How to Make Authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup
Tortilla soup is a broth which is made from a broth to which various ingredients can be added, but which is always topped with strips of fried tortilla. While there are many iterations of this soup, perhaps the best known is sopa Azteca, a variation which uses a tomato broth as its base. It provides an intense chile flavor, but this is offset by being topped with creamy cheese, avocado and other soothing ingredients. It is perfect both for cold days to enjoy some comfort food, but it is also wonderful in the summer. While there may be different variations, some are more authentic or traditional than others.
At oneHOWTO, we explain how to make authentic Mexican tortilla soup. We share this sopa Azteca recipe which uses the finest ingredients to ensure a real depth of flavor.
Ingredients:
Steps to follow:
We will start our authentic Mexican tortilla soup recipe with its namesake. Take the tortillas and cut them into thin strips. Fry them in hot oil until they are golden and crispy. Place them on some absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Ensure they are crispy and golden, but do not burn them. This helps to ensure they do not fall apart too easily when in the liquid broth. If you want them to be less greasy, you can bake them or shallow fry them with only a little oil.
Prepare the broth by roasting the tomatoes, garlic, onion and chile in a skillet or griddle. Do so until golden brown and the skin is slightly charred. Roasting is a key step as it imparts the ingredients with an enhanced flavor and subtle smokiness which makes it all the more authentic.
Slice open the pasilla chiles and soak in hot water for 10 minutes. You can remove the seeds if you want the spice to be milder, but it is more authentic to leave at least some of them in. Add the tomatoes and the soaked chiles to a blender. Blend until homogenous. There should be enough water from the tomatoes to create a smooth sauce, but add a little of chile-soaking water if you need to.
In addition to adjusting the spice level, you can also adjust the texture. If you want a smoother broth, you can strain the liquid after blending.
We now move on to creating the sopa Azteca broth. Heat the oil in a large pot and pour in the tomato sauce. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and cook for about 10 more minutes to allow the flavors to become concentrated. If you do not have access to liquid broth, you can make the equivalent amount with stock cubes or some bouillon powder.
Add some of the fried the fried tortilla strips to the pot with the sauce and broth. Let cook for about 5 more minutes so the tortillas soften a little.
Don't let the tortilla strips overcook in the broth. They should only soften slightly so they maintain their texture and don't completely fall apart. At first, the soup will have a thinner consistency. After a few minutes, the tortillas will soak into the broth and thicken it a little.
Serve the soup hot in bowls and add your garnishes. Some of the most traditional are slices of avocado, strips of Oaxaca cheese and some lime to taste. You can also add a dollop of crème fraîche in addition to or as a replacement for the cheese. You will need to reserve enough of the strips of tortilla to finish off this traditional Mexican tortilla soup recipe. This will provide a crunchy contrast in texture to the soaked pieces in the broth. Add some drops of hot sauce if you want it even spicier.
Now you know how to make this authentic Mexican tortilla soup recipe or sopa Azteca, you may want to try some other Mexican dishes with our recipes for Mexican discada and Mexican chocoflan for dessert.
If you want to read similar articles to How to Make Authentic Mexican Tortilla Soup, we recommend you visit our Recipes category.
Tips
- Aztec soup is quite versatile, you can adjust the spiciness level to your taste by adding more or less chili.
- You can also accompany it with shredded chicken pieces if you want to add some protein.
- Corn tortillas are the base of the soup, with dried or day-old corn tortillas working best because they have more body.
- Broth is essential to give the soup its deep flavor. If you can, use homemade chicken stock. If not, make sure the bouillon cube or powder you use is good quality and adjust the salt as needed.
- Ingredients such as queso fresco, sour cream and avocado should be added at the end, just before serving. This keeps the soup fresh and textured, as well as providing a delicious fresh contrast to the warm soup.
- If you feel that the soup needs a touch of freshness, a few drops of lime can enhance the flavor. Be careful not to overdo it, as tortilla soup has a strong flavor and should not lose its rich umami flavor.
- If you prefer a thicker soup, you can blend some of the tortillas in the blender along with the ingredients to release starch and make the soup creamier. This will give it a thicker texture.
- For real authentic Mexican sopa Azteca, you can add the herb epazote to the broth while simmering. This is not always easy to find, so you can add herbs such as oregano or tarragon to add a more herbaceous flavor.
