← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 300 g Masa harina
• 400 ml warm water, or as needed
• ½ tsp Salt
• 250 g refried black beans, thick
• 150 ml oil or lard, for frying
• 400 g shredded cooked chicken, turkey or cochinita pibil
• ¼ cabbage or lettuce, shredded
• 2 Tomato, sliced
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 Avocado, sliced
• 1 red onion, pickled in lime juice and salt (see cebollas encurtidas)

Method

1. Mix the masa harina, salt and water into a soft dough. Roll into 12 balls and press into 12 cm tortillas between sheets of plastic.
2. Cook each on a hot dry comal for about 1 minute per side, then flip once more and press gently with a cloth: it should puff up like a pillow.
3. While still warm, slit the edge of each tortilla to open a pocket in the puffed layer. Spread a thin layer of beans inside and press flat.
4. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat and fry the panuchos for 30–40 seconds per side, until crisp outside but not hard. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Top with cabbage, chicken, tomato, egg, avocado and pickled onion. Serve with habanero salsa for those who like heat.

Tips

• If the tortillas don’t puff, the comal may not be hot enough or the dough too dry; add a splash more water.
• Salbutes are their cousin: the same toppings on an unfilled tortilla fried until puffy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Maricruz Avalos Sunset