Tinga de pollo, shredded chicken in a chipotle-laced tomato sauce, is an ubiquitous item in Mexican kitchens and street food stands. You’ll find it served on tostadas at large group gatherings and stuffed into freshly made quesadillas on the streets of Mexico City at breakfast lunch or dinner. It’s easy to make and almost everyone likes it. Except vegetarians, of course! Fortunately, tinga is equally as delicious (and easy to make) with shredded vegetables as it is chicken. I’ve been making batches of tinga de zanahoria (carrot) for myself to keep in the fridge and reheat for an easy meal for one, but the recipe can easily be multiplied for a crowd.
I recently came across a recipe for tinga de pollo from Diana Kennedy, a famously intrepid traveler and detailed documentarian of regional Mexican cuisine. It was the first time I’d seen cabbage in a tinga recipe, and I kicked myself for never having thought to include it in my carrot tinga! But if cabbage isn’t your jam, simply substitute it with more shredded carrots. Here’s my vegetarian version, inspired by Diana Kennedy’s recipe in “México. Una odisea culinaria.”
Tinga de Zanahoria y Repollo (carrots and cabbage in tomato chipotle sauce)
Equipment
- 1 blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 1/2 white onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil of your choice
- 1 lb fresh tomatoes quartered (or 2 cans diced tomatoes)
- 2-3 chipotle chiles in adobo (more or less, depending on how much heat you like)
- 1-2 tbsp adobo sauce from the chipotles more or less, depending on how much heat you like
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 3-4 sprigs cilantro
- 2 cups shredded carrot
- 2 cups shredded cabbage white, red, green, whatever tickles your fancy
- 1 cup water or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Optional garnishes: Mexican crema, crumbled queso panela or queso fresco, shredded lettuce, sliced radishes, sliced avocado, quartered limes
Instructions
- In a large sauce pot, sauté onions in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce and garlic until mostly smooth.
- Add the tomato and chile mixture to the onions. Add in 3-4 sprigs of cilantro (whole, stem and all), stir, and return the temperature to medium low and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the shredded carrots and cabbage to the pot and mix well to combine. Depending on how juicy your tomatoes were, you may need to add a bit of liquid at this point so that the vegetables are just barely covered (up to a cup of water or stock). Simmer over medium low for 15- 20 minutes or until the vegetables reach your desired level of doneness.
- Remove cilantro.
- Serve with warm tortillas or on tostadas with any garnishes you find pleasing.
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