Enchiladas Suizas

Really good Mexican food can be difficult to find in Germany. You can find restaurants that are okay, but selection is often limited to “stereotypical” dishes, and frequently it has a bit of an Indian taste to it. That is not to say that Indian food is bad; quite the opposite. We quite like Indian food, but we want our Mexican food to taste Mexican. Indian and Mexican food have a lot of similarities and common flavors, so it is somewhat understandable that this happens. But we have found, if we want to have good Mexican food, we have to make it ourselves.

Yield: 15-20 Enchiladas / 5-7 Servings
Time: 1.5 – 2 hours

Salsa Verde

500g fresh tomatillos / 800g canned tomatillos
1 (150-200g) medium onion
4 cloves garlic
Chiles (jalapeño, serrano, poblano, Anaheim – depending on taste/heat/availability) *see note
10-12 cilantro (coriander) sprigs, finely chopped (optional)
2 Tbsp. oil
1-2 tsp salt

Enchiladas

1 Salsa Verde recipe (above)
15-20 corn (maize) tortillas
250ml sour cream or plain yogurt
1 roast chicken (1.2-1.5kg)
200g shredded cheese (Oaxaca, mozzarella, young Gouda or Edam)
Oil

Directions

Salsa

Fresh Tomatillos: peel the paper skin from the tomatillos and rinse. Peel and cut the onion in 6-8 large chunks. Peel the garlic cloves. Cut the chiles in large chunks. Add the vegetables to a sufficiently large pot or skillet and add just enough water to cover. Simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until everything has softened.

Canned Tomatillos: as above, but instead of covering with water, simply use the liquid from the canned Tomatillos.

Add the cooked vegetables and liquid to a blender and blend until smooth. Add 2 Tbsp. oil to the pot/skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Pour the blended salsa into the pan and add cilantro (coriander) and salt. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool.

Enchiladas

Heat oven to 175°C. Coat a casserole dish (~ 25x35cm) with oil/cooking spray.

In a skillet over medium heat, add just enough oil to cover by ~5mm. Fry the tortillas for 5-10 seconds per side. They will be very soft, so use care removing them. Remove to a baking sheet or large platter lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Add additional paper towels between layers of tortillas.

Add the sour cream/yogurt to the salsa and mix thoroughly. Spread 100-150ml of the salsa evenly across the bottom of the casserole dish. Add shredded chicken and a little cheese to the center of each tortilla and roll them tightly (~20-30mm Ø). Place the filled and rolled tortilla in the casserole dish, seam side down. Fill and roll the remaining tortillas and place them in the casserole dish in a single layer.

Pour the remaining salsa over the rolled tortillas and cover with remaining shredded cheese.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until the cheese just starts to brown.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Chef’s Notes

* I have intentionally left the quantity and type of chiles open, as everyone has a different threshold for heat. You can use whatever type of chile you like, but aesthetically speaking, it should be a green variety. For a hotter salsa, use hotter/more chiles, like jalapeño or serrano. For a milder salsa, use milder/fewer chiles, like poblano or Anaheim. Removing seeds from the chiles also decreases the heat. 2-4 jalapeño/serrano or 1-2 poblano/Anaheim is my recommendation.

Though not traditional, the enchiladas could be made vegetarian by substituting beans and rice for the chicken: Drain one 400g can of cannellini or navy beans and mix with 1.5 cups of cooked white rice (~1/2 cup uncooked). Season with onion, garlic, cumin and salt.