Birria is a traditional Mexican stew made with different types of Mexican chiles, spices, meats, veggies and cheese. Traditional Birria stew is garnished with onion, cilantro and lime and served with a side of corn tacos. Birria Tacos is a recent trend across North America an this version of Birria is called “Quesabirria”, which includes Tacos dipped in Birria stew and grilled on a pan and stuffed with Veggies and cheeses ( traditionally meat is used). Birria sauce / consomme is served on the side for dipping.
My version of Birria Tacos for veggie lovers uses the main ingredients from the traditional Mexican recipes but the meats are substituted with grilled vegetables. Also, the cooking time is reduced as we don’t stew the meat, which normally takes a long time to get the desired flavor.
The key to a perfect Quesabirria / Birria Tacos is to get the authentic Mexican ingredients. You can find all the ingredients in most grocery stores across North America or order from online stores like Amazon.
Please note that my recipe doesn’t use meat and hence the dipping sauce / consomme is low in fat or floating oil ( as you see in most recipe pictures).
Please try this recipe and if you like it, please share with your friends. I would appreciate it if you can leave your feedback with any suggestions and comments.
Birria Tacos recipe for Veggie lovers
Description
Corn Tacos dipped in Birria stew and grilled with a stuffing of Veggies and cheeses with a side of Birria sauce / consomme for dipping.
Ingredients
For the Chili paste
For the dipping sauce or consomme
Birria Tacos - assembly and serving
Instructions
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Prepare the chilies
- Remove seeds and stalks from Guajillo and Pasilla chilies
- Boil 3 cups of water
- Pour the hot water in the bowl with chilies and soak for 10 minutes
- Remove the chilies from water
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Blend the chili paste
- Add the chilies and all the ingredients listed in the “Chili paste” section to a kitchen blender jar
- Blend until all ingredients are ground into a fine paste
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Prepare the dipping sauce or consomme
( refer to the ingredients in the dipping sauce section)
- Keep a medium size stock pot with thick bottom on the stove
- Pour the cooking oil and heat the oil until small bubbles appear ( do not heat till the oil starts to smoke)
- Add the carrots and minced onions
- Increase the heat level to high and keep stirring until the vegetables have softened (for about 3-4 minutes)
- Add the chili paste ( from step 2) and stir well
- Add the bay leaves
- Add the vegetable bouillon powder ( if using cubes - make sure to powder them before adding), paprika, sugar, salt, pepper. Stir well.
- Add vegetable broth
- Bring the mixture to boil. Lower the heat and let the liquid simmer for 20 minutes.
- Check for salt level and adjust as needed.
- Divide the consomme into two parts - 2/3 rd part to be used for serving Tacos and 1/3 rd part to dip the Tacos before frying
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Grill the Onions and Bell peppers
- Cut the onions and bell peppers into thin slices lengthwise (about 4 mm thick)
- Keep a frying pan on the stove at high heat ( highest level of flame)
- When the pan is hot , add the onions. Sprinkle 1 Tsp of oil
- Stir until the oil coats uniformly
- Let the onion cook on high heat. Stir every 45 seconds. We want to get a nice char and smoky flavor on the onions.
- Once the onions start to turn brown and get charring on the edges, remove from heat.
- The secret of getting the right flavor of grilled onions is to maintain the high heat so that the onions don't get soft while the outer layer is burnt.
- Repeat the process for Green bell peppers
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Prepare the Birria tacos
- Heat a non-stick flat grill or griddle or frying pan
- Spread a thin layer of oil
- Heat the Tacos, reversing after a minute until the tacos are lightly crispy
- Once the Taco is crispy, dip it into the consomme so that the liquid coats both sides thinly, and transfer it back to the frying pan
- Keep the heat on medium level and let the Taco absorb the consomme while it turns crispy (about 2-3 minutes)
- Reverse the Taco after 2 minutes
- Once the Tacos are crispy and firm, Spread the grated cheese and let it melt
- Add 2-3 slices each of grilled onion and bell peppers
- Top the grilled veggies with fresh diced onion and cilantro (small quantity)
- Fold the Tacos and transfer to a serving plate
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Serving the Birria Tacos
- Arrange 4 Birria tacos in a serving plate
- Pour about ⅓ cup of dipping sauce / consomme into a bowl
- Sprinkle some fresh onions and cilantro on top of the consomme
- To enjoy the Tacos, dip a taco into the consomme and take a bite. The taco needs to be dipped into the consomme for every bite.
Notes
- The birria consomme can be stored in the refrigerator for couple of days
- The birria consomme can also be used as a topping for cilantro rice with tofu, black beans and grilled vegetables