Hibiscus Birria Tacos

🌺 Hibiscus filling

• 2 1/2 cups dried hibiscus flowers
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Avocado oil, for the pan

1. Boil the hibiscus for 20 minutes, then drain, rinse, and squeeze out the excess water.
2. Boil a second time for 8–10 minutes, then drain, rinse, and squeeze again. The double boil is what pulls out the sharp sourness — skip it and the tacos taste like tea.
3. Chop the drained flowers finely, then season with the paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Sauté in a little avocado oil for 5–7 minutes.
5. Add about 1 1/2 cups of the consommé and simmer 15–20 minutes until the filling is glossy and saucy.

Consommé

• 4 guajillo chiles
• 2 ancho chiles
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 2–3 Roma tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion
• 5 garlic cloves
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Salt and pepper

1. Boil the guajillo and ancho chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, broth, and bay leaves for about 20 minutes.
2. Pull out the bay leaves — blended bay turns bitter — then blend everything with the tomato paste, vinegar, chipotles and adobo, and remaining seasonings until smooth.
3. Strain, return to the pot, and simmer another 10–15 minutes. Straining is what gives you the silky dipping consommé rather than a gritty sauce.

Tacos

• Corn tortillas
• Violife Mexican Style cheese
• The hibiscus filling
• Diced white onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

1. Dip a tortilla in the consommé, griddle it, add cheese and filling, fold, and crisp both sides.
2. Top with onion and cilantro, and serve with lime and a bowl of the remaining consommé for dipping.

The caption lists the taco components; the assembly order above is our own standard birria method.