where she shares her vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free recipes from different cultures.