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Tinga de Setas
Tinga is usually built on shredded chicken simmered in a smoky chipotle-tomato sauce. This version pulls the same shredded texture from cremini mushrooms instead. Browning them hard in a dry pan first, until they give up their water, is what lets them tear into strands with two forks rather than collapsing into mush. The chipotle comes dried and rehydrated in water, not canned in adobo, which keeps the smoke without the oil the canned version is packed in, and a splash of vinegar and lime stirred in off the heat at the end supplies the tang that canned chipotle would otherwise carry.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Cremini mushrooms
- 1 Yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves Garlic, smashed
- 2 Chipotles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 1/2 cups Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1 Bay leave
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
- 1 Lime, juiced
- 1/2 Red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 Avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
Method
- Stem and seed the chipotles, then cover with 1 cup (240 ml) just-boiled water and let stand for 15 minutes, until soft and pliable. This is the oil-free shortcut to canned chipotle in adobo: rehydrating the dried pod straight in water gets the same smoke and heat without the oil the canned version is packed in.
- Slice the mushrooms into thick planks along the stem, about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick. Set a large dry skillet over high heat and lay the mushrooms in a single layer, working in two batches so they brown instead of crowding and steaming. Let each side sit undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until deeply browned and the liquid they release has mostly cooked back off.
- Pile the browned mushrooms on a cutting board and pull each plank apart into rough strands with two forks, the way you would pulled chicken. Browning them hard first is what makes this work: mushrooms cooked wet stay slick and tear into mush instead of fibers.
- In the same skillet, sweat the onion in 3 tbsp (45 ml) water over medium heat, scraping up the browned bits the mushrooms left behind. Cook until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
- Drain the chipotles, keeping the soaking water. Blend the chipotles with the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and half the onion mixture until smooth, adding a splash of the soaking water if the blades stall.
- Return the blended sauce to the skillet with the remaining onion, the bay leaf, and the shredded mushrooms. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce clings to the mushrooms rather than pooling underneath them.
- Pull out the bay leaf and take the skillet off the heat. Stir in the vinegar and lime juice: this is the tang tinga usually pulls from the vinegar in canned chipotle, added back at the end instead of cooked in from the start. Taste, and reach for more lime before salt.
- Pile the tinga onto tostadas or into warm corn tortillas. Top with the sliced red onion, avocado, and cilantro.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 165 calories, 7 g protein, 6 g fiber, 130 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
