How To Cook Nopales (No Sticky Texture!)

Clean the cactus paddles

1. Using a sharp knife, carefully hold the nopales by its stem with kitchen tongs or a kitchen towel and trim the edges off.
2. With the tip of the knife, scrape off its thorns. Then turn it to the other side and scrape down its stem until you get to the soft part.
3. Rinse under cold water.
4. Sliced nopales into strips or squares depending on how you’re going to prepare them.
5. Tip: make sure you leave as much flesh as possible. That will make the nopales less slimy when cooking them.

To cook the cactus

1. In a medium pot, add the cut nopales with the onion, garlic, salt and cilantro. Heat over medium and cook until the slimy juice has disappeared. About 13 to 15 minutes.
2. Cool and store in an airtight container or use in your planned recipe.