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Veracruz's Xalapa garnachas are small corn tortillas semi-fried in manteca, dragged through chile jalapeño seco salsa, then covered with shredded beef, diced potato, and sharp pickled red onion.
Veracruz, the central highlands around Xalapa, is where these garnachas live. Not the port, not the north, not the Yucatán-facing coast. The road between Xalapa, Banderilla, and Naolinco has its own cena rhythm: small masa antojitos, hot lard, salsa roja, and plates that arrive by the dozen.
The chile that marks this version is chile jalapeño seco, the ripe jalapeño dried and often smoked, sold as chile seco or chipotle seco. Xalapa put its name on the jalapeño, so do not bring me a vague dried chile and call it close enough. The salsa should taste brick-red, smoky, and direct. The tortilla is small and thick enough to carry beef and potato, fried until the edges tighten but the center stays tender.
My mother was from Jalisco, so these were not hers. I learned them from a señora near Mercado Jáuregui in Xalapa who watched me press the masa and said, smaller, hija, this is not a taco. She was right. The note in my notebook says: potato small, onion with vinegar, no crema. No me vengas con atajos. Make the salsa, fry in manteca, serve by the dozen. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.
Garnachas de Xalapa belong to Veracruz's central highland cenaduría tradition, where masa antojitos are served at night rather than as a formal midday meal. The format is mestizo in technique: the corn base and chile sauce come from Indigenous masa cooking, while beef and pork lard entered regional kitchens after Spanish colonization in the 16th century. Xalapa also gave its name to the jalapeño, and the local use of ripe dried jalapeño, often called chile seco or chipotle seco, ties the salsa to the same highland market geography.
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds
cut into 3 large pieces
Quantity
1/2 medium
for the beef broth
Quantity
2
smashed, for the beef broth
Quantity
2
Quantity
2 1/2 teaspoons, divided, plus more to taste
Quantity
2 medium
peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Quantity
1 large
finely diced
Quantity
1/2 cup
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
crumbled, for the onions
Quantity
4
stemmed
Quantity
3
stemmed and seeded
Quantity
4
Quantity
1/4 medium
for the salsa
Quantity
2
unpeeled, for the salsa
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
for the salsa
Quantity
1 cup
divided
Quantity
2 tablespoons
for frying the salsa
Quantity
2 pounds
Quantity
1 teaspoon
for seasoning the masa
Quantity
2 to 3 tablespoons
only if the masa feels dry
Quantity
1 cup, plus more as needed
for semi-frying the garnachas
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| falda de res (beef flank or brisket)cut into 3 large pieces | 1 1/2 pounds |
| white onionfor the beef broth | 1/2 medium |
| garlic clovessmashed, for the beef broth | 2 |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| kosher salt | 2 1/2 teaspoons, divided, plus more to taste |
| white potatoespeeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice | 2 medium |
| red onionfinely diced | 1 large |
| cane vinegar or plain white vinegar | 1/2 cup |
| dried Mexican oreganocrumbled, for the onions | 1/2 teaspoon |
| dried chile jalapeño seco (chipotle seco)stemmed | 4 |
| dried chile guajillostemmed and seeded | 3 |
| ripe Roma tomatoes | 4 |
| white onionfor the salsa | 1/4 medium |
| garlic clovesunpeeled, for the salsa | 2 |
| dried Mexican oreganofor the salsa | 1/2 teaspoon |
| reserved beef brothdivided | 1 cup |
| manteca de cerdofor frying the salsa | 2 tablespoons |
| fresh white corn masa for tortillas | 2 pounds |
| fine sea saltfor seasoning the masa | 1 teaspoon |
| warm water (optional)only if the masa feels dry | 2 to 3 tablespoons |
| manteca de cerdofor semi-frying the garnachas | 1 cup, plus more as needed |
Put the falda de res in a pot with the half onion, smashed garlic, bay leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, and enough water to cover by two inches. Bring to a gentle simmer, skim the gray foam, then cook partially covered for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until the meat shreds without fighting you. Reserve at least 2 cups of broth. Shred the beef finely while it is still warm, because cold beef tears into dry ropes.
Stir the diced red onion with the vinegar, crumbled Mexican oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Let it sit at least 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. For Xalapa garnachas, the onion is diced small, not cut into big Yucatán-style rings. Different state, different table. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
Put the diced potatoes in a small pot, cover with water, and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer 7 to 9 minutes, just until tender at the center. Drain and spread them on a plate so the surface dries. You want separate little cubes, not mashed potato hiding the beef.
Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile jalapeño seco and chile guajillo separately, turning often, just until they darken slightly and smell alive. Do not blacken them. Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 15 minutes. On the same comal, roast the tomatoes, quarter onion, and unpeeled garlic until the tomato skins blister and the garlic softens.
Peel the roasted garlic. Drain the chiles and blend them with the roasted tomatoes, roasted onion, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1/2 cup reserved beef broth, and salt to taste. Heat 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a clay cazuela or heavy skillet. Add the salsa and fry it 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until it turns brick red and the fat freckles the surface. Add more broth only if it gets too thick to spoon. La manteca es el sabor.
Knead the fresh masa with the fine sea salt. If it cracks at the edges when pressed, knead in warm water one tablespoon at a time. Divide into 24 balls and press each into a small tortilla about 3 inches wide, a little thicker than a taco tortilla. Cook on a hot comal 30 to 45 seconds per side, until the surfaces set and small brown freckles appear. Keep them covered in a clean cloth.
Melt 1 cup manteca de cerdo in a wide skillet over medium heat, enough to come about 1/4 inch up the pan. Fry 3 or 4 tortillas at a time, 20 to 30 seconds on the first side and 10 to 15 seconds on the second. The edges should blister and tighten, but the center must stay pliable. If they snap like tostadas, you went too far. Spoon a little salsa over each tortilla as it comes out so the red fat stains the masa.
Arrange the garnachas on a barro rojo platter. Add a small mound of shredded beef to each one, then a few potato cubes, another spoonful of salsa roja, and drained pickled red onion. Serve immediately, by the dozen, the way a cenaduría in Xalapa would. No lettuce, no sour cream, no yellow cheese. This is Veracruz. Así se hace y punto.
1 serving (about 400g)
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