I often find that when people think of Mexican food the first thing that comes to mind is Tacos.
Tacos definitely play an important roll of Mexican cuisine. However, from my experience, a large number of people in the United States have never enjoyed a real Mexican taco. Most of the tacos found in America are either Tex-Mex or Mexican-American involving some questionable “taco meat,” hard shells, and weird toppings like bottled salsa and lettuce.
A real Mexican Taco consists of a protein, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro in a corn tortilla; while a hint of lime juice and salsa finish it off. This is the type of taco that you will find all over Mexico’s streets with a variety of protein options.
Before turning vegetarian, my FAVORITE taco was a chorizo taco. I could seriously eat 10 of these little things in one seating. Therefore, I had to learn how to adapt chorizo as a vegetarian option.
I hope you enjoy these tacos as much as I do.
Yields: approximately 10 small tacos
Ingredients:
1 cup soyrizo – I make my own but a much easier option is to just buy it. After many tastings, my favorite is Trader Joe’s Soyrizo. It is super tasty and has the least preservatives.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
10 small corn taco tortillas (I make my own)
1 lime
Salsa Roja
Ingredients for soyrizo:
1/2 cup texturized soy protein (TVP)
1 quart of boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of guajillo sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons corn oil
To make soyrizo (skip if buying pre-made):
- Hydrate TVP in boiling water for about 7 minutes. When soft, drain water and rinse under cold water to remove bitter taste.
- Using a cheese cloth squeeze all of the water from TVP. Leaving as dry as possible.
- In an extended pan, heat oil under medium heat. Then add TVP and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Immediately after, add paprika, onion powder, cayanne, and guajillo sauce. Allow for sauce and spices to really incorporate with the TVP (about 1 minute).
- Lower your heat and add white vinegar.
- Cook your soyrizo until it begins to brown and become crispy.
Hint: Make sure to really spread your soyrizo out on the pan when cooking. Do not over crowd.
To serve, simply place soyrizo on top of corn tortilla and add, onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa on top.
That’s it!
