Sopa Azteca

After graduating college, I loafed around in Mexico for a few months. I rented a little apartment above the garage of a wonderful Mexican family who took me under their wing. The mother made this very flavorful sopa Azteca with interesting textures. It was my favorite dish of the whole trip. I had to watch her make this soup and literally count out all the ingredients because she made this soup from her heart, not from a recipe.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 388 Calories

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons dried oregano
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• vegetable oil as needed
• 1 avocado, cubed
• 2 teaspoons ground thyme
• ¼ cup Mexican crema, or to taste
• 5 dried red chile pepper pods
• 5 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 4 corn tortillas, cut into strips

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add chile peppers and boil until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer peppers to a dish and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes; reserve chile water. Remove and discard stems and seeds from peppers, keeping a few seeds if you like a spicy soup.

Step 2

Combine chiles, tomatoes, onion, bouillon, oregano, and thyme in an electric blender; add as much reserved chile water as possible to fill line. Blend until liquefied.

Step 3

Strain chile mixture into a large pot. Add remaining chile water, adding additional water if necessary. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and let simmer, 20 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry tortilla strips in the hot oil under golden brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil.

Step 5

Distribute soup evenly between serving bowls and garnish with fried tortilla strips, crema, lime wedges, and avocado.