Puffy Tacos

INGREDIENTS

TACO MEAT (Makes 10-12 tacos):

• 1 lb ground beef

• ⅓ cup finely diced yellow onion

• 3 TBS minced shallot (optional - if not, just add more onion)

• 1 Serrano pepper, finely diced (seeded if desired)

• 2 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp cumin

• ¼ tsp ground pepper

• 2 TBS canola oil

PUFFY TORTILLAS (makes 12 tortillas):

• 2 cups masa (harina de maiź or masa harina)

• 1 ½ cup warm water (or as instructed on package)

• Canola oil for frying

ADDITIONAL NEEDS (for topping):

• 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced into ¼ inch pieces

• Shredded cheddar cheese

• Shredded iceberg lettuce

GO FOR IT

TACO MEAT:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat

2. Brown ground beef in hot skillet until pink is mostly gone

3. Create a well in middle of skillet and add in onion, shallot, and Serrano pepper and allow to heat til slightly translucent (about a minute) before mixing all together

4. Add in all seasonings and stir until incorporated

5. Remove from heat and set aside

PUFFY TORTILLAS:

1. In a large bowl combine masa and warm water and knead with hands until a ball forms that can easily pull away from the bowl (add additional warm water 1 TBS at a time if needed but do not over water - ball should have no cracks and be slightly sticky but not leave dough on your hand)

2. Separate dough into 12 equal balls (balls should have a diameter of about 1 to 1 ½ inches - if balls begin cracking, wet your hands slightly to help formation)

3. If you have a tortilla press, press out tortillas on both sides between plastic wrap or wax paper, or use a rolling pin to roll out tortillas between 2 sheets of wax paper (it will stick to press or roller otherwise). Raw tortillas should be 5 to 6 inches in width

4. Heat oil in a pot or frying pan to 350° (I used enough oil to cover entire tortillas once formed but as long as you use enough to cover while flat and still have enough left to ladle, you should be fine)

5. Drop tortillas one at a time (or more if your pan’s width can handle it) into oil until one side puffs up completely, then flip

6. Once flipped, use a spatula to press down onto the center of the tortilla to form a shell (or a spatula to hold one half down while you use a large spoon or other tool to fold the other half on top of the other)

7. If tortilla not completely covered, ladle oil over exposed side (you want to cook the tortilla throughout but don’t leave it in there too long as you don’t want it to harden too much - this process will take just 1 minute or so in total and you should see when things are done as they cook very quickly)

8. Move cooked tortilla shells to paper towel and repeat process untill all shells are formed and cooked

FINISHING STEPS:

1. With tortillas still warm (do not wait for them to cool or they will lose their puffiness) fill first with meat, then shredded lettuce, then diced tomato, and top off with cheese

2. Enjoy immediately

NOTES:

Here is one instance where you simply cannot use store bought tortillas. You have to make these at home. But please do not be intimidated. While things can get a little messy (dough always is) this is super easy to do and you will be able to taste the difference in homemade tortilla dough over the store bought stuff like they’re night and day. It is a world of difference and nobody can change my mind on that. You can find harina de maiź or masa harina at most any grocery store. Look in the grain/flour aisle or in the Mexican aisle. Any bag you get will give you some sort of instruction as some brands may require more or less water than others.

The tortillas cook quickly and once done you’re gonna look at them and ask how you can possibly fit anything in there with how bloated they are. This is okay, though. Just remember, those are all air pockets you’re staring at. Simply push the insides in a bit to make room as you fill and top them. You’ll be amazed at how easy it was and once you take that first bite you’ll know exactly why you went through all this trouble.

I used very traditional taco meat filling just going off of how I saw these built at Ray’s Drive Inn in San Antonio. However, the point of this post was to introduce you to the puffy taco shell if you had not tried these before. Fill them in whatever way you see best. It’s your taco! But everyone should at least try the puffy taco shell at least once (if it’s your first, I doubt it will be your last).