Tortilla – what kind of dish of Mexican cuisine is it and how to cook it correctly at home with a photo

The content of the article

• Tortilla tortilla
• How to make tortilla
• Tortilla Fillings
• Tortilla Sauce
• Tortilla recipes
• Classic
• Wheat
• Snacks
• Burrito
• Quesadilla
• Nachos
• Enchilada
• Tacos

Tortilla or tortillas (in Spanish tortilla, in Nahuatl (Aztec) tlaxcalli. The word is introduced by the conquistadors) – a national Mexican dish. This is a round cake made from corn or wheat flour, a traditional dish of Mexico, Central America and the USA. Tortilla is the basis for dishes whose recipe is based on wrapping the fillings in a tortilla. These include burritos, huevos rancheros (farmers food), enchilada, tacos, etc..

Tortilla tortilla

Wheat or corn tortilla is not only Mexican, but also a Spanish national dish. Mexican tortilla served instead of bread, is the basis for sandwiches, canapes, pies and rolls or served fried without filling. In the Spanish version, tortilla is an omelette cake without frying, stuffed with vegetables and mushrooms (necessarily beaten eggs with potatoes).

How to make tortilla

For the preparation of pita bread, wheat or corn flour is used. The dough needs to be baked in a komala (round clay pan) without oil on both sides. When the cake is ready, you can wrap the filling in it: meat, cheese, beans or a vegetarian version with vegetables, mushrooms. For pungency or sweet taste, you can add the sauce. Hot tortilla served.

Tortilla Fillings

The basis of many dishes of Mexican cuisine is tortilla, which should have a sharp aftertaste. Therefore, the pancake is sprinkled with red pepper before serving. Many Mexican fillings are based on corn, beans, and bell peppers. For the preparation of burritos are used legumes, tomato sauce, cheese. Tacos can be seasoned with chicken, avocado and tacos. Cheese and guacamole added to quesadillas.

Tortilla Sauce

To give a bright taste, Mexicans add sauces to the filling. Spicy salsa sauce, in harmony with meat, fish, prepared from tomato paste, red onion, chili pepper, lime and herbs. The base of guacamole sauce (added to burritos and quesadillas) is avocado, onion, garlic, chili and tabasco sauce. Sauces can be spread on tortilla or added to the filling.

Tortilla recipes

There are two options for making tortilla: with wheat or corn base. If you choose the second tortilla recipe at home, then add wheat flour to the main mass of flour for a sticky tender dough. The recipes with tortilla are varied: in the classic Mexican version, additives and fillings are not meant, while it is possible that any ingredients to your taste can be wrapped in a tortilla.

Classic

• Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 5 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 272 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner, snack.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: Easy.

Traditional tortilla cooked on corn flour with the addition of wheat groats. Red pepper will help you to feel completely Mexican, with which the inhabitants of the country sprinkle tortilla dishes after cooking. You can serve a dish instead of bread or a self-starter with spicy sauces.

Ingredients

• corn flour – 400 g;
• wheat flour – 100 g;
• cold water – 250 ml;
• butter – 50 g;
• ground red pepper – to taste;
• salt – 5 g.

Cooking method

1. Sift corn and wheat flour. Salt and pepper.
2. Combine the butter softened with a fork with flour. Shuffle the ingredients.
3. Pour 50 ml of water into the dough, stirring. At first, the contents resemble crumbs, gradually turning into soft dough.
4. Divide the dough into 8 parts, of which roll the balls, pre-moistened hands with vegetable oil. Roll the dough in flour, cover with a cloth. Insist 30-60 minutes.
5. Flour two pieces of cling film with flour. Place each ball of dough between the films, using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a round cake about 2 mm thick. The diameter of the cake should be equal to the diameter of the pan.
6. Heat a frying pan without oil, put a cake. Fry each side for 40-60 seconds.
7. Remove the tortilla and put on the dish. Serve tortilla hot.

Wheat

• Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 5 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 293 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner, snack.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: Easy.

The tortilla dough on wheat flour is more tender, and the tortillas themselves are less brittle. For the correct consistency, a baking powder is added to the traditional recipe (in addition to wheat flour). If the goal is to make tortilla instead of bread, vary the ratio of salt, pepper and other spices. Make the cake less spicy and peppered, but more salty.

Ingredients

• wheat flour – 500 g;
• margarine – 100 g;
• water – 300 ml;
• baking powder – 5 g;
• salt to taste;
• spices and spices to taste.

Cooking method

1. Sift flour.
2. Pour and mix baking powder, salt, spices, spices.
3. Add margarine to flour, grated. Shuffle the ingredients.
4. Pour cold water in small portions, knead the dough.
5. Divide the dough and roll the circles out of them. Cover with a cloth, leave for half an hour.
6. Roll the dough into a flat cake with a diameter equal to the pan.
7. Fry flat cakes without oil on each side for 40-60 seconds.

Snacks

One of the uses of tortillas is the basis for snacks. Filled tortilla (depending on the filling) is burrito, tacos chilakiles, gyros, fajitas, etc. A common filling of Mexican tortilla are:

• canned bean stewed with onions and spices with the addition of goat cheese;
• chicken roasted in spices with the addition of tomatoes and herbs;
• vegetables and olives stewed in vegetable oil;
• strawberries and bananas;
• pumpkin porridge.

Burrito

• Time: 40 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 750 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner, snack.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: medium.

The basis for a classic burrito is hot wheat tortilla, which is smeared with sauce. The fillings for a traditional burrito can be varied, the main thing is that beans, tomatoes or tomato sauce and cheese are present (often, but not always). Burrito, baked in large quantities of oil in a pan or in deep fat, is called chimichanga.

Ingredients

• tortilla – 300 g;
• fillet turkey – 30 g;
• garlic – 10 g;
• red canned beans – 300 g;
• chili pepper – 2 g;
• bell pepper – 40 g;
• chicken broth – 200 ml .;
• tomato paste – 150 g;
• cilantro – 30 g;
• salt to taste.

Cooking method

1. Slice the peeled turkey into oblong narrow slices.
2. Fry the meat in a hot pan, add the garlic five minutes before being cooked and mix..
3. Add canned beans without liquid.
4. Season with spices, choose the proportions of chili depending on the desired sharpness.
5. Add chopped bell peppers, leave on fire for three minutes.
6. Drain broth without lid, simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Add chopped cilantro and peeled tomatoes or tomato paste.
8. Wrap the ingredients in a tortilla, sealing one end with foil (as pictured).

Quesadilla

• Time: 20 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 650 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner, snack.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: Easy.

In the original version of quesadilla, the filling, which is placed in a corn or wheat tortilla folded in half in a crescent, consists only of cheese. Over time, the recipe was transformed, the composition of traditional Mexican quesadillas, along with cheese filling, began to include chicken meat with the addition of hot spices (chili, paprika, red and black pepper).

Ingredients

• chicken fillet – 300 g;
• tortilla – 4 pieces;
• Bulgarian, red and yellow peppers – in half;
• red onion – 1 head;
• hard cheese – 180 g;
• fresh parsley – 2-3 branches;
• vegetable oil;
• spices (chili, black pepper, paprika) – to taste;
• salt to taste.

Cooking method

1. Beat off the chicken fillet, salt, pepper so that it tastes good to you. Fry meat for 5-7 minutes on each side until cooked.
2. Separately fry chopped bell pepper and chopped onion for 5-7 minutes.
3. Put tortilla in a pan, put cheese, chicken into cubes, vegetables and greens on it, then cheese again. The total amount of ingredients should be enough for two times.
4. When the lower cheese is melted, put the second tortilla on top, slightly press down. Turn the dish over and fry until crusty (about a minute).

Nachos

• Time: 30 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 252 kcal.
• Purpose: appetizer.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: Easy.

Nachos – Mexican triangular tortilla chips based on tortilla dough, used as a snack or as a salad supplement. Sometimes nachos is served as a separate crispy dish on a tray with two compartments (for chips and sauce) or in the form of chips immediately watered with dressing. In the original version, nachos consisted of fried salted tortilla, chili peppers and melted cheddar cheese.

Ingredients

• tortilla – 3 pieces of tortilla;
• salt – 10 g;
• paprika – 20 g;
• cayenne pepper – 5 g;
• curry – 20 g.

Cooking method

1. Roll the tortilla (options for cooking: with wheat or corn flour with a mixture of spices) in a thin layer, cut the dough into triangles (as in the photo). Put the pieces on a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Bake nachos for 5-8 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees. Chips can easily burn, you need to carefully observe while baking.

Enchilada

• Time: 40 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 684 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: Easy.

Enchilada recipe in one embodiment involves chicken breast, in another – minced meat. The filling can be varied with canned corn and tomato. The dish can be made less spicy, but chili peppers are an important ingredient in the recipe. Traditionally, the dish is poured with mole sauce, which includes chili and cocoa.

Ingredients

• tortilla – 3-4 pieces;
• boiled chicken breasts – 500 g;
• sweet pepper – 1 pc.;
• hard cheese – 200 g;
• milk – 300 ml .;
• butter – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• wheat flour – 3 tbsp. spoons;
• chili pepper to taste.

Cooking method

1. Combine chopped chicken breast, peeled peppers and grated cheese. Chilli and Salt.
2. Fold the filling on the edge of the tortilla, wrap the tortilla in the envelope.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add flour, fry and pour the milk. The sauce should thicken, then pour it on the tortillas, which must be placed on a baking sheet with baking paper.
4. Sprinkle cheese on tortillas and send for 15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees.
5. Serve hot.

Tacos

• Time: 25 minutes.
• Servings Per Container: 4 Persons.
• Calorie dishes: 567 kcal.
• Purpose: lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Mexican.
• Difficulty: Easy.

Tacos is a Mexican dish based on corn or wheat tortilla. The main ingredients for the filling are meat and vegetables. There are many options: delicious pork in a sauce with annatto, which is served with slices of pineapple, stewed beef or any meat roasted on fire. Serve tacos for lunch, dinner or as a snack.

Ingredients

• tortilla – 4 pieces
• prepared meat or bacon –350 g;
• tomato paste – 1.5 teaspoons;
• sweet pepper – half a large fruit;
• hot pepper – 1 pod;
• hard cheese – 100 g;
• lettuce – 100 g;
• lime juice –2 tbsp. spoons;
• red onion – 1 pc.;
• garlic – 1 clove;
• vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• salt, pepper – to taste.

Cooking method

1. Sauté the onion until soft, add the meat to the straws for three minutes.
2. Add hot pepper (slices), sweet (straws), chopped garlic.
3. After two minutes, add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, pour half a glass of water. Simmer for 6-7 minutes.
4. Stuff the tortillas with chopped cabbage, meat sauce, add cheese on top.
5. Bend the tortilla in half (as in the photo), send to the oven for 5-7 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees.