Grandma Adela’s Aztec Tortilla Soup

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas (cut into thin strips)
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil (for frying the tortilla strips)
• 5 red tomatoes (ripe, chopped)
• 0.5 white onion (chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 2 dried pasilla chiles (stemmed and seeded; may be partially substituted with ancho chiles)
• 4 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade and low-sodium)
• 2 sprig fresh epazote (or one small sprig)
• salt (to taste)
• 1 avocado (cubed or sliced, for serving)
• 100 g queso fresco (crumbled, for serving)
• 0.5 cup sour cream (for serving)
• 0.25 white onion (finely chopped, for serving)
• 1 pasilla chile (fried and cut into rings, for garnish; optional)

Steps

1. 1

   Cut the corn tortillas into thin strips and pat them dry with paper towels if they are damp. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. 2

   Fry the tortilla strips in batches, without overcrowding the skillet, until golden brown and crispy, approximately 2-3 minutes per batch. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels and season lightly with salt.

3. 3

   Remove most of the oil from the skillet, leaving approximately 1 tbsp. Add the dried pasilla chiles and toast them briefly, about 10-15 seconds per side, until fragrant; do not burn them, as they will become bitter. Remove and set aside.

4. 4

   Place the chopped tomatoes, half the onion, and the garlic cloves in a blender. Blend until smooth; add a little broth if needed to help the blender run.

5. 5

   Heat the skillet over medium heat and pour in the strained or unstrained tomato sauce. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it darkens slightly and loses its raw tomato flavor.

6. 6

   Add the chicken broth and one sprig of epazote. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes so the flavors can meld. Taste and adjust the salt.

7. 7

   Remove the epazote. Divide some of the crispy tortilla strips among deep bowls and ladle the very hot soup over them. To preserve their crispness, you can also serve the tortillas separately and add them just before eating.

8. 8

   Top each bowl with avocado, queso fresco, sour cream, chopped onion, and, if desired, fried pasilla chile rings. Serve immediately.

Notes

No transcript, recipe description, pinned comment, or visible video text was provided. Therefore, the quantities, ingredients, and steps are an approximate reconstruction of a traditional Aztec tortilla soup and not a verifiable transcription of Nana Adela’s recipe. To prevent the tortillas from becoming soggy, add only some of them to the broth and serve the rest separately. The soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, but store the fried tortillas in an airtight container at room temperature and add them after reheating.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main course
• Mexican cuisine
• tortilla soup
• comfort food
• adaptable vegetarian
• fried
• traditional recipe