The taquito is a dish well known in my native United States, a fried treat brought over the border by a culture which arguably produces some of the greatest tasting food on the planet. This popular Mexican dish consists of maize (corn) tortillas tightly wrapped around a filling and fried, the process resulting in a crispy package of any number of awesome fillings.
I sure do use the word "awesome" a lot, don't I?
Happy Cinco de Mayo!
This month marks the release of Terry Hope Romero's much anticipated Viva Vegan! I am just dying for this book. An American expat misses Latin American food more than, well, more than a great analogy I can't think of (suggestions are welcome). The thought of getting my grubby mits on what rumour is saying is quite the fabulous book has left me desperate for something South of the border in flavour, and these vegan taquitos are the result.
I've been sitting on this for a week or two, but seeing as it's the 5th of May it seems an appropriate time to share.
It's good. Really good. I ate them for breakfast the day I made them.
Mexican Food in the UK
Londoners searching for corn tortillas (and other goodies like corn husks) should look no further than the Cool Chile Company for authentic Mexican ingredients. And no, those Old El Paso yellow things don't count.
Taquito making, by picture
Softening the corn tortillas
Wrapping and pinning the tortillas
Frying the taquitos
Mock Chicken and Corn Taquitos
- Directions/Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, frying the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes (or until lightly browned), stirring often. Add the garlic, oregano, and spices. Cook another minute until fragrant and then add the corn plus 2 tablespoons of water and the tomato paste.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is fairly dry, about 5 minutes. Add the lime juice and cook a minute or two before removing from the heat.
- Heat oil to fry to around 175° C (350° F) in a large skillet or wok.
- To assmble the taquitos you must first make the corn tortillas pliable by heating them on a skillet for a few seconds on each side. Place somewhere in the vicinity of a couple of tablespoons of filling toward the far edge of a tortilla, ensuring it's not too close to the edges (else it'll fall out when fried). Roll the tortillas tightly and place a toothpick through the centre to hold.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas. You should be able to fit two or three taquitos per toothpick.
- Carefully lower a toothpick's worth of taquitos into the oil. If there's not enough oil to cover them, that's okay. After a minute, carefully turn them over and fry for one more minute. Remove with a slotted spoon or tongs, draining as much oil away as possible before setting them on a wire wrack or paper towels.
- Continue until all taquitos are fried. Serve garnished with soya yoghurt (a great sour cream alternative), lettuce, and tomato salsa.