Tlayuda

A tlayuda is a Oaxacan dish made by toasting a big corn tortilla over an open flame or comal till crunchy and brittle. It may be served open-faced or folded in half. Some discuss with the dish as Mexican pizza, however it arguably has extra similarities to a sandwich. Widespread fillings embrace asiento, beans, cheese, cabbage, avocado, tomato, chorizo, and carne asada.

Asiento, the residual fats and crispy bits of meat left from frying carnitas or chicharrón, is a crucial ingredient in Oaxacan delicacies. Right here, it’s used to make the refried beans, imparting them with a meaty taste. Search for tubs of yellow-tinted lard at Mexican grocery shops. In a pinch, you should use uninfused lard, however it can lack the depth of asiento. 

 The important thing to creating a tlayuda at house is to start out with the most important, driest tortilla potential. This recipe produces a mini tlayuda, which could be flattened in a standard-size tortilla press and cooked in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or comal. Make certain to flatten the masa into a skinny, even layer to make sure it turns into crisp and cooks evenly. The masa must be hydrated simply to the purpose that it may be combined collectively with out crumbling. Tlayudas get their smokiness and charred edges from an open flame, however at dwelling a broiler will do the trick. -Octavio Pena

What’s the distinction between a comal and a griddle?

Each a comal and a griddle are flat surfaces used for cooking. Historically, a comal is spherical or oval, and the scale of a big frying pan. It’s primarily utilized in Mexico and Central America for cooking tortillas and different flatbreads. A griddle refers to a scorching flat cooking floor that ranges in measurement from a sq. frying pan to a really giant floor, comparable to the big, standalone Blackstone grill. 

Notes from the Meals & Wine Take a look at Kitchen

In case you can not discover asiento however need a comparable pork taste, finely grind one chicharrón right into a nice powder utilizing a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Stir two teaspoons of the chicharrón powder into 1 1/2 tablespoons of unrefined lard till evenly integrated. 

Make forward

You can also make and cook dinner the tlayuda via step 2 as much as 5 days upfront. Let cool utterly and retailer in an hermetic container.