Mushroom Birria Tacos with Consommé

Ingredients

• 6 Dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 5 cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1 Yellow onion, quartered
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 2 Chipotles in adobo
• 2 tsp Ground cumin
• 2 tsp Dried oregano
• ¼ tsp Ground cinnamon
• 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Canola oil
• 4 Portobello mushrooms, cut in thick strips
• 1 can Young green jackfruit (canned), drained and shredded
• 1 ¼ tsp Kosher salt
• 12 Corn tortillas
• 1 ½ cups Part-skim mozzarella, grated
• ½ Red onion, finely diced
• ¾ cup Cilantro, chopped
• 2 Lime, in wedges

Method

1. Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium, 30-40 seconds a side, until they smell sweet and smoky. Do not let them blacken — burnt chile turns the whole pot bitter and there is no fixing it.
2. Cover the chiles with 2 cups of the broth and simmer 10 minutes until soft.
3. Blend the softened chiles and their liquid with the tomatoes, quartered onion, garlic, chipotles, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and vinegar until completely smooth. Push it through a sieve if you want a glossy consommé; skip that and it is rustic.
4. Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the portobello strips hard, 6-8 minutes, in two batches — this is where the meaty texture comes from. Add the shredded jackfruit and cook 3 minutes more.
5. Pour in the blended chile sauce and the remaining 3 cups of broth. Add the salt and simmer 30 minutes until the broth is deep red and tastes round rather than sharp.
6. Lift the solids out with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Keep the broth at a bare simmer — that is your consommé.
7. Dip a tortilla into the red broth so both sides are stained, lay it on a hot griddle, scatter cheese on half, add the filling, and fold. Griddle 2 minutes a side until the cheese has melted and the edges are crisp and lacquered.
8. Serve with small bowls of the hot consommé, plus red onion, cilantro and lime.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

Skim the red-orange fat off the top of the broth and brush it onto the tortillas before griddling. That lacquered shine is the whole visual identity of this dish.

🧒 For the kids

Guajillos are mild — the heat here is mostly the chipotles. Leave those out entirely and the broth is sweet and smoky rather than spicy. Most kids treat these as red quesadillas, which is fine.

🌿 From the garden

Roma tomatoes, cilantro and onions all grow well here. Cilantro bolts in July heat — sow it in April and again in late August rather than fighting the middle of summer.

🥡 Leftovers

Filling and consommé both keep 4 days and freeze 3 months. Assemble and griddle fresh; a pre-made taco reheated goes soft.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.