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Gorditas
Puffy masa pockets stuffed with rajas con crema: roasted poblano strips, corn and cheese
Gorditas, 'little fat ones', are thick corn masa cakes cooked on a comal until they puff, then split open like a pitta and stuffed. They are eaten from the north of Mexico down to the central states, at street stalls and at home, with fillings that change from town to town. This vegetarian version is filled with rajas con crema: strips of roasted poblano pepper, onion and sweetcorn in a creamy sauce with melting cheese, smoky and mild. Use masa harina for tortillas, made from nixtamalised corn, not cornmeal or polenta. Poblanos can be hard to find: green bell peppers with a jalapeño give a similar effect. Choose a cheese made with vegetarian rennet. Chef's tip: shape the gorditas no thicker than 1 cm; any thicker and the outside burns before the inside cooks and puffs.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the masa
For the rajas con crema
Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Char 3 poblano peppers directly over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning with tongs, for 8–10 minutes until blackened and blistered all over.
10 minStep 2: Put them in a bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 10 minutes; the steam loosens the skins. Meanwhile make the dough.
10 minStep 3: Mix 10 ½ oz masa harina, ½ tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt, then work in 1 ¾ cups warm water with your hand until the dough is soft and smooth, like play dough, and doesn't stick. Flatten a little ball: if the edge cracks, add water a spoonful at a time. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Rub the blackened skin off the peppers with your fingers or kitchen paper. Don't rinse them under the tap: that washes away the smoky flavour. Remove the stems and seeds and cut into strips 1 cm wide.
5 minStep 5: Heat 1 tbsp of 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook 1 white onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add 1 clove garlic, the pepper strips and 5 ½ oz sweetcorn kernels and cook for 3 minutes.
8 minStep 6: Stir in ½ cup Mexican crema and simmer for 2 minutes until it thickens slightly and coats the vegetables. Take off the heat and fold in 5 ½ oz Oaxaca cheese so it starts to melt. Season with salt.
2 minStep 7: Divide the dough into 8 balls (about 85 g). Pat or press each into a disc 10 cm wide and no more than 1 cm thick, smoothing any cracks at the edge with a wet finger.
5 minStep 8: Heat a comal or heavy frying pan over a medium heat and wipe it with some of 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Cook the gorditas 4 at a time for 3–4 minutes a side, until golden-speckled and firm. Press the top gently with a spatula: they should puff up, which makes the pocket.
14 minStep 9: Let them cool for a minute, then slit each one along the edge two-thirds of the way round with a small knife and open it like a pocket. Mind the steam.
3 minStep 10: Spoon in the hot rajas and serve straight away with ½ cup salsa verde if using.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gorditas take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
- What can I use instead of white onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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