There are so many things to make with masa that are Mexican staples that you’ll want to make over and over again. When you use maseca, you don’t have to labor over the process of making the masa harina from scratch which makes these kinds of foods quite convenient on top of being delicious. Not for nothing, the most well-known foods are tortilla-based. Tortillas are used to make tacos and the wonderful cheese-filled version, quesadillas. However, there are several more possibilities that you may not be aware that you may be missing.
For instance, one of the most traditional maseca recipes that you’ll find all over Mexico are chilaquiles. It’s one of those dishes that isn’t too complicated but it seems to never cease to please. Chilaquiles vary quite a bit from state to state, and for this reason, it’s worth trying all the different ones out to see which one you like best, particularly if you love the sumptuous taste of soggy tortilla with salsa. There are all kinds of salsas, and many are held as a guarded family recipe, be they green, red, yellow, or brown(with mole)
If you really want to delve into the juiciness that recipes using masa can accomplish, a great dish to try are green chilaquiles, as they have many of the things that we associate with delicious Mexican food.
Read more about Masa Harina Dessert Recipes-Quick Sweet Tamal
Chilaquiles: One of The Best Recipes with Masa
Equipment
Saucepan
Kitchen towel
Tortilla press
Plastic wrap
Blender
Mixing bowl
Ingredients
A cup and a half of maseca mix
A cup and a half of water
Salt
Vegetable oil
A cup and a half of cooked and shredded chicken (breast meat is strongly recommended)
A pound of tomatillos (green tomatoes)
3 serrano peppers (or as many as you want)
Half a cup of Mexican cheese crumble
Half a cup of Mexican cream
Garlic clove
Slices of onion (As many as you want for topping)
3 Epazote leaves
Third cup of chopped cilantro
Step by Step Instructions
Making the dough
Step 1: Mix the dough
Mix in a bowl the maseca with water and add a little salt. Make sure it’s moist. If it isn’t you can add spoonfuls of water until it’s just right and set it aside for ten minutes with a kitchen towel.
Step 2: Divide the masa
Then make 15 (or 12 if you want a lot of tortillas) equally sized balls. Heat up the pan to medium-high.
Step 3: Shape the tortillas
Cover both sides of the tortilla press with plastic. Take one, place it in the middle and press it. Once you open it grab the plastic and drop the tortilla into your other hand.
Step 4: Fry the tortillas
Add cookie oil on the pan and cook each side of the tortilla for a little less than a minute on each side. You want to see some brown spots and a bit of bubble up.
Step 5: Dry the tortillas
Put them inside a kitchen towel so do away with some of the oil.
Making the salsa
Step 1: Cook the vegetables
Heat up a saucepan to medium and drop in the tomatillos, serrano peppers, and the garlic clove. Cover it with water and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatillos are soft.
Step 2: Remove the water
Take out the water, only leaving in about a quarter of it.
Step 3: Blend the cooked vegetables
Drop all of this into the blender and blend it until you get a sauce-like consistency.
Making the chilaquiles
Step 1: Fry the tortillas
Drop a bit of oil in the skillet and fry the tortillas until they get crispy after cutting them into strips.
Step 2: Heat the skillet
Clean the skillet and then add another bit of oil and heat it up to medium.
Step 3: Cook the sauce
Once it’s hot, add in the sauce with the epazote leaves and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add a little bit of salt and make sure that it doesn’t burn.
Serving
Step 1: Stir the tortillas
Add in the tortillas, and stir them around
Step 2: Add the chicken
Then add in the chicken, cover with salsa and cook it all together for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Serve
Serve on a plate and add in the crumble cheese, onion, cilantro, and on top of everything the cream cheese.
Tips and Tricks for Chilaquiles using Maseca Recipes
If you want that truly full flavor you should prepare a side of refried beans and cut avocado slices to place on top of your chilaquiles dish.
To achieve the best tortilla shape and texture, you can leave them overnight so that they may get a bit hard for the next day when you cook the chilaquiles.
To save time, you can use rotisserie chicken that you have in the fridge so that you don’t have to cook it.
It’s a hearty meal so make sure that you do plenty of exercise after dining so that you burn through some of the calories. This recipe has an amount that’s around 600 kcal.
Servings and preparation time
Cooking Time: 50 minutes.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 guests.
Conclusion
Exploring different ways to work with masa is a pure joy if you like to cook your own meals, so much so that it’s hard not to feel inspired. What strikes most people as surprising is the fact that it isn’t that hard to work with and that you can prepare wonderful meals that are nutritionally balanced in almost no time at all.
Green chilaquiles really speak to this accessibility, which isn’t too surprising as they didn’t hold a very high regard for the longest time, but over time won the Mexican people over in a big way!
With a recipe like this one, you can really make something that’s full of flavor without having to deal with too much as you go. As a matter of fact, one of the truly great things about Mexican food is that you can change things up to your liking, and those of your loved ones.
Who knows, this may be your first introduction into real Mexican cooking, and as such the beginning of a long and meaningful relationship with masa as a prime ingredient.
Read more about Ever Wondered How To Make Gorditas With Maseca?
Chilaquiles: One of The Best Recipes with Masa
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Kitchen towel
- Tortilla press
- Plastic wrap
- blender
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1½ cups Maseca mix
- 1½ cups Water
- Salt
- Vegetable oil
- 1½ Cooked and shredded chicken breast meat is strongly recommended
- 1 pound Tomatillos green tomatoes
- 3 serrano peppers or as many as you want
- ½ cup Mexican cheese crumble
- ½ cup Mexican cream
- 1 Garlic clove
- Slices Onion As many as you want for topping
- 3 Leaves Epazote
- ⅓ cup Chopped cilantro
Instructions
Making the dough
- Mix the dough. Mix in a bowl the maseca with water and add a little salt. Make sure it's moist. If it isn't you can add spoonfuls of water until it's just right and set it aside for ten minutes with a kitchen towel.1½ cups Maseca mix, 1½ cups Water, Salt
- Divide the masa. Then make 15 (or 12 if you want a lot of tortillas) equally sized balls. Heat up the pan to medium-high.
- Shape the tortillas. Cover both sides of the tortilla press with plastic. Take one, place it in the middle and press it. Once you open it grab the plastic and drop the tortilla into your other hand.
- Fry the tortillas. Add cookie oil on the pan and cook each side of the tortilla for a little less than a minute on each side. You want to see some brown spots and a bit of bubble up.Vegetable oil
- Dry the tortillas. Put them inside a kitchen towel so do away with some of the oil.
Making the salsa
- Cook the vegetables. Heat up a saucepan to medium and drop in the tomatillos, serrano peppers, and the garlic clove. Cover it with water and let it simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatillos are soft.1 pound Tomatillos, 3 serrano peppers, 1 Garlic clove, 1½ cups Water
- Remove the water. Take out the water, only leaving in about a quarter of it.
- Blend the cooked vegetables. Drop all of this into the blender and blend it until you get a sauce-like consistency.
Making the chilaquiles
- Fry the tortillas. Drop a bit of oil in the skillet and fry the tortillas until they get crispy after cutting them into strips.Vegetable oil
- Heat the skillet. Clean the skillet and then add another bit of oil and heat it up to medium.
- Cook the sauce. Once it's hot, add in the sauce with the epazote leaves and let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add a little bit of salt and make sure that it doesn't burn.3 Leaves Epazote, Salt
Serving
- Stir the tortillas. Add in the tortillas, and stir them around
- Add the chicken. Then add in the chicken, cover with salsa and cook it all together for 2 minutes.1½ Cooked and shredded chicken
- Serve. Serve on a plate and add in the crumble cheese, onion, cilantro, and on top of everything the cream cheese.
