“Rogelio, you slept with my twin sister!” yelled the woman on the TV, while shredded pieces of chicken fell into the bowls laid on our laps, and the aroma of boiled tomatoes and spiced peppers filled the house. The woman from the soap opera stomps towards her husband, slapping him and leaving both my mother and I agasp. “Madre, can you believe it?! I told you he purposely did it!” I exclaimed while I jumped up, almost letting the bowl of the chicken slip out of my hands. “Ay, hija, be more careful! Sit down and keep shredding,” my mother scolded in my direction. “Sí, mamá…” slumping back onto the couch. It was routine for us, as a Mexican household, to always cook together. We always made more than what we could eat, since it was always better to have food available, especially when hungry unexpected guests sat anxiously waiting to get a taste. When you become used to cooking, some tasks become mundane, which is why we always paired it with chatter or the weekly episode of a telenovela. Chopping, slicing, stirring, and shredding becomes much more interesting when you learn the ‘tea’ of both fictitious and real life. In this case, a key ingredient of enchiladas [shredded chicken] is paired with the sauciest of Teresa’s Revenge or the story about how your auntie got bitten by a ravenous dog when she was 10.

Ingredients

20: Corn Tortillas                                        

7: Roma Tomatoes

1/2 Piece: Roasted Chicken

100g: Shredded Cheese

(4 cheeses or Mozzarella)

 200ml: Crema para cocinar

Spices

Pinch – Salt and Pepper

2 Pieces – Chile Guajillo

Alternative: Chile Ancho

4-10 Pieces – Chile de Árbol

Illustrations by: Claudia Figueroa Gil

(Hector Kennedy)

Heat up tortillas

Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, with either wrapping them in a paper towel or a little fabric towel or pouch.

Ojo, if it’s too hot to handle, my mother showed me a little trick: tossing a tortilla back and forth between your hands would cool it down a little.

Of course, when I was smaller, it would take me dozens of tosses for me to feel comfortable with the heat, but I’m sure as young adults you can handle it better than I could.

(Hector Kennedy)

Roll

Assemble the enchiladas by rolling tightly the tortilla filled with the shredded chicken.

Ojo, If the tortilla is cold, it will start to break when being rolled. Make sure to heat them again!

(Hector Kennedy)

Bathe

Bathe the enchiladas with the remaining sauce.

I cannot tell you the amounts of times I spilled all of the sauce on myself. It kept looking like a murder scene from the “Terrifier.”