Do Mexicans eat cactus paddles (nopales)? Yes! And so should you…
Nopales are a staple in Mexico’s gastronomy, and in this household. If you haven’t tried them, you’re in for a treat! We eat them as a snack, as dinner or as a side dish. Aside from their tastiness, they are high in fiber and antioxidants and are anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral. Some even swear by their weight loss properties (they reduce fat absorption and are low in calories).
There are thousands of ways to prepare them, including making a ‘green juice’ (which in my experience it’s not something you should try, lol), but to get you started here are our favorite, easy to make, nopales recipes.
¡Buen provecho!
3 easy nopales recipes
Nopal salad
Serves: 2
Ingredients
- 4 medium nopales (cactus paddles)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1/4 small onion
- 1 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon or salt
- 1 dried Morita chili pepper or dried Chile de árbol (it’ll give the nopales a spicy touch)
Preparation
- Dice the tomatoes, the onion, and the cactus paddles.
- In a medium-sized pan, heat up a little bit of vegetable oil or PAM cooking spray. Add the onion and let it cook for a bit. Tip: you can also cook everything with a big slice of onion and then remove it.
- Before the onion turns golden, add the diced nopales and the Morita chili pepper and cover the pan with a lid. Move constantly so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- When the nopales turn dark green, remove the chili pepper and add the tomatoes. Then, season with the chicken bouillon or with salt. Mix well and let it cook for 2 minutes.
- Serve!
Grilled nopales with cheese
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- 2 medium nopales (cactus paddles)
- 2 thin slices of panela cheese
- 2 thin slices of tomato *optional*
- Salsa of your choice. This one would go well with it.
- Salt & Pepper
Preparation
- In a grill pan, spray some PAM or add a dash of vegetable oil and spread it with a napkin.
- Cook the nopales on each side and season with salt and pepper. When they turn dark green, remove them from the heat.
- On the same pan, grill the panela cheese until well browned. Then, grill the tomatoes for a couple of seconds.
- Present by placing the nopales first, then the cheese and the tomatoes on top, as shown in the photo.
- Add salsa and enjoy! This is one of our go-to dinner recipes.
Nopal tacos
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
- 3 very thin beef stakes (bistek or skirt steak)
- 4 medium nopales (cactus paddles)
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1/4 small onion
- 6 corn tortillas
- Worcestershire sauce
- Maggi sauce
- Lemon
- Salt & Pepper
Preparation
- Cut the beef in small squares and marinate for two hours with Worcestershire sauce, Maggi sauce, and lemon.
- Dice the nopales and the tomatoes.
- In a medium-sized pan, heat up a little bit of vegetable oil, and add the onion (diced, or in big slices, so you can remove them before serving).
- Before the onion turns golden, add the diced nopales and cover the pan with a lid. Move constantly so that it doesn’t stick to the pan.
- When the nopales turn dark green, season them with salt & pepper. Then, add the beef and 2 tbsp of the sauce it marinated in, and let it cook at low heat (do not cover with lid).
- When the meat is almost fully cooked, add the tomato. If needed, add more salt & pepper.
- Heat the tortillas and make your tacos! Tip: You can melt some mozzarella cheese on top if you want.
Hope you try one of these nopales recipes! And let us know how it goes…
