Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots

 If your favorite part of hitting your favorite taco shop is munching on the free pickled carrots and jalapeños, you’re going to love this recipe.

Sliced jalapeno peppers pickled in vinegar with onions, carrot slices, and spices.

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Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots are great with burgers, tacos, steaks, and so much more! 

Perfect for weekend grilling with friends and family, and game day, jalapeños can be pretty spicy and if your guests aren’t used to spicy things, you might want to give them a heads-up before serving.

Ingredients in Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots

• Vegetables: Jalapeños, Carrots, onions, garlic

• Spices : Black Peppercorns, Bay leaves, Mexican oregano

• Liquid: Vinegar, water

• Oil: Vegetable, or olive oil

• Salt:  Sea salt, or kosher salt

• Sugar: granulated

How to make Taqueria-Style Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots

Slice the jalapenos, onions, and carrots to ¼ inch thick, discarding the stems.

In a large stockpot add the garlic, vinegar, water, oil, bay leaves, peppercorns, oregano, salt. Bring to a boil and add the carrots, onion, and jalapeños. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered.

Cool, then transfer to a jar. If more liquid is needed to cover add equal parts of water and white vinegar. Keep refrigerated.

This will keep sealed in the refrigerator for a couple weeks. If you’d like to keep it longer, process it in a water bath before storing it.

Raw Jalapeños and Carrots                            Cooked Jalapeños and Carrots

Once the jalapeños are a dull green, use tongs and and transfer the veggies to a jar, before pouring the brine overtop. Allow to cool before storing in your fridge.

This recipe is suitable for canning but make sure that the vinegar you use has 5% acidity. 

Pickled Jalapeños and Carrots

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Easy Spicy Pickled Red Onions

Spicy Pickled Red Onions adds tangy crunch and a bright pink note to your tacos, enchiladas, and tostadas.  Perfect for grilled burgers and steaks, the ultimate condiment to your meal.

What is in Spicy Pickled Red Onions

Red Onions: When choosing onions, look for dry, firm bulbs that feel heavy for their size. Avoid soft spots and green sprouts.  You can store whole onions in a mesh-type bag or open basket for up to two months in a cool, dark, dry space.

Jalapeños: The older the pepper, and the more stress the plant has been under, the more white lines you'll see, and the hotter the pepper will be. The smoother the pepper, the younger, less stressed, and milder it is.

Mexican Oregano: You can always substitute regular oregano leaves for Mexican oregano leaves. It won't be quite as pungent, but it'll do the trick. ... Mexican oregano does add a citrus note to recipes as well, so you may wish to introduce that flavor by including a few pinches of ground coriander

Apple Cider Vinegar: White distilled vinegar gives clarity to pickled items and is cheap, but some people feel its taste is harsh; Apple cider vinegar can color pickled items brown and is more expensive, but some people prefer its flavor.

Salt: the salt used in pickling not only provides characteristic flavor but also is vital to safety and texture. In fermented foods, salt favors the growth of desirable bacteria while inhibiting the growth of others.

Sugar: Sweetener helps to make the food product more palatable by masking the tartness and sourness of the acidity.

Raw, cooked, or pickled, Red onions are the most nutritious and healthy of all onions. In addition to other vitamins and minerals, they are rich in vitamin B9 and folate AKA which can improve heart health. And for your digestive system, they are also packed with good probiotics and digestive enzymes.

On The Side

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Mexican Christmas Fruit Salad ( Ensalada de Navidad)

Crisp apples, pineapple, coconut, raisins, chopped pecans mixed with a sweet Mexican crema mixture, topped with Maraschino cherries.Yum! 

Mexican Christmas Fruit Salad

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Shortcut Green Chile Corn Tamales with Cheese

The balanced combo of Mexican blend cheese, roasted chiles, and roasted corn mixed in moist, delicious masa make for a delightfully delicious at-home meal.

 This is not your traditional green chile corn tamale recipe,  but an easy shortcut to a delicious tamal.  I love the traditional recipe but these tamales are filled with roasted green chile, roasted corn, cheese blended right into the masa.

Store-bought prepared tamale masa, if available, makes this recipe quick and easy.  

How to Make Green Chile Corn Tamales with Cheese

Tamale Corn Husks: Husk needs to soak for an hour in hot water to rehydrate to be pliable. 

Tamale Masa (dough):  In a large bowl mix dry ingredients, add broth or water, and mix thoroughly. Set aside.  Whip lard or shortening in stand up mixer.  Add the moisten cornflour mixture to the whipped lard/or shortening mixture. Mix until a pea-size piece of masa floats in a cup of cold water. 

Shortcut:  If you have access to buying ready-made masa from a tortilleria, or store, you can go straight to adding fillings.*

*Add corn, green chiles, cheese to masa, stir thoroughly.  Refrigerate until ready to assemble tamales.

Rinse soften corn husks of silk and debris, pat dry. Place into a covered dish or a large plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. Use only the larger and medium-sized husks to wrap the tamales.

Add 3 tablespoons of green chile corn mixture 4 inches down from the pointed end of the husk, to the center of corn husk, fold over each side, then fold top and tie.

Pour 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water into a large pot and add a steamer basket. Arrange the tamales vertically (opening up) in the basket. Bring the water in the pot to a boil then reduce the heat. Cover with lid. Add water every 20 minutes and simmer the tamales for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Tamales are cook when the dough pulls from the tamale husk easily. Let tamales sit for 30 minutes before eating, or refrigerate when cool in a food storage bag. 

Instant pot instructions: 

Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot and insert the steam rack. 

Arrange the tamales on the rack, standing them upright. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing.

Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 40 minutes at high pressure.  Let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting to release any residual steam.

Carefully remove the lid and transfer the tamales to a plate. Let stand for 15–30 minutes to set up before serving.

Storing Green Chile Corn Tamales

Once the tamales are cooled completely, get a large, airtight plastic container or several heavy-duty resealable plastic bags. Place the tamales inside the container, setting them flat so they retain their shape once they’ve been thawed. Do not pack too many tamales in one container. Seal the container, write the storage date with a marker then stick in the freezer.

Cooked tamales can be placed in the fridge for up to one week or freezer for a couple of months. 

How to Serve Green Chile Corn Tamales

• Serve Green Chile Corn Tamales topped with a Tomatillo Salsa, or red chile sauce. 
• Drizzle with Mexican Crema, or sour cream. 
• Add a side of rice and beans

Shortcut Green Chile Corn Tamales with Cheese
Author: The Busy Abuelita
Preparation Time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Servings: 4 dozen

The balanced combo of Mexican blend cheese, roasted chiles, and roasted corn mixed in moist, delicious masa make for a delightfully delicious at-home meal.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Maseca Tamal or Masa Harina corn flour or ready-made masa (skip to fillings)*
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 cups lard or shortening
• 5 cups chicken broth or water/ combination
• 1  12 oz package roasted corn, slightly warmed and drained*
• 4 -7 oz. can fire-roasted diced green chiles, drained
• 4 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
• 1 4 oz. can diced jalapeno (optional)
• 1 8 oz. package Tamale Corn Husks

Instructions:

1. Soak corn husks for 1 hour in very hot water
2. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients together.
3. Add chicken broth or water, mix thoroughly in the stand mixer or by hand until you have a soft moist dough
4. In a standup mixer, mix the lard/shortening with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
5. Add the masa and continue beating until the batter becomes smooth and slightly sticky. Drop a pea-size piece of tamale masa(dough) into cold water, if the dough floats...your dough is ready
6. Add corn, 4 cans green chiles, cheese, and jalapenos (optional)to masa, blend thoroughly.
7. Rinse soften corn husks and pat dry. Place into a covered dish or a large plastic bag to prevent them from drying out. Use only the larger and medium-sized husks to wrap the tamales.
8. Add 3 tablespoons of green chile corn mixture 4 inches down from the pointed end of the husk, to the center of corn husk, fold over each side, then fold top and tie.
9. Pour 1-2 inches of water into a large pot and add a steamer basket. Arrange the tamales vertically (opening up) in the basket.
10. Bring the water in the pot to a boil then reduce the heat. Cover with lid. Add water every 20 minutes and simmer the tamales for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
11. Tamales are cook when the dough pulls from the tamale husk easily. Let tamales sit for 30 minutes before eating, or refrigerate when cool in a food storage bag.

Instant Pot cooking

1. Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot and insert the steam rack. Arrange the tamales on the rack, standing them upright. Lock the lid in place and turn the valve to Sealing. Press the Manual/Pressure Cook button and set the cook time for 40 minutes at high pressure. Let the steam release naturally for about 10 minutes, then turn the valve to Venting to release any residual steam. Carefully remove the lid and transfer the tamales to a plate. Let stand for 15–30 minutes to set up before serving.

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