I Heart You Tortillas !

I've had the idea of making tortillas stuck in my head for weeks, on sat I finally went to Casa Iberica to get some masa harina but arrived at 3pm just as they were closing. I then went to wholefoods on Smith St and bought two bags, one of yellow maize flour, and one of white maize flour after the shop assistant told me that she thought it was the same thing. I learnt the hard way on sunday that they weren't the same thing. If you know what to do with maize flour please let me know. I asked my Argentina colleague and she directed me to a fruit and veg shop at Watergardens shopping centre where I got a 2kg bag of Masa Lista for $6 which she assured me is what she uses to make tortillas. I think maybe it is the same as Masa Harina, but am not sure.

But finally it worked.

I used this recipe which asked to mix 2 cups of masa harina (or masa lista in my case) with 1 1.5-2 cups warm water. I used 1.5 cup of water but it was way too sticky so I added more flour. Another recipe that I saw listed 1 cup & 2 tablespoons which I think is probably more accurate.

I don't have a tortilla press so I used a plastic sandwich bag cut into two (but you could use a plastic bag or baking paper), rolling pin, and a plate. I then used a technique of rolling a small piece between my hands to make a ball about the size of a plum, then placing the ball between two pieces of the plastic bag and squishing the ball with the bottom of a plate and then using a rolling pin to make it super thin. They were far from the perfect round shape, but i didn't care. It was pretty easy although a little time consuming so I plan on getting a tortilla press on Saturday.

I then began by frying them with perhaps too much oil or for too long so they become a little crunchy but I eventually got the right texture. And wrapped them in foil to keep warm.



I then added tofu balls (made into patties) which we had leftover from pasta the night before:

Tofu balls (or patties) from PPK
lb.(450 grams) extra firm tofu
1 small finely chopped onion
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 c. bread crumbs
fresh basil or oregano (I used parsley)

flour for rolling balls in (I always skip the flour and find they don't stick as much and I don't need to use oil)

Oil to pan-fry in


Directions
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll in flour (feel free to skip this step) and fry in preheated skillet, cooking until slightly to medium brown on all sides.




with tomatoes and cheezly for non-mexican tortillas.:



And they seriously rocked my world!

Toby didn't quite get my obsession with making them until he tried one. Yes I'm not about to open up my version of trippy taco, but I was super impressed. I think the opportunities are endless, like g/f toasted sandwiches, fried tortilla chips, peking 'duck' style ' pancakes', 'korean tacos' and dessert tortillas.

I couldn't resist making a dessert tortilla, so made one with banana slices, chocolate chips and peanut butter, it was also awesome.

I'm sure you will be reading much more about my tortillas adventures.