This post was sponsored by HERDEZ®. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Tacos de Lengua (beef tongue) and Taco de Cabeza (beef head) are very popular in taquerias all over Mexico. In fact, I’m sure you’ve come across it on taco truck menus or any authentic Mexican restaurant in the U.S. Growing up my mom would make tacos de lengua regularly, since it was my dad’s favorite dish. My mom would bring the lengua home from the local Mexican market and we had to help her prepare it. It wasn’t one of my favorite dishes to assist her with, as you can imagine, it’s not a pretty sight. But you got over it. Tacos de lengua are obviously served on a warm tortilla, obviously, that’s why it’s called a taco. But after attending a recent Herdez Cinco de Mayo cooking class at Chef Marcela‘s home this month, I was inspired by her latest cooking book to make Taquitos de Lengua.
Street Taco Fiesta with Chef Marcela and HERDEZ
Before I get into the recipe for my delicious taquitos de lengua, I have to share more about the inspiration. A few bloggers and myself were invited to Chef Marcela’s house in San Diego to attend a creative Mexican cooking class where we learned how to make the perfect recipes to throw a fiesta utilizing authentic Mexican ingredients and featuring HERDEZ(R) Guacamole Salsa. Chef Marcela thought us how to prepare a variety of taco fillings that will make you wish this celebration came more than just once a year! From hand-made tortillas to grilled fish to secret sauces, we learned how easy it is to prepare a real fiesta.
When we arrived to Chef Marcela’s home we were greeted with a delicious Grilled Pineapple Habanero Margarita as a welcoming drink and served Chicken Tostaditas with creamy salsa verde and queso fundido with you guessed it, Herdez Guac Salsa. Needless to say, it was as delicious as it looks in the photos below.
Once everyone arrived and we all had a chance to grab a margarita and apps, the cooking glass began. Chef Marcela walked us through an amazing street taco recipe, Adobada Street Tacos with Creamy Cilantro Salsa Verde. Oh my wow! I was amazed to see how easy it was to achieve tacos al pastor style tacos. Or at least Chef Marcela made it look easy to make. Lucky for you Herdez live streamed the whole cooking class on their Facebook Live, you can watch the video here. If you watch the video, you’ll see me stacking on the bacon! You could also visit Herdez website for the recipe if you would like to try making at home.
After a bite of that taco, my hunger was on level 10! I couldn’t wait for dinner. They sat us at a beautiful Mexican theme dinner table outside her patio. It was filled with bright vivid colors that made the table pop! It was the perfect amount of Mexico without overdoing it on the Mexican stereotype decor. You seen no hanging burro piñatas at this party.
As you can see on the menu, for dinner we were served more Adobada Street Tacos, Salmon Gobernador Tacos and Esquites with Cilantro Chipotle Butter served with homemade corn tortillas. Never have I ever experienced such a exquisite street taco dinner party. Don’t get me started on the Flan de Coco!
Have I made you hungry and excited to make Taquitos de Lengua with Herdez guac salsa? Great! Now that you have an understanding where my inspiration came from for this recipe, you will be inspired also to prepare the taquitos any way you like. Let’s get started.
Taquitos de Lengua with Nopal Corn Tortillas
Taquitos are small rolled-up tortillas filled with some type of filling, like beef, cheese or chicken. For this recipe we are using lengua de res, beef tongue. The filled tortilla is crisp-fried in vegetable oil. The dish is often topped with condiments such as salsa and guacamole. In this case we are using Herez Guacamole Salsa. Corn tortillas are generally used to make taquitos; this the traditional version. But I decided to try something different for my taquitos. I stopped by my local Mexican market, Northgate Market, and picked up a pack of Nopal corn tortillas. Nowadays, many hispanic markets who make their own tortillas offer seasonal flavors. You may even find them at mainstream grocery stores too.
Now as for the lengua, (tongue) you can find it at any local hispanic market. When you’re ready to cook the lengua make sure you clean it really well. I use a new scrubbing brush to clean mine. I’m going to spare you any visuals for now because I know some people can’t handle it. Once you cleaned the lengua cut into 5 pieces so it will cook well. Lengua takes a while to cook, so allow yourself enough time. While the meat is cooking prepare the Herdez guac salsa, I like to add extra avocado and cilantro to make it thicker.
Once the meat is ready, cut off any fat and remove the thick layer skin. Shred the meat and it’s ready to be rolled up! But first you need to warm up the tortillas, then add the meat. Roll and fry in the oil.
Once taquitos appear to be crispy, prepare your favorite condiments, like cabbage or lettuce, chiles and of course Herdez Guac Salsa. Your taquitos de lengua are ready to be enjoyed.
Taquitos de Lengua with Nopal Corn Tortillas
Ingredients
- 1 beef tongue (approx 3lbs)
- 1 medium onion, split in half
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons of salt, plus more to taste
- Corn or Nopal Tortillas
- cilantro as garnish
- purple cabbage
- 1 jar of Herdez Guacamole Salsa
- 1 avocado
- salt for taste
- 1 small can of Herdez Sliced Jalapeños
Instructions
- Clean tongue well and cut into 5 pieces.
- Place tongue, onion, bay leaves, garlic and salt in a saucepan just big enough to hold them. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook until completely tender, four hours depending on the size of the tongue, adding extra water as necessary to keep the tongue mostly submerged.
- Carefully remove tongue to a cutting board. Peel the outer membrane off the tongue and discard. Roughly chop or shred tongue into pieces. Tongue can be prepared up through this step up to 5 days in advance. Store in an airtight container or zipper-lock bag in the fridge.
- When ready to serve, heat oil in a large non-stick or cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat until hot. Add rolled up taquitos and cook, flipping occasionally, until taquitos are well browned on all sides, 5 to 8 minutes total.
- Serve and garnish with your favorite toppings.
- Add avocado to Herdez Guacamole Salsa and cilantro to make it thicker.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of HERDEZ® and WeAllGrow Latina. The opinions and text are all mine.