This Simple Trick Will Prevent Soggy Chilaquiles
Have you ever chowed down on a plate of chilaquiles? This brunch staple and hangover helper consists of tortilla chips or fried strips of tortillas that are simmered in either red or green salsa, becoming soft as their starch thickens the salsa at the same time (via Kitchn). After being plated, chilaquiles are topped with a variety of add-ons, including crumbled queso fresco, tangy crema, sliced avocado, and fried eggs. As their name indicates, chilaquiles are a Mexican dish, with the word "chilaquiles" being traced back to the indigenous Mexican language Nahuatl and meaning "chiles and greens" (via Kitchn).
Chilaquiles represent quintessential home cooking, having been invented to use up stale tortillas by repurposing them (via Chilatruck). So if you want to try making them at home as opposed to ordering them out, know that they're pretty easy to prepare — especially if you're not frying the tortillas yourself, but have rather opted to grab a bag of prepared tortilla chips. But there's one pitfall that chilaquiles are prone to, and that's sogginess (via Just Mexican Food).
Grab some cheaper tortilla chips for the best chilaquiles
Although the whole point of chilaquiles is to soften stale tortillas in warm salsa, the dish is no good when the tortillas soften too much and go soggy — however, this happens far too often. According to Taste of Home, that's usually due to the nature of the chips being used: thin, higher-end grocery store tortilla chips are just too delicate to stand up to the simmering process, and often go limp in the salsa, making for a one-note texture that's none too pleasing. Instead of selecting these chips — which might be excellent for other snacking opportunities — the outlet suggests picking up a bag of cheap supermarket tortilla chips, which tend to be thicker and crunchier and will better retain their integrity when bathed in salsa.
But if non-soggy chilaquiles are really and truly your passion, you might want to take the extra step of frying the tortillas at home yourself. Serious Eats notes that this is really the best way to ensure that your tortillas have the adequate thickness to stand up to simmering. The outlet suggests cutting corn tortillas into wedges and then frying them in vegetable oil until they're puffy, crispy, and lightly browned. This extra step just might take your chilaquiles to the next level.