Quesabirria

The red fat skimmed off the top of a birria broth, used to dip the tortilla and then to fry it in.

Beef. Not vegetarian — contains beef, mozzarella whose rennet the source does not name.

Ingredients

• 600 g birria, as on its own page, shredded, with 500 ml of its broth
• 12 corn tortillas, as on their own page
• 300 g Oaxaca cheese or mozzarella, pulled into strands
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• a handful of coriander, chopped
• lime wedges

Method

1. THE RED FAT SKIMMED OFF THE TOP OF THE BROTH IS WHAT THE TORTILLA IS DIPPED IN AND THEN FRIED IN, and that is the entire reason this dish exists separately from birria. The braise is on the birria page and is not repeated here. What happens here is that the layer of deep red, chilli-stained fat sitting on a cooled birria is lifted off with a spoon, a tortilla is dragged through it until both faces are stained, and it then fries in more of the same fat. The tortilla comes out red, crisp at the edge, and tasting of the braise before any filling is reached. Dipped in the broth itself instead, it goes wet and limp and tears in the pan.
2. THE BROTH IS CHILLED SO THE FAT CAN BE LIFTED OFF IN ONE PIECE. Warm, the fat is dispersed and a spoon brings up as much liquid as fat. An hour in the fridge, or overnight, and it has set to a solid orange-red disc that lifts away clean, which makes this a dish for the day after a birria rather than the same evening.
3. THE CHEESE GOES DOWN BEFORE THE MEAT AND ON THE PAN SIDE. Melted cheese is the glue. Laid on the tortilla first, against the hot surface, it melts into the masa and holds the fold shut; laid on top of the meat it sits in the middle insulated by the filling and never properly melts, and the taco falls open as it is lifted.
4. THE MEAT IS SQUEEZED DRY-ISH BEFORE IT GOES IN. Shredded birria carries a lot of broth and that broth in the fold steams the tortilla from inside while the outside is trying to crisp. Lifted out with a slotted spoon and pressed lightly against the side of the pan, it still tastes of everything and no longer fights the fry.
5. THE REST OF THE BROTH IS HEATED AND SERVED FOR DIPPING, which is the other half of the dish. A small bowl per person, and each taco is dunked as it is eaten. The tacos are therefore fried a shade crisper than seems right, because they are about to be dipped in hot liquid.
6. The birria and its broth CHILLED at least 1 hour, or overnight, until the fat has set in a solid red layer on top.
7. The fat LIFTED OFF in pieces with a spoon and put in a small bowl. The broth underneath set aside.
8. The shredded meat lifted out with a slotted spoon and pressed lightly to shed excess broth.
9. A griddle or heavy frying pan set over a medium heat and a spoonful of the red fat melted on it.
10. A tortilla DRAGGED THROUGH the melted fat on both sides until stained red, and laid on the pan.
11. Cheese laid on one half FIRST, directly on the tortilla, then the drained meat on top of the cheese.
12. Folded over and pressed down with a spatula.
13. Fried 2 to 3 MINUTES a side, with more red fat added as needed, until deep red, crisp at the edges and sealed shut.
14. The reserved broth heated and ladled into small bowls, with onion, coriander and lime stirred in.
15. The tacos served at once, to be DIPPED in the broth as they are eaten.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Mexico · All recipes