If you have not been living under a rock, you know about chorizo tacos. You can also find vegetarian taco recipes on the food recipe blog – foodism .But in case you have been wondering what chorizo is, here is your answer-
Chorizo is a variety of sausage, it can be both cured or fresh and it originated in present-day Spain & Portugal. It is made from pork and heavy seasoning and can also include additional flavours like garlic, peanuts, onions etc. Chorizo has a distinctive red colour and also has sub-varieties, mainly- Mexican & Spanish chorizo. Let’s have a closer look-
Spanish Chorizo
Spanish chorizo is a cured type of sausage and includes coarsely-chopped pork. The red colour of Spanish chorizo comes from the heavy use of paprika along with other spices. It can be sweet or spicy, depending on the paprika that has been used. The defining feature is that Spanish chorizo uses smoked pork and paprika, giving it a distinctive smoky flavour.
A fun fact is that since the meat is cured, you can eat it without cooking!
Mexican Chorizo
Mexican chorizo is made from ground meat and the sausage is fresh rather than cured. The red colour is due to red pepper rather than paprika and pork fat is often added to the mixture to add flavour. The links are short and air-dried to enhance spice flavours.
Mexican chorizo must b cooked before eating and can be used in tacos, burritos, sandwiches and burgers!
So now that we know about chorizo, here are 2 recipes for you to try!
RECIPE #1
Ingredients-
- 2 corn tortillas
- ½ cup grated cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or coriander – divide them into 2 parts
- Fresh chorizo sausage
- 2 onions, sliced
- Sour cream
- Hot sauce
Method-
- Brush a large nonstick tawa with oil. Grill tortillas over a gas flame directly with tongs.
- Arrange tortillas in a single layer on the tawa and sprinkle each tortilla with cheese and set aside.
- Whisk eggs and 2 tablespoons cilantro in a medium bowl, and add salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in another pan and cook the chorizo sausage in it, add onions to it and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add egg mixture and stir until very softly for 1 minute. Remove egg mixture from heat.
- Cook tortillas on the tawa till they crisp from the bottom. Decide the egg and sausage mixture equally between tortillas.
- Put hot sauce and sour cream on top and garnish with the remaining cilantro.
Your breakfast tacos are ready!
RECIPE#2
Ingredients-
- ½ cup diced onions
- Spanish chorizo
- Olive oil, for pan
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- ½ cup Mexican blend cheese
- 6 soft flour tortillas – taco size
Toppings-
- Diced tomatoes
- Finely chopped cilantro
- Avocado slices
- Lime wedges
Method-
- Heat oil in a deep pan and cook the onions till caramelized. Since the Spanish chorizo is cured. It is not necessary to cook it, but you can add it to the pan at this stage.
- Set aside when both are cooked. In a bowl, whisk eggs, salt and pepper along with the heavy cream.
- Add cheese to this mixture and combine. Heat oil in the pan again.
- Add the egg mixture and stir with a rubber spatula. Sir until soft and fluffy and remove from the heat on a plate.
- Warm up the tortillas and arrange them in a single layer.
- Divide the egg mixture equally and top with chorizo and onions.
- Top with tomatoes, cilantro and any sauce of your choice. Add lemon juice and serve chorizo tacos Enjoy!
There are many more types of meats that are used in tacos or burritos such as Cabeza (brain) or Buche- stomach of the pig. Every meat has its own distinctive flavour that it imparts on the tacos. These recipes are fail-proof and can also be used at parties!