Cooking in the Time of COVID: Chorizo and egg tacos

Daphnie Escobedo, Contributing Writer

Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos

Serves: 2 people

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Chorizo & Egg Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • cooking oil
  • 2 kielbasa sausage links

Tortilla Ingredients:

  • White Wings Flour Tortilla Mix
  • 2 cups of hot water

Instructions for chorizo and egg:

  1. Heat pan to medium to high temperature.
  2. Pour a dime-sized amount of cooking oil into the pan.
  3. Cut through the sausages and scrape everything but the casing into the pan. 
  4. While the sausages are in the pan, smash them into small pieces with a utensil.
  5. Once the sausage starts to turn brown and harden, crack eggs into the same pan without breaking the yolk.
  6. Spread the egg whites onto the cooked sausages.
  7. Once the egg whites turn white, break the yolks and scramble the eggs, mixing them with the sausages. Stir continuously to cook all the ingredients evenly.
  8. Once everything in the pan is cooked, separate any excessive oil from the food.
  9. Add salt, ketchup and hot sauce to taste.
Photo by Daphnie Escobedo

Instructions for tortillas:

  1. Preheat the comal to 300-350℉ or to a high temperature (or use a frying pan).
  2. Pour two cups of flour into a deep bowl.
  3. Add half a cup of hot water to flour.
  4. Use a spoon to mix flour and water together.
  5. Once the flour-water mixture is warm, knead it into a dough. The dough should be smooth and elastic.
  6. Roll the dough into balls the size of your palm.
  7. Lightly flour a flat surface (a cutting board will work). Using a palote (rolling pin), roll the ball doughs into thin, flat circles.
  8. Place each flattened dough circle onto the comal for a minute or two until they rise, then flip over to cook on the other side. Repeat until lightly brown.
  9. Roll the chorizo and eggs into the tortilla to make a breakfast taco.

Cultural Article & Connection to the Chef:

Texas is known for many things, and breakfast tacos are one of them. With many different choices of breakfast taco available, there is one for just about everyone. Different variations of this delicious dish include bean and cheese tacos, bacon and egg tacos, and carne guisada tacos. All of these choices are great picks, but my personal favorite has always been the chorizo and egg taco. I feel like I may be in the minority with my love for the chorizo and egg taco, but I have felt that deep love for that specific taco variation for as long as I can remember.

Growing up in Texas, I am well accustomed to getting breakfast tacos every morning before school, during big events, after church, on road trips and on many other occasions. Breakfast tacos are a big part of Texas culture. When I would go over to my grandparents’ house, my grandma was willing to make any kind of breakfast food I wanted, but she specifically made amazing chorizo and egg tacos. It became an unspoken arrangement that when I was going over to my grandma’s house at any point in the morning, she would make me chorizo and egg tacos. I would watch her do all the small tasks in order to prepare the taco because she made it look so easy and it would come out amazing every time. I realize that is why I love that specific variation of the taco — because it’s easy to make. When I go to any unknown restaurant, I know I can depend on chorizo and egg tacos to have a good and satisfying meal.

So, every time I eat this specific taco, I feel that I am taking part in Texan culture as well as keeping up the unspoken agreement that my grandma and I have with each other. Other people may have a different favorite choice of breakfast taco, but my chorizo and egg preference never does me wrong.

Photo by Daphnie Escobedo

Tips and Tricks:

  • When making the chorizo and egg:
    • Make sure not to break the yolk when cracking the egg into the chorizo so you can spread the egg white around first. Once the egg white is spread, spread the yolk around evenly. This allows for a thoroughly mixed filling for your taco.
  • When making tortillas: 
    • When kneading the flour and water together, if the dough is too sticky, add some flour. But if the dough is too floury, add some more water. Do this until the dough is smooth and easy to knead.