July 15th, 2009
How To Make Super Kick Ass Authentic Huevos Rancheros In 10 Steps Or Less
1. Go to Mexico for a few months and eat huevos rancheros every other morning because they are only the best breakfast food ever invented.
2. Come back home and fantasize about said huevos rancheros on a regular basis.
3. Go to your local grocery store where little old Mexican ladies chop up nopales and you can buy oaxacan cheese and mexican crumbly cheese*, freak out at all of the ethnicity and then proceed to buy the following:
eggs, salsa ranchera, frijoles negroes, corn tortillas, avocado, onion and crumbly cheese a.k.a queso cotija a.k.a. mexican parmesan
*This may be difficult in states or countries that do not border Mexico. Do not let this stop you. You do not have to use cheese, although if it’s available I highly recommend it.
4. Slice avocado and onion.
5. Heat the amount of salsa ranchero and frijoles negroes that you plan to use in separate containers. I am a container freak in the kitchen, so much so that I had poured all of the crumbly cheese into a tupperware before I could take a picture of it still in the bag. Here is a shot of the bag though, so you can see what to look for. I found this at H.E.B.
6. Fry eggs. This is much easier than it sounds, if you have never fried an egg before (like me). I was pretty nervous. Like, what if the egg doesn’t stay in a circle and runs out all over the pan omg the horror? Luckily all you do is put a bit of spray in the pan, heat it up to medium, and crack the egg into the pan. It totally worked itself out. Just don’t let the pan get too hot, especially if you want your yema de huevos to be muy hecho i.e. not runny which I think is really gross but my husband likes. You gotta let them cook a while and you don’t want the whites, which cook much more quickly than the yolk, to get tough.
7. Heat corn tortillas in another skillet, also with a bit of spray. They should be warm and just a bit crispy.
8. (Optional) Toss sliced onions into a skillet to give them a bit of a browning. I don’t like raw onions, but either way is “authentic”.
9. Place two warmed corn tortillas side by side on a plate, place the fried eggs on top, smother with salsa ranchera, top with onion and avocado, sprinkle with crumbly cheese, and add a scoop of frijoles on the side. (This is a special three-egg version for the lover; mine had two.)
10. Pour a glass of orange juice (preferably from a jug that is labeled Jugo de Naranja for extra authenticity) and gobble up the tasty.
RESULT: For about ten minutes, I felt like I was back in Mexico. So worth it.
