Make the best chilaquiles rojos for breakfast with this foolproof recipe. This classic Mexican dish is made out of tortilla chips soaked in flavorful red sauce and served with cheese, cream, and onions.
Place guajillo pepper, tomatoes, and onions in a small pan. Cover slightly with water and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat.
Allow to slightly cool down and place everything in a blender with 1 ½ cups of water.
Add garlic, cumin seeds, and peppercorns. Blend until you will have a smooth sauce.
Make the tortilla chips
Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Working in batches, fry the tortilla wedges flipping them once until golden and crisp.
Place fried tortillas on a paper towel-lined plate and set them aside.
Make the chilaquiles
Remove all oil and wipe the pan of any browned bits of tortillas. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat.
Add the red sauce to the pan and season with chicken bouillon.
Let the sauce simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened (about 5 minutes).
Add all tortilla chips to the pan, and mix carefully to coat evenly the chips.
Adjust salt to taste and cook for about 1 minute.
Serve
Divide the chilaquiles into 4 plates, and add cream, queso fresco, and chopped onions.
Add a fried egg on top (optional) and serve immediately.
Notes
Test the oil before frying. First, add one piece of tortilla to the pan, if it takes more than 3 seconds to start frying, the oil is not hot enough. If the tortilla quickly turns dark brown, the oil is too hot.
Use corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are sturdy and hold better the sauce, flour tortillas absorb too much oil and taste different too because they are already made with oil.
Stale your tortillas. Cut the tortillas the night before and stale overnight covered with a kitchen cloth, so when you cook them with the sauce they won't get soggy so quickly.
Cut the calories. Bake tortillas instead of frying, you can do this by brushing them with a little bit of oil and baking in single layers at 400°F (200°C) for about 10 minutes or until golden crispy.