Verdolagas in Salsa Verde and Salsa Roja
Verdolagas, or purslane in English, are popular dish in Mexico traditionally cooked stewed with pork in a tomatillo sauce or a vibrant salsa roja. In this recipe you'll learn how to make both versions I grew up eating in my Mexican family.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 521kcal
Ingredients
Verdolagas in Salsa Verde Ingredients
- ½ lb Purslane thoroughly rinsed
- ½ lb small red potatoes sliced in halves and boiled or baked or air fried
- 1 lb tomatillos husked removed and rinsed
- 1 large jalapeño pepper
- 1 largee serrano chile stem removed
- 4 large garlic cloves stem removed
- ½ small white onion cut into large pieces
- 6 cups water for boiling salsa ingredients
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
- ½ lb button mushrooms
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon granulate onion
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1.5 Tablespoons olive oil or your favorite oil
Verdolagas in Salsa Roja Ingredients
- 3 whole guajillos deseeded and stem removed
- 2 whole chile de arbole optional for spicy touch, deseeded and stem removed
- 1 large tomato
- ½ small white onion
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 4 cups water for boiling ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
- ½ lb cremini mushrooms or mushrooms of choice, quartered
- ½ lb verdolagas or purslane
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper adjust to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin adjust to taste
Instructions
Verdolagas in Salsa Verde Instructions
- Make sure the purslane doesn't have any trapped dirt. Remove any damaged leaves. You can cut off a bit of the stem or the majority if you like. I personally cut off most of it because I don't love the texture of the stems. I leave the thinner stems though.
- Slice the potatoes in half then boil until soft or toss with olive oil and a little salt and either bake or air fry until soft. I air fried them at 370F for 10 minutes.
- Place the tomatillos, chile peppers, garlic and onion into a pot and pour in the water. Allow to simmer until all the vegetables are soft.
- Heat the oil in a large pan then add the mushrooms and sauté until they've softened through, about 8 minutes. Next add the purslane and sprinkle the granulated garlic, onion and sauté until the purslane leaves begin to wilt. Then mix in the cooked potato halves and stir until well combined.
- By this time the salsa ingredients should be soften, carefully scoop out of the pot into a blender. Add about 1/2 cup of the boiling broth. Then add the cilantro leaves then the vegetable bouillon powder and blend until smooth. Add more water if needed.
- Carefully pour 3/4s of the salsa into the pot and stir until well combined. You can add more salsa if you want a saucier dish. Also if the salsa is too thick you can add more water or vegetable broth into the pan. Simmer under medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning or salt if desired.
- Serve with boiled or refried beans and warm corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Verdolagas in Salsa Roja Instructions
- Place the tomato, onion, garlic cloves, and deseeded guajillos into a medium pot with plenty of water. Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are tender and the chiles have softened.
- Carefully place the boiled vegetables into the cup of a blender and use 1 cup of the boiling water to blend until smooth. Use more water if needed to achieve a smooth salsa.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Once hot add the mushrooms pieces and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Use a colander to strain the blended into the pan and over the cooked mushrooms - careful, it can splash up!
- Mix in the seasonings and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Now you can mix in the rinsed verdolagas into the pan. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the purslane has completely wilted and the sauce thicken a little bit. It'll take about 10 minutes. Stir now and then. Adjust salt as desired.
- Serve with frijoles de olla and warm corn tortillas.
Video
Notes
- Please notice the Nutrition numbers are estimates and don't include the tortillas or beans.
Nutrition
Serving: 2servings | Calories: 521kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Sodium: 2580mg | Potassium: 3421mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 16303IU | Vitamin C: 148mg | Calcium: 385mg | Iron: 8mg
