Mexican food is very popular in the USA, and it is definitely for a good reason! It is an excellent and unique cuisine which offers an array of interesting, colorful, and most importantly tasteful meals. The recipes are usually not too demanding or too difficult to master, but you always have to add the secret ingredients- love and passion.
Latino Americans are renowned for their passion for life, and they are no different when it comes to cooking either. We guess that their meals are so hot and spicy for this reason as well. If you want to cook Mexican food, you also need to be passionate about it. We will help you with the basics and show you how to make entomatadas. The word entomatada literally means ‘covered in tomato.’ Entomatadas are a basic dish well known to most people in México which makes them perfect as a starting point in your quest to master the Mexican cuisine.
How To Make Authentic Mexican Corn Tortillas
In order to make entomatadas, you will need to have corn tortillas. You can always buy them at your local store, as they are rather easy to find, but the ones sold will never taste like the ones you can make in your home with very little time and effort invested; plus they are healthier.
The Mexican tortillas are exceptionally versatile and can be eaten in different ways. Namely, you can make numerous Mexican dishes if you have tortillas ready, such as a quesadilla, taco, burrito, and entomatadas, of course. Tortillas are delicious to eat even on their own especially if you fry them or bake them and eat them like chips.
Before we start with the recipe, we need to warn you that you need one special ingredient that might be difficult to find in some areas- it is masa harina. Masa harina is a special kind of corn flour made from ground corn and lime. However, the corn is processed in a special way, and therefore you cannot simply replace masa harina with a regular corn flour- the tortillas will not be the same at all!
Luckily, masa harina is becoming well-known, and most of the big markets in the USA have it in their ethnic food aisle or next to all the different kinds of flours in the baking aisle. Sometimes, you can find masa harina in the gluten-free section of your store, so do look for it in all these places before you give up the search. If you cannot find it, after all, you can always rely on the internet and order it online.
You Will Need
● two cups of masa harina
● one and a half cups of hot water
● half a teaspoon of sea salt
● a large mixing bowl
● a griddle/ large frying pan
● plastic wrap/ wax paper
● tortilla press
The Procedure
Join masa harina and salt together in a big mixing bowl. Add one and a half cups of hot water into the mixture and use your hand to form a dough that will be firm and not too sticky. The dough mustn’t be dry either. So if yours is, you need to add more water. Be sure not to overdo it though and thus add little amounts of water until you are sure you have reached the desired consistency.
Form a big ball from your dough and cover it with a napkin. Leave it to rest for approximately an hour. Set your stovetop to medium-high heat and use the last few minutes to heat a griddle/ large frying pan.
Make small balls out of your dough, approximately the size of a golf ball. Place the dough ball between two sheets of a plastic wrap or wax paper and flatten it. You can use the tortilla press if you own one, but you can also do it with your hand- the tortillas may not come out as a perfect circle but will taste the same nonetheless- after all the looks do not matter, right?
Carefully transfer the flattened tortilla onto the griddle or your frying pan. Cook the tortillas for about a minute on each side, or until they develop brown marks. If your tortillas puff up in the middle when you turn them, do not worry- it is perfectly normal. Once they are done, you can wrap them in a kitchen cloth to keep them warm.
How To Make Entomatadas: The Basic Recipe
Entomatadas are a true representative of an authentic Mexican food. If you have the Mexican origin, we are sure you have great memories of your mother or grandmother making entomatadas for you- it is a great tradition passed on from generation to generation.
The recipe for entomatadas is a rather simple one. The ingredients are simple and easy to acquire (you probably have most of them in your home), and the procedure is undemanding. This makes entomatadas a great choice for large family or friends gatherings or any other occasion which requires you to prepare a lot of food in a short time. In fact, we believe that Mexican created this dish exactly for this reason.
You Will Need
● twelve corn tortillas ( you can buy them or prepare them by following the recipe we have provided)
● 1 1/2 lb. of tomatoes (approx. 6 medium sized tomatoes)
● one Jalapeno pepper (if you do not enjoy hot food, you can simply skip this ingredient)
● two small garlic cloves
● one tablespoon of vegetable oil
● 3/4 cup of finely diced white onion
● Salt to taste
● Vegetable oil
● 8 ounces or approx. two cups of fresh farmer cheese ( it has to be crumbled)
● a saucepan
● a blender
● two skillets
The Procedure
Turn your stovetop to medium heat. Put the tomatoes, garlic cloves, and the jalapeno pepper in a saucepan and pour the water in it as well. Let the water boil and cook for another fifteen minutes or until the vegetables become soft. When done, let it cool down a bit and use the blender to create a smooth sauce. In the meantime, use one-quarter of the diced onions and the crumbled cheese to make the filling.
Finally, preheat a large skillet with some vegetable oil. Fry the rest of the onion until it becomes transparent and gets a golden color. It usually takes about five minutes. Add the sauce from the blender and leave it to cook for two more minutes. Try the sauce and if necessary season it to your liking. Let it simmer for up to eight minutes.
Use the other skillet to heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Take the tortillas and briefly fry them one by one. If you do not want the additional oil, you can simply warm them as well.
Dip each tortilla into the warm sauce and place them on the serving plates. Make sure that both sides are well covered in sauce. Spoon some cheese and onion filling onto them and add more tomato sauce. That is all- you can enjoy your entomatadas immediately as they are best when eaten warm!
Conclusion
Now that you know how to make corn tortillas and entomatadas you have a good starting knowledge to continue to explore the marvelous Mexican cuisine. You can serve the entomatadas with lightly fried potatoes and carrots, refried beans, or a salad of your choice. You can also use another filling and substitute the cheese with some shredded chicken previously cooked in water with a bay leaf and a full garlic clove.
Entomatadas are quick to make and are sure to disappear from your plate even quicker! When you prepare them from the fresh ingredients, they are not only delicious but healthy as well. No additives, artificial colors, preservatives or other harmful additions- just some tomatoes and onions and a lot of love and passion- that is all you need to enjoy this Mexican specialty!
