Traditional Mexican Red Enchiladas Recipe

Today, I’m sharing another favorite childhood Mexican dish: Red Enchiladas. My mom makes the best enchiladas and I always watch or helped her in the kitchen since I remember. Every time I make Red Enchiladas, it brings back memories and makes me feel like I’m home with my parents that I miss the most! Since I  became a housewife about 4 years ago, I called my mom every time I wanted to replicate her dishes and ask for the ingredients and instructions on how to cook almost everything. I think I called my mom too many times that time I first made tamales from scratch; now I know how much work and effort my mom has been through not just cooking our favorite dishes but cleaning and taking care of a home.

The secret to some finger-licking red enchiladas is a good homemade red sauce. These enchiladas are not your typical Mexican restaurant enchiladas that taste like tomato sauce. My enchiladas require a little effort and time but it’s so rewarding.

This enchilada sauce is the same sauce for my TAMALES RECIPE I made a while back. This exact same sauce can make Red Chili Meat Dish, Chilaquiles, Tamales and more! I always make enough red sauce for breakfast chilaquiles, and I sometimes freeze the rest for another red enchilada craving.

 

Traditional Mexican Red Enchiladas Recipe
Author: Angie @ LittleInspiration.com
Ingredients
  • [br]TO MAKE THE SAUCE
  • 4 oz red dried chili California (About 10-15 Chili Pods – Seedless and without stem)
  • 2 Cups of water
  • 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds (raw)
  • 1 tbsp of cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp of kosher salt
  • Tortillas
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Canola Oil for frying
Instructions
  1. In a medium size boiling pot, add two cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the chili pods and let them simmer until soft and tender. Let the chilis cool completely in the pod.
  2. In a blender add all chili pods, about 1 cup of water from the pot, cumin powder, garlic, pumpkin seeds and salt. Blend well for about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Using a food strainer mesh, add the sauce and strain with a spoon until all sauce is strained into a large bowl.
  4. Add a few drizzles of oil to a frying pan and heat to a medium temperature.
  5. Dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce until is all covered. Add the dipped tortilla to the frying pan and fry for about 2 minutes each side. Carefully flip them over using a flat spatula.
  6. Transfer over to a plate and let slightly cool to add shredded cheese and roll into a burrito.
  7. Serve with some red Mexican rice or spring mix as shown on the pictures. Sprinkle in some Mexican cotija cheese! Enjoy.

Notes: You may take a few tries to get a perfectly enchilada out of the frying pan. Make sure to lightly fry them on a non-stick pan and add a drizzle of oil after you fry each enchilada or they will begin to stick and crumble.  If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me at angie@littleinspiration.com.

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