Tortillas Blandas Oaxaqueñas

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron or clay comal, at least 10 inches across
• •Tortilla press, preferably cast iron
• •Two squares of plastic cut from a sandwich bag or grocery bag
• •Cotton servilleta and a basket or insulated tortillero for holding the cooked tortillas
• •Kitchen scale for portioning the masa balls evenly

Instructions

1. 1

   Start with the right masa

   If you can buy fresh masa from a molino that grinds nixtamalized maíz criollo, buy it the morning you plan to cook. That is the masa that makes a Oaxacan tortilla taste Oaxacan. The white maíz from the Valles Centrales, the yellow from the Sierra Norte, the bolita corn from Tlacolula, each one tastes different and a Oaxacan cook knows the difference. If you have no molino, hydrate good masa harina with warm water and let it rest 20 minutes. It is a compromise, not an upgrade.

   Fresh masa should smell faintly sweet, like wet corn and lime. If it smells sour, it has turned. Throw it out and start over.
2. 2

   Hydrate and knead

   Place the masa in a wide bowl. Add the salt if using. Drizzle in warm water a few tablespoons at a time, kneading with your hand for three to four minutes. The dough is ready when it feels like the soft inside of an earlobe and a small ball pressed between your palms does not crack at the edges. Too dry and the tortilla will split on the press. Too wet and it will stick. Asi se hace y punto.

3. 3

   Heat the comal properly

   Set a clay comal or heavy cast iron griddle over medium-high heat for at least ten minutes before you press the first tortilla. Clay is what they use in Oaxaca and it gives a different blister, drier and more even, than metal. The comal is ready when a few drops of water dance and disappear within a second. A cold comal makes a leathery tortilla. Cada estado, su propia cocina, and Oaxaca's tortilla wants real heat.

4. 4

   Portion the masa

   Divide the dough into 12 portions, about 1.6 ounces each (45 grams). Roll each into a smooth ball between your palms. The Oaxacan tortilla is larger than the central Mexican one, six to seven inches across, and slightly thicker. Keep the balls covered with a damp cotton servilleta so they do not dry out while you work.

5. 5

   Press the tortilla

   Cut a sandwich bag along the seams to make two squares of plastic, or use a sheet of cut grocery bag. Place one square on the bottom plate of the press, set a ball of masa slightly off-center toward the hinge, and lay the second square on top. Press down firmly, then rotate the press 180 degrees and press again to even the thickness. The tortilla should be about an eighth of an inch thick, thicker than a tortilla taquera. In Oaxaca many cooks pat by hand on a banana leaf instead of using a press. The press is fine. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

   If your tortilla cracks at the edges, the masa is too dry. Knead in another tablespoon of warm water before pressing the next one. If it sticks to the plastic, the masa is too wet. Work in a little dry masa harina.
6. 6

   Cook in three turns

   Peel the top plastic off, lay the tortilla on your fingers, and peel the bottom plastic away. Lay the tortilla on the hot comal in one smooth motion. Cook for 15 to 20 seconds, until the bottom edges look dry and lift easily. Flip. Cook the second side for about 45 seconds, until pale brown freckles appear. Flip a third time back to the first side and press lightly with a folded servilleta. This is the moment the tortilla puffs. If it does not puff, the masa is too wet, the comal is not hot enough, or the second cook was too short. Three turns. No more, no less.

7. 7

   Wrap and rest

   Lift each cooked tortilla into a basket or insulated tortillero lined with a clean cotton servilleta. Stack them as you go and fold the cloth over the top. They steam each other and finish softening in the cloth. A fresh tortilla eaten standing at the comal is a privilege of the cook. The rest go to the table. Saber cocinar es saber vivir.

Chef Tips

• •Find a molino. In Oaxaca every neighborhood has one, in the United States and other Mexican states they are harder to track down but worth the search. A Oaxacan or Mixtec community store will often grind fresh masa on weekends. Fresh masa from criollo corn is the single biggest variable in this recipe.
• •If you have to use masa harina, look for a brand made from nixtamalized criollo corn. Maseca will work but it tastes flat next to the real thing. A substitution is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •A clay comal seasoned with cal slurry gives a drier, more even blister than cast iron. If you are serious about Oaxacan tortillas, find one. They sell them at Mercado de Abastos in Oaxaca City for less than the cost of dinner.
• •Day-old tortillas are not failed tortillas. They become the base for entomatadas, enfrijoladas, chilaquiles, and totopos toasted on the comal. In Oaxaca nothing made of corn is wasted.

Advance Preparation

• •Fresh masa is best used the day it is ground. Refrigerated masa stiffens and loses sweetness within 24 hours and should be brought back to soft with warm water before pressing.
• •Cooked tortillas hold for one day wrapped in cotton inside a sealed bag at room temperature. Reheat directly on a hot comal for 15 seconds per side, never in a microwave.
• •Leftover tortillas, sliced and toasted on the comal until crisp, become totopos for sopa de tortilla, soup garnishes, or eating with frijoles de la olla.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 45g)