Anyone who has been to Mexico comes back in love with the food, and few things are more Mexican than a fresh corn tortilla, hot off the griddle, ideally hecho a mano (made by hand). Fresh, they’re delicious just on their own, but their versatility — like pastas of Italy or noodles of Asia — comes not in the ingredients per se, but in how those ingredients are shaped, and what salsas and condiments are added. For Westerners used to Friday night tacos (those bright yellow, hard-shelled, cracks-into-a-million-pieces-at-first-bite ones), having a fresh soft tortilla is nothing short of a religious revelation.
Yet if you (like I did) thought the solution was to buy those soft corn tortillas in the supermarket, think again. You’re in for deep disappointment. They’re flavorless, chalky, and nothing like the ones you had while on vacation. (Exceptions made for those living in the American southwest, where there may indeed be a tortillería in your town, serving fresh tortillas to a mostly Spanish-as-first-language clientele.)
For Westerners used to Friday night tacos (those bright yellow, hard-shelled, cracks-into-a-million-pieces-at-first-bite ones), having a fresh soft tortilla is nothing short of a religious revelation.
For the rest of us, to get edible corn tortillas we will need to make our own. Luckily, they’re easy and forgiving to make, they taste amazing, and they’re fun. On the value scale, where one axis is difficulty and the other axis is taste, home-made tortillas rank at the very top.
Before we get to the recipe, though, here’s a quick and incomplete list of some popular types of corn masa-made foods:
- Tortillas: These are the basic building block, the foundation, the core. A flat, soft circle of tasty deliciousness.
- Tacos: Tortillas that are filled with meat, fish, and/or condiments.
- Enchiladas: Tacos that are filled, then laid into a dish, covered with sauce and cheese, and baked.
- Tostados: Tortillas fried to crisp, crunchy perfection, then heaped with condiments.
- Totopos (what we call chips): Tortillas cut into triangle-shaped quarters and fried to crisp perfection. (Wikipedia says that the word “totopo” comes from the Nahuatl compound word tlaxcaltotopochtl, meaning “a noise like thunder (something crunchy).” That’s just awesome.)
- Sopes: A delightful flat, fried tray that looks like an upside down Frisbee®, with the fillings layered on top.
- Panuchos: A sope (above) that has a layer of bean filling inside.
- Flautas: Small, rolled “taquitos” that have filling inside, often eaten by hand without sauce.
- Quesadillas: Two tortillas with filling (often cheese and something else) in between.
- Tamales: Lard-mixed masa wrapped around a tasty filling (often pork, chicken, or cheese), then wrapped in corn husk and steamed.
The list goes on and on, please don’t think this is in any way comprehensive. But once you can make the masa dough (below), you have opened the door to making any of these and many more.
Now let’s dive into making some tortillas.
On the value scale, where one axis is difficulty and the other axis is taste, home-made tortillas rank at the very top.
You only need three ingredients, and one of those is (sort of) optional: Masa flour, water, and salt.
That’s it.
I say that the salt is optional but the truth is that unless you’re entirely off salt for medical reasons, you’ll want to add at least a little. Some recipes online say to use a teaspoon but that (to me) makes the tortillas very salty. I use a healthy pinch for 2 cups of masa and 1.5 cups of water.
The steps are simple:
Mix the 2 cups masa and salt.
Add 1 cup of water.
Mix until combined. At this point it’s usually quite dry and won’t hold together.
Add more water, mixing by hand until it’s soft, pliable, and holds together without being sticky. Think children’s Play-Doh® and you’ll be set. In the images above, I needed to add about 1/4 cup additional water to the overly dry dough in the 2nd image.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. (3rd image.)
At this point, heat your griddle to medium-hot. You want the griddle to be nice and fully heated by the time you put the tortillas on.
Divide the dough into equal portions, rolling each portion until it’s golf-ball sized.
Using either a tortilla press or a rolling pin (or a large, flat-bottomed pan), place the ball between two sheets of plastic (such as a zip-top bag that’s been cut on the sides) and then press into a flat, round circle about 4 inches wide. It should peel off the plastic easily, and be about 1 millimeter thick, not paper thin.
You can keep the tortillas warm by wrapping them in a moist hand towel and placing a cooking lid over them, or use a dedicated tortilla warmer.
That’s it. You’ve got a delightful batch of incredibly tasty tortillas at your service. In my case, I had them with fried fish, pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, frijoles, and a homemade habanero salsa. They were out of this world. Combined with my Best Margarita in the World, it was a spectacular evening.
And if any of you out there fancy a taco introduction extraordinaire, head to Isla Holbox, where Lorena of TacoTourHolbox will take you around for a night of taco bliss that you’ll never forget. You’ll get 4 different taco spots, 4 cocktails, all curated especially to your tastes and preferences by an expert (and charming) guide who knows so much about tacos that people call her the Taco Queen. A nickname rightfully earned.
But if you can’t get to Isla Holbox, at least now you can make superlative tacos in the comfort of your own home.
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