Caldo tlalpeño
A Mexican broth whose name is traced to the Tlalpan district of the capital, differing from its European relatives in three ways. The chipotles go in whole and come out before serving — they are there mainly for smoke, with only gentle heat. Chickpeas stand in for noodles, giving the soup substance without clouding the broth. And everything else is added at the table: avocado, cheese, lime and coriander go into the bowl, not the pot.
Your own work in that: 10 min.
- Broth 45 min
- Vegetables 20 min
- Garnishes 15 min
- Serving 10 min
Step by step
0 / 7 donePoach the chicken for a clear broth
Cover the chicken with cold water, add the onion, garlic, bay, thyme and salt, bring to a boil, skim the scum and cook 45 minutes with the surface barely trembling. A boiling broth turns cloudy and the meat comes out dry.
Ingredients: 1400 g chicken · 2500 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 5 cloves garlic · 2 pcs bay leaves · 3 pcs thyme · 2 tsp salt
Skimmed, with the surface barely trembling.Lift out the meat and tear it
Remove the chicken, take it off the bones and tear it into threads by hand, and strain the broth. Torn shreds have a rough surface that holds on to the broth, and they are more tender on the spoon than neat cubes.
Ingredients: 1400 g chicken · 2500 ml water · 1 pcs onion · 5 cloves garlic · 2 pcs bay leaves · 3 pcs thyme · 2 tsp salt
Add the chipotles whole
Drop whole chipotles in adobo into the broth, uncut, and simmer 10 minutes. Whole, they give smoke and only gentle heat; split, they would give off far more heat and the soup would turn fiery rather than smoky.
Ingredients: 400 g chickpeas · 3 pcs carrots · 2 pcs courgettes · 150 g green beans · 3 pcs chipotles in adobo
Whole and uncut — aroma, with gentle heat.Cook the vegetables in order of firmness
Add the carrot and cook 10 minutes, then the beans for 5 minutes, and finally the courgette for the last 5 minutes. Courgette goes last — cooked longer it collapses and clouds the broth, which should stay clear.
Ingredients: 400 g chickpeas · 3 pcs carrots · 2 pcs courgettes · 150 g green beans · 3 pcs chipotles in adobo
Add the chickpeas and the meat
Add the cooked chickpeas and the torn chicken and warm through for 5 minutes. The chickpeas stand in for noodles and give the soup substance — they do not thicken the broth, so it stays clear.
Ingredients: 400 g chickpeas · 3 pcs carrots · 2 pcs courgettes · 150 g green beans · 3 pcs chipotles in adobo
Set out the garnishes in bowls
Slice the avocado, cut lime wedges, crumble the cheese and chop the coriander and onion — each into its own bowl. Toast the tortillas in a dry frying pan and cut them into strips. Not presentation: this is how the soup is eaten.
Ingredients: 2 pcs avocados · 3 pcs limes · 150 g white cheese (queso fresco) · 1 bunch coriander · ½ pcs onion · 6 pcs corn tortillas
Each garnish apart — the bowl is built at the table.Remove the chipotles and serve
Take the chillies out before serving — left in the pot, they make the soup hotter by the hour. Ladle out the soup and serve with the bowls of garnishes. The lime is squeezed into the bowl at the table, just before eating.
Ingredients: 2 pcs avocados · 3 pcs limes · 150 g white cheese (queso fresco) · 1 bunch coriander · ½ pcs onion · 6 pcs corn tortillas
Before you start
Chipotles in adobo
These are smoked jalapeños in a tomato and vinegar sauce, sold in tins. Transfer the rest of the tin to a jar and keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks (or freeze it in portions) — it is useful for everything from marinades to mayonnaise.
Cheese that does not melt
Queso fresco is lightly salted and crumbles rather than melting in hot soup. Feta is the closest substitute though saltier — use less of it and hold back on salting the broth.
Broth a day ahead
The soup keeps up to three days in the fridge, but the vegetables soften over time. Best to make the broth with the meat a day ahead and add the vegetables on reheating — then every portion gets them firm.
