Tortilla is a Mexican national dish, thin tortillas made from cornmeal. They are served instead of bread for soups and as a garnish for meat. Various fillings and sauces are wrapped in them. Corn tortillas are used in most Mexican snacks: fajitas, burrito, tacos, quesadilla. Tortilla is easy to make at home too.
It is necessary
-
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons of baking soda;
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 1 glass of water.
Instructions
Step 1
Sift the cornmeal through a fine sieve into a deep bowl. Add baking soda and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Step 2
Gradually pour in the vegetable oil while continuing to stir. You can use refined sunflower seeds. But olive is preferable. It will give the tortillas the aroma and flavor of traditional tortillas. Knead the mixture until smooth.
Step 3
Also add water gradually. Do this in two or three steps, so you can control the process and, if necessary, add liquid or, conversely, reduce its amount. The water should be warm, but not hot, about 40-50 ° C. The dough should not stick to your hands.
Step 4
Lightly flour the chopping board or countertop. For this, you can use both corn flour and regular wheat flour. Put the resulting soft dough on a table or board. Continue kneading with your hands until it is smooth and fully elastic.
Step 5
Form the dough into a ball. Transfer to a deep bowl and cover with cling film or a clean kitchen towel. Leave the dough to "rest" for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
Step 6
Then transfer it to a floured surface and use a sharp knife to divide it into 8 or 12 equal parts. Roll a ball from each part, dust with flour and set aside. To prevent the balls from getting stale, cover them again.
Step 7
Roll the balls one at a time into thin flat cakes of equal size. The thickness of the tortilla should not exceed 1 mm. It is convenient to roll out the cakes with a small rolling pin. You can also use other small, smooth kitchen items such as baby bottles or cups. To get a perfectly round tortilla shape, place a plate of the required diameter on the rolled out dough and cut the edges along it.
Step 8
Preheat a skillet: cast iron or teflon coated. This must be done strictly without oil. The tortillas are baked in a dry frying pan. Fry each tortilla on one side until bubbles or dark spots form, turn over and also fry on the other. On each side, the tortilla is fried for about 30-40 seconds. Do not keep it on longer, otherwise the cakes will be brittle and dry.
Step 9
Stack the finished tortillas on top of each other and store under a towel. They are best served hot, with various sauces or as an addition to the main course.
