Most of the chips are fried, though there are instances when baking works well, and frying will undeniably work. It’s a lot of fun too, especially if friends are on hand to give you company. Once you get a rhythm going, things proceed smoothly. The results are almost always worth the work, because we rarely use oil more than once or twice and we can use first-grade oil and other ingredients. Fried food is often better at home than elsewhere, a pleasant surprise for newbie cooks.
Tortilla Chips and Plantain Chips might be a good place to start. They require less than 2 minutes in the oil and never spatter. You can produce a significant amount in 10 or 15 minutes. With a little practice you can easily work your way up to Tempura and the like. Meanwhile, if you want a starter that resembles fried food but something easier, try Gougères or, of course, good old Nachos.
No matter whether tortilla chips are bought from a good store (and they’re considerably better than they used to be), freshly made ones are special. They’re easy and really delicious, especially if you use lard. (Sadly, commercial chips are rarely made with lard, which is no worse for you than most oils; and these don’t absorb much fat anyway.).
Ingredients:
- Lard or neutral oil, like grape seed or corn oil
- 12 corn tortillas, 6 or 8 inches in diameter
- Salt
Instructions:
- Put at least 1 inch of oil in a deep pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high; bring to 350°F. The broader the vessel, the more of these you can cook at once, but the more oil you will use. (They cook very quickly, so don’t worry if your pan is narrow.)
- Stack the tortillas and cut them, pie like, into 4 to 8 wedges. Fry as many at once as will fit without crowding, turning if necessary. Total cooking time will be about 2 minutes; the chips should not brown but just begin to darken in color.
- Take it out with tongs or spoon and drain on paper towels or paper bags. Sprinkle with salt or any of the suggestions in the list that follows and serve hot or at room temperature.
Baked Tortilla Chips Heat the oven to 400°F. Lightly brush or spray each tortilla on both sides with peanut oil or neutral oil, like grape seed or corn. Stack and cut as directed. Bake on ungreased baking sheets, shaking once or twice, until just beginning to color, 6 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt or anything in the following list and serve hot or at room temperature.
Five Sprinkles for Chips:
Season chips when they’re piping hot, tossing gently with a spatula. Even if it all doesn’t stick, it will lend a little extra flavor.
1. Any good coarse sea salt
2. Chili powder
3. Any curry powder
4. Hot red pepper flakes
5. Grated lemon, lime, or orange zest
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Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
Thanks for that. I moved away from mexico when I was really young, and I really want to rediscover my heritage. I’ve been trying out a lot of random mexican recipes, and the best I’ve found yet is this taco recipes – it totally remind me of my childhood. I dont remember much of it except for the spicy smells and tasty food on every street.