Warm up winter with a bowl of spicy sopa Azteca soup
Spring is already on the horizon, but we still have to get through the last few weeks of winter. In colder weather, it's worth indulging in a warming soup from Mexico, which will immediately make us feel warm.
Mexican cuisine has been popular for years, as evident by the number of Mexican eateries in every major city. Most people know nachos or burritos, but Mexicans have a lot of traditional recipes up their sleeves that North Americans haven't heard of yet. I have a recipe for a soup called sopa azteca, where the main attraction is tortilla chips. It's perfect if you need to warm up during the last days of winter.
Tip for fans of spicy flavours
As I mentioned, a notable addition here is the tortilla – I used the classic corn version, but the wheat variant works just as well. First, you'll need to cook chicken in broth; depending on your preference, choose a breast or a thigh. Traditionally, the soup is quite spicy, so if you like such flavours, you can ramp up the heat with chipotle or pasilla chiles. Fresh cilantro pairs excellently with Mexican cuisine, but it's not a mandatory ingredient.
Recipe for tortilla soup
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of peeled diced tomatoes,
- 2 cloves of garlic,
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1 onion,
- half a teaspoon of smoked paprika,
- a pinch of hot pepper,
- 1.5 litres of chicken broth,
- 400 grams of chicken meat,
- 4 tortillas,
- 1 avocado,
- Parmesan cheese,
- vegetable oil,
- lime juice,
- sour cream
- fresh cilantro (optional)
- salt and pepper.
Preparation:
- Place the chicken breast or thigh in a pot with the broth, cook the meat for 20 to 30 minutes over low heat until tender. After cooking, remove the chicken, let it cool, and shred into thin strips or cut into cubes.
- In heated olive oil, sauté the chopped onion and garlic pressed through a garlic press.
- Add the sautéed vegetables to the chicken broth in which the chicken was previously cooked.
- Bring to a boil, add the tomatoes, and blend everything to a smooth consistency.
- Add spices, then cook for a few more minutes.
- Slice the tortillas into strips about 0.5-1 centimetres wide and fry them to a golden colour in hot vegetable oil.
- Place pieces of chicken in bowls, pour the hot soup over them, and sprinkle with crispy tortilla strips. Add diced avocado drizzled with lime juice, a spoonful of sour cream, and fresh cilantro. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
