Tacos de guisado: chicharrón in green salsa, tinga, rajas and Mexican pot cooking

What tacos de guisado are

A taco de guisado is exactly what its name says: a home-style stew, a guisado, served in a corn tortilla. No grilled meat and no spit-roast here: the star is the cooking pot. At a taco de guisado stall there is a row of earthenware or enamel pots, each holding a different stew, and the taquero assembles every taco to order, on one or two warm tortillas, with a generous spoonful of the stew you choose. On top, depending on the case, go a little red rice, a sliced hard-boiled egg, salsa and sometimes beans.

For visitors it is a revelation, because it shows a side of Mexican food that almost never leaves the country: home and fonda cooking, the stews prepared every day in millions of kitchens. In Mexico City and central Mexico they are a very common mid-morning meal or quick lunch, and their charm lies precisely in the variety: every day there may be different stews.

How a guisado stall works

The ritual is simple. You walk up, look over the pots (or ask "¿de qué hay?", "what have you got?") and order by name: "one chicharrón, one tinga". The taquero warms the tortillas on the comal, often two stacked together so that the taco can cope with the stew's juices. He serves it, adds rice if that is the stall's habit and hands it to you on a plate covered with a plastic bag, changed for each customer. The salsas are out on display for you to help yourself.

A tip repeated by Mexico City food guides is to look at the variety of stews, whether the salsas were made that day and which pots empty first: the stews that sell fastest are usually a good clue to what each stall does well.

The stews you will find almost everywhere

Chicharrón in green salsa

One of the stews people order most. Pork crackling, crunchy to begin with, is simmered in a tomatillo and chilli salsa until soft and juicy, with a texture reminiscent of tender tripe. It tastes sharp, spicy and deep. You can make it with our recipe for chicharrón in green salsa tacos.

Tinga

Shredded meat, usually chicken, stewed with tomato, onion and chipotle chilli, which gives it an orange-red colour and a smoky edge. It is one of the commonest stews in central Mexico. Here is our chicken tinga recipe; there are beef and pork versions too.

Rajas con crema

Strips of roasted, peeled poblano chilli, stewed with onion, cream and sometimes sweetcorn kernels or cheese. It is the classic vegetarian option at the stall, mild and creamy. Here is the recipe for rajas con crema tacos.

Picadillo

Minced meat cooked with tomato and small cubes of potato and carrot, sometimes with peas. It is an everyday stew, the kind cooked at home during the week. Try the picadillo tacos.

Mole verde and other moles

Many stalls have a mole: green, made with pumpkin seeds, tomatillo and herbs, or red, darker and spicier, usually with chicken. See our chicken in mole verde tacos.

And the list goes on

Egg with longaniza or chorizo, potato with chorizo, steak in salsa, ribs in red salsa, chiles rellenos (yes, a whole stuffed chilli inside a taco), nopales, beef tinga, chicharrón prensado, mole with chicken or pieces of milanesa. The line-up of stews changes from stall to stall and, often, from day to day.

Why rice and hard-boiled egg go in

One of the things that most catches the eye about tacos de guisado in the capital is that many come with red rice under the stew, and some with a piece of hard-boiled egg or potato. There is no documented historical explanation, but the logic is easy to see: the rice soaks up the stew's juices, gives the taco body and makes it more filling. It is, at heart, a complete home-cooked plate, like one served in a fonda, compressed into a tortilla. If you do not want rice, just ask for it "sin arroz".

Salsas and extras

A guisado stall usually has two or three salsas: a raw or cooked green one, of tomatillo and serrano chilli; a red one, of chile de árbol or guajillo; and sometimes one of pasilla chilli or chipotle. Alongside them are lime wedges, salt and, at some stalls, chopped onion with coriander, pickled chillies or a nopal salad. Since the stew already comes seasoned and with its own sauce, many customers' rule is to taste the first bite without adding anything and decide afterwards.

To drink, the usual choice is a soft drink or an agua fresca: hibiscus, horchata or the fruit of the day. And if you are really hungry, many stalls also offer quesadillas or sopes with the same stews, so a pot of tinga or chicharrón serves several different snacks.

Tacos de guisado versus tacos de canasta

Both rely on stews, which is why they get confused, but in practice they are very different:

• When they are assembled. The taco de guisado is assembled in front of you, with a freshly warmed tortilla. The taco de canasta is assembled hours before and left to "sweat" inside a covered basket.
• Texture. The guisado taco is juicy and the tortilla is whole and firm. The canasta taco is softer, because the tortilla has soaked up fat and steam.
• Variety. A guisado stall may have ten or fifteen different pots. The basket is usually limited to a few firm fillings: potato, bean, chicharrón and adobo.
• Size. The guisado taco is usually larger and more loaded; the canasta taco is small and flat.

To find out more about the other one, read our guide to tacos de canasta.

How to host a guisado taco spread at home

Tacos de guisado are perhaps the easiest way to feed a crowd Mexican-style: the stews are made in advance, kept hot in covered pots and each guest builds their own tacos. To start, lean on our general recipe for tacos de guisado and combine three or four stews with different profiles:

• one green and sharp (chicharrón in green salsa or mole verde);
• one red and smoky (tinga);
• one creamy and meat-free (rajas con crema);
• one gentle, everyday stew that children will like (picadillo).

Add red rice, beans, warm corn tortillas wrapped in a tea towel and two salsas, one green and one red. The stews, what is more, taste even better reheated the next day.

Frequently asked questions

What is a guisado in Mexico?

Any dish cooked slowly in a sauce or its own juices: meat, vegetables or eggs stewed with tomato, chillies, tomatillo or cream. In street language, "guisado" is anything that comes out of a pot.

Why do they use two tortillas?

So the taco does not fall apart with the stew's juices. With two tortillas there is also often enough filling for an improvised second taco.

Are there vegetarian tacos de guisado?

Yes: rajas con crema, potato, nopales, beans, egg in salsa or mushrooms are common. Always ask whether the salsa or the stew contains stock or lard.

When are they eaten?

Mainly as a mid-morning meal and at lunchtime. Many stalls close when their pots are empty.

Sources

• Excélsior, «5 recomendaciones para tacos de guisado en la CDMX, opciones con sabor a hogar» (typical stews in the capital: chicharrón in green salsa, tinga, egg with longaniza, rajas con crema; tips for choosing a stall).
• Chilango, «Tacos de guisado ganadores» and other guides to Mexico City guisado stalls (variety of stews at stalls in the capital).
• Wikipedia, «Tacos de canasta» (differences in preparation from tacos de canasta).