Ola Mexico! Crunchy Home-made Golden Tacos!

Hello from EL the Cook! Today we visit sunny Mexico, and create one of the countries most famous and delightful foods- Tacos!

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be filled with a variety of fillings including vegetables, seafood and meats, making it truly versatile. In Mexico places which sell tacos are called Taquerias!

There are so many different types of tacos, and here's a list of just a few..

• Tacos Al pastor - Shepherd style with pork steaks and adobo seasoning.
• Tacos de Asador -  Grilled tacos, served with chorizo, guacamole, oaxaca cheese.
• Tacos de Cabeza - Tacos served to look like a cows head, with various beef cuts.
• Tacos de camarones- Shrimp tacos served with avocado and sour cream.
• Tacos be Cazo - Fried in lard, variety of meats used like tripe,beef and even pigeon.
• Tacos de Lengua -  Beef tongue tacos, a true taqueria always serves this taco!
• Tacos de Pescado - Grilled/fried fish in tacos served with lettuce and citrus mayo!
• Tacos dorados - "Golden Tacos", Deep fried, cylindrical and filled with chicken/beef

Today, EL the Cook shows you how to make Golden Tacos!

There are 2 parts to this which is making the shell and the filling. My suggestion is making the shell in larger quantity, as its a time consuming process and storing them in an air tight container which can last 3 weeks.

Although taco shells are available in the market, they are machine made and lack that personal touch. I find them toasty and don't give you that feeling of eating a traditional Mexican dish.

INGREDIENTS:

Taco Dough(For 15-18 tacos):

• 150 gm maize flour
• 300 gm  wheat flour
• A pinch of turmeric
• A pinch of red chili powder
• 250 ml of water

Filling:

• 100 gm fresh lettuce, chopped fine.
• 3 large finely chopped tomatoes
• 3 large finely chopped red onions
• 2 finely chopped bell peppers
• 5-6 jalapeño peppers finely sliced
• 1 can of baked beans(Although traditionally prepared with black beans)
• 50 gm cilantro/ coriander leaves.
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 medium green chilies, finely chopped

Dressing:

• 1 cup fresh yogurt/ curds
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of oregano

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT:

• Taco Press
• Heavy skillet for deep-frying with 500 ml oil
• Tongs
• Rolling pin & Board
• Paper towels/ tissue
• 5-6 small bowls for your filling
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Light saucepan for sauteing baked beans
• Large mixing tray for dough

METHOD:

Dough:

• Combine both flours and 150ml of water in a mixing tray
• Using a kneading motion, fashion a dough until soft. Use the extra water only if required. Add the turmeric and red chili powder for flavor.
• Roll out your dough into small circles, always keeping the size a little less than the diameter of your taco press.
• Tip: Use less water in your dough, as during deep frying, the water in your dough is replaced with oil and hot air. If you use too much water, your shell gets puffy and chewy.  

Frying:

• Heat 500ml of cooking oil, in a heavy skillet till 180-200 C
• Place each flat dough circle on your taco press and fry for 1-2 minutes, until golden.
• You should have a color like that in the background of the picture above.
• These should be used immediately, or they will get soft.
• Any remaining taco shells can be gently baked in the oven to remove he moisture and stored in an air tight container which lasts 3 weeks.

Pre-meal Prep:

• In a saucepan, add your garlic and chilies. Lightly brown.
• Empty the contents of the baked-beans and add some water to form a sauce
• Cook for 15 minutes.
• Make sure all your veggies are fresh as your eating them raw. They should crunch spectacularly in your taco!
• For your dressing, whisk your fresh yogurt, salt and oregano together. If you want a thicker dressing, strain your yogurt through a muslin, removing the whey.

Assembly:

• This is the most fun part of tacos and truly define them as "finger food".
• Place lettuce, baked beans, onion, tomatoes, yogurt dressing, cheese and cilantro ( I like it in that order!) in any order you wish within your taco shell.
• You can also add a meat of your choice.  

So go CRUNCH! Take a bite into those crispy tacos and experience Mexico at home!