Red Chilli Tortilla Soup
Inspired by techniques from Bon Appétit.
A rich purée of charred guajillo and pasilla chillies, tomatoes and fried corn tortillas gives this soup its deep red colour and bold toasted-chilli flavour, built on chicken broth. Crisp tortilla strips, queso fresco, avocado and crema go on at the very last minute, so the broth stays silky while the garnish stays crunchy.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Prep the chillies. Slit one long side of each guajillo chilli and pull it open; pull out the seeds and membranes, then press the chilli flat with your hand. Cut the pasilla chillies into strips about 2.5 cm x 6 mm.
- 2
Fry the tortilla strips and whole tortillas. Cut 6 of the tortillas into strips the same size as the pasilla strips. Heat 158 ml of the corn oil in a heavy medium frying pan over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 175°C. Fry the tortilla strips in 2-3 batches, tossing, until crisp and golden, about 1 minute per batch, then lift onto kitchen paper with a slotted spoon. Fry the remaining 6 whole tortillas one at a time in the same oil until golden and almost crisp, about 30 seconds per side, then drain on kitchen paper.
- 3
Fry the chillies for garnish. Working in batches, add the guajillo chillies to the hot oil and press them flat with a spatula until they blister and curl at the edges, about 10 seconds per side; drain on kitchen paper. Add the pasilla strips and stir for about 10 seconds, just until fragrant, then drain.
- 4
Simmer the chilli-tomato base. Combine the chopped tomatoes, water, onion, garlic, epazote (or coriander) and bicarbonate of soda in a large heavy pot. Crumble the fried whole tortillas and the fried guajillo chillies into the pot. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer, stirring now and then, until the water is almost absorbed and the chillies are soft, about 6 minutes.
- 5
Purée and cook the soup. Working in 3 batches, purée the mixture in a blender until smooth, adding 60 ml of the broth to each batch; fill the blender no more than half full and vent the lid, since the mixture is hot. Heat the remaining 30 ml corn oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the purée and cook, stirring, until it thickens and deepens in colour, about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 770 ml broth, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8 minutes to develop the flavour. Season with the fine salt, starting with the measured amount and tasting as you go.
- 6
Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with the fried tortilla strips, chilli strips, queso fresco, diced avocado and a spoonful of crema.
Storage
Best served right away, with the crisp garnishes added just before eating. Refrigerate the plain soup base (without garnishes) in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months; reheat gently until piping hot and add fresh tortilla strips, cheese, avocado and crema. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
EU nutrition claims
- Source of protein: 3 g protein per 100 kcal, about 12% of energy (needs ≥ 12%)
- Low sugars: 1.4 g sugars per 100 ml (limit ≤ 2.5 g)
Per 100 ml of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 234 ml a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- chef's knife
- chopping board
- heavy medium frying pan
- slotted spoon
- kitchen paper
- heavy lidded pot
- blender
- large saucepan
- ladle
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 374 kcal |
| Protein | 11.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 39.9 g |
| of which sugars | 3.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 20.9 g |
| of which saturates | 4.9 g |
| Fibre | 8.4 g |
| Salt | 1.43 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
3 g High protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
