Recipe: Chilaquiles

I love Chilaquiles. If they are on a menu, I’m ordering them. I have no idea if they are traditionally served as breakfast or brunch in Mexico, but it, seems to be common place in California; however, I would eat them any time of day.

The first time I had Chilaquiles, I was in LA going to a meeting with several companies and staying at a hotel near downtown. Because I did not have a car, and this was before Uber and Lyft existed, I couldn’t go far to eat. Well, I wandered around and found a café/diner. Unfortunately, I don’t recall the name. It was non-descript and, actually, looked run down and greasy on the outside, with lots of big rigs parked in the lot.

Upon entering, I realized the entire restaurant was full. Luckily as I was entering, someone was leaving, so there was an open seat at the counter. If there hadn’t been a seat, I probably would have left. As soon as I sat down, the waitress immediately asked what I wanted to order; I assume they serve mostly regulars, and that most of those regulars were truckers. I was about to order two eggs over easy with sausage and hash browns, when I glanced around. Every single person in the diner was eating a dish I had never seen before. A large white plate with what looked like corn chips and a red sauce with eggs on top. I said something that seemingly only happens in films, like When Harry Met Sally, “I’ll have what he’s having.”

I didn’t even know the name of the dish. She didn’t tell me. I had to ask the customer sitting next to me after I started eating, because it was so good, I had to know. That plate of Chilaquiles may have been the best I’ve ever had. The sauce, a salsa, was rich with chile flavor and the sweetness of the tomato, but when mixed with the runny yolks of the over easy egg… wow, it becomes something heavenly. The chips were not really crispy anymore, but somehow they were not soggy either. The prefect chewy texture, with just enough crema to calm the heat of the salsa. They were so good. No idea where to go to get it again, but now, I order chilaquiles any time I see them on the menu. 

I have had some great Chilaquiles in other places, including Zona Rosa on the Alameda in San Jose, where there is a black bean and chorizo puree in the bottom, but, nothing compares to that memory of eating them in LA so many years ago.

Here is my version.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of Guajilo salsa
  • (to make guajillo salsa take 4 medium dried guajillo chiles and toast in the oven at 400 for 3-4 mins. Then place in hot water and allow to re hydrate for about 20 mins. In the meantime, take 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes [this is a short cut; you could use all fresh tomatoes and roast them yourself] 1 jalapeno (roasted skin removed), 3 garlic cloves (roasted skin removed), 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and pure together. Once smooth, add the re-hydrated guajilos and puree again, adding a little bit of the chile liquid to make the right consistency. Chop 3 tablespoons of cilantro and add. Salt and lime juice to taste)
• 1 large fresh tomato
• Tortilla chips (a 2 cups per person roughly)
• 4 eggs (1 per person)
• Cilantro for garnish
• Cotija cheese for garnish
• 1 avocado sliced into slices
• Mexican Crème for garnish
• Queso Fresco for garnish
• ¼ lb of good chorizo
  • (Or you can make your own. Simply buy a pound of fine ground pork, and mix it with a teaspoon of cold water, 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced, ¼ cup of good-quality ancho chile powder, ½ teaspoon Mexican cinnamon, ground, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, salt, and then allow to sit for several days in the refrigerator)

Begin by pureeing the 1 ½ cups of salsa with a fresh tomato. If it is too thick add a little water. Also feel free to add salt and lime. (for the best result, you should peel and seed the tomato… but sometimes there just isn’t time for that. You could also strain the salsa as well before cooking it)

In one skillet, begin to brown chorizo, crushing it with a fork to make small pieces. Once done, remove from the pan and drain some of the access fat.

Over medium heat, begin to cook the salsa in a large skillet. Reduce the salsa until a slight viscus sauce. Add the chorizo and stir in. At this point, you are practically ready to eat. You must do these next steps quickly and plate for the Chilaquiles to be good.

Have another pan on the stove with a little vegetable oil in the bottom, heating over medium heat. Crack the four eggs in and sprinkle with salt. Once the sides begin to brown, place a lid on top and remove from the heat to cook the egg white on the surface and leave the yolk creamy.

At the same time, drop the chips into the salsa and toss, cooking. This depends on the chips how long this takes. You don’t want to not put any heat on them and have them be crunchy with sauce on top of them, not do you want to make them soggy. Toss, toss, toss.

Place the Chilaquiles on a plate. Top with cotija cheese (so it melts slightly) and cilantro. Then place egg on top and top that with queso fresco, avocado, and Mexican crème. Serve immediately.