Recipe: Veggie "Quesabirria" Tacos with Slightly Spiced "Roja Birria" Dipping Sauce

Veggie "Quesabirria" Tacos with Slightly Spiced "Roja Birria" Dipping Sauce

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• sauté :

  to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.

• seal :

  to close tightly, keeping filling inside.

• simmer :

  to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.

• stir :

  to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!

What is "Birria" and "Quesabirria"?

• "Birria" is a Mexican stew made with beef or goat meat. Originally, the word referred to meat cooked in a pit in the ground, like barbacoa. It was served on bread or tortillas. 
• Birria stew is made with goat or beef marinated in adobo sauce, consisting of dried chili peppers, garlic, salt, spices, and vinegar. It is often served with corn tortillas and garnished with cilantro, lime, and onion. 
• Food carts and restaurants that serve birria are called "birrierias." Birria is a popular dish at celebrations, like holidays and weddings.
• "Quesabirria," also called birria tacos or red tacos, is a Mexican dish created in Tijuana that resembles a taco folded over a filling of stewed birria-style beef or goat meat and shredded Oaxaca, Chihuahua, or mozzarella cheese. It is served with birria or meat broth for dipping.

Let's Learn About Mexico!

• Officially, Mexico's name is "The United Mexican States." It is one of several countries and territories in North America, including Canada and the United States of America.
• Spanish is Mexico's national language, and Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Mexican people didn't always speak Spanish, though. For thousands of years, Native Americans lived there and built great cities. The people had advanced language, education, and calendar systems, and they had very clever ways of raising food. Mexico is also the country with the largest number of native American speakers in North America. 
• The capital of Mexico is Mexico City. Mexican legend says that Aztec leaders were told to build their great city of Tenochtitlan at the site where they saw an eagle sitting on a nopal cactus with a snake in its beak. That image is in the center of Mexico's flag. The Aztecs built their city on an island in the middle of a lake. The ruins of Tenochtitlan are at the center of Mexico City and still sit on top of a lake! As water is pumped out to serve the needs of the city's growing population, the city has been sinking at a rate of 6 to 8 inches per year.  
• Indigenous Mexican people included the Aztecs in the central interior of the country, the Mayans of the Yucatan peninsula, and the Zapotec of the south. Spanish explorers landed in Mexico in the early 1500s, and they ruled Mexico for over 300 years. During this time of colonization, Mexico's Mesoamerican civilizations mixed with European culture.
• Before the arrival of Spaniards, native Mexican food primarily consisted of corn, beans, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and herbs. Indigenous people occasionally hunted and added wild turkey, rabbit, deer, and quail to their largely vegetarian diets. Native royalty sipped chocolate drinks. Europeans introduced cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, sugarcane, and wheat to Mexico upon their arrival. 
• Mexican cuisine uses chili peppers to give it its distinct flavor. Jalapeños, poblanos, and serrano peppers are commonly used in Mexican dishes. Dishes that include mole, a sauce made of dark chocolate, chili peppers, cinnamon, and other spices, may be served on special occasions, such as Día de los Muertos. 

What is it like to be a kid in Mexico?

• Mexican children may live near the ocean or the gulf, in the desert, or in the mountains. 
• Kids often live with extended family, including grandparents. Their full names include their father's and their mother's.
• Most kids speak Spanish, but Mexico also recognizes 68 native languages. 
• They attend school from September through June. Large schools have two shifts—one group in the morning and one in the afternoon. Students are usually required to wear uniforms. 
• They may play soccer, baseball, and other sports. Jumping rope and other outdoor games are very popular. They might play a game similar to bingo called Lotería. It is played with picture cards and songs. 
• Corn tortillas are a staple for kids, along with beans and rice. Dishes that include mole, a sauce often made of dark chocolate, chili peppers, cinnamon, and other spices, may be served on special occasions. 
• A popular family holiday is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a celebration to remember and honor a family's ancestors. Family members decorate the graves of their relatives who have passed on. Typical foods served for this holiday include empanadas, tamales, pan de muertos (a sweet bread in which a ring with a tiny plastic skeleton is hidden), and calaveras de azucar (sugar candy skulls).