← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 300 g Masa harina
• 400 ml warm water, or as needed
• ½ tsp Salt
• 250 g thick refried beans (or fava bean paste)
• 250 ml salsa verde or salsa roja
• 150 g Nopales (cactus paddles), fresh or jarred, cooked and diced (optional)
• 80 g Queso fresco, crumbled
• ½ Onion, finely chopped
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Mix the masa harina, salt and warm water into a soft dough that feels like play dough and doesn’t crack. Cover and rest for 10 min.
2. Divide into 8 balls. Flatten one into a 12 cm round in your palm, spread a tablespoon of beans down the middle, then fold the sides over and pinch closed.
3. Pat the stuffed dough into an oval about 1 cm thick with pointed ends, sealing any cracks.
4. Cook on a dry comal or heavy pan over medium heat for 4–5 min per side, until the surface is dry and spotted brown.
5. Top with salsa, nopales, cheese, onion and coriander and eat while hot.

Tips

• Keep the dough covered while you work; dry masa cracks and lets the beans escape.
• Lightly oil the comal at the end for a crisper finish.

Sources

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

Maricruz Avalos Isabel Eats Mexico in My Kitchen