Tacos de Rajas con Crema

Tacos de rajas are a beloved street food staple across central Mexico, born from the desire to showcase the rich, smoky depth of roasted poblano chiles in their simplest form. In Puebla and Mexico City, these creamy, comforting tacos are often sold alongside carnitas and barbacoa, yet they hold their own as a fully satisfying vegetarian meal.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 6 poblano chiles (about 700g / 1.5 lb)
• 1 large white onion (300g / 10 oz), thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 200ml (3/4 cup) Mexican crema or sour cream
• 150g (5 oz) Oaxacan cheese or low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
• 2 tbsp (30ml) neutral oil
• 1 tsp (5g) dried oregano
• Salt to taste
• 16 small corn tortillas, warmed
• Fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges to serve

Instructions

1. Char the poblanos directly over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning with tongs every 2-3 minutes, until blackened all over, about 10-12 minutes total.
2. Place charred chiles in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let steam 10 minutes. Peel off blackened skins, remove stems and seeds, and slice into thin 1cm (1/2 in) strips (rajas).
3. Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden at the edges, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Add garlic and oregano, cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add the poblano strips and stir to combine.
5. Pour in the crema and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 3-4 minutes until the sauce coats everything and thickens slightly. Season generously with salt.
6. Scatter the cheese over the top, reduce heat to low, and cover until melted, about 2 minutes.
7. Serve in warmed corn tortillas topped with cilantro, radishes, and a squeeze of lime.

Cook's Notes: For extra smokiness, add one chipotle chile in adobo sauce to the skillet with the garlic. Corn tortillas are essential here — flour tortillas overwhelm the delicate flavour of the rajas.