Tortillas with Cilantro
Makes 28 tortillas
4 cups masa harina (instant corn tortilla mix)
¾ cup chopped cilantro
4 cups warm water
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the masa harina and cilantro. Slowly
add warm water while kneading the mixture. Only add enough water to make a
cohesive dough (you may need to adjust the amount). Knead for 1 minute.
Break off a golf-ball-size piece of dough, and roll into a ball. Using a
clapping motion with your hands, pat out into a flat circle. Press the dough
in a tortilla press. Lay it on a hot griddle and cook, flipping no more than
three times (see Tip below).
Tip: There is one cardinal rule in making any tortilla: A tortilla has three
sides. The first side, when you put the raw pressed-out dough onto your hot
comal (griddle), is what I call the "setting" side. This seals the tortilla,
and should take about 20 seconds. Using a metal spatula, you then flip the
tortilla onto the other side, called the "cooking" side. It has the longest
cooking time, about 2 minutes, depending on the heat of your griddle. Now
you can occasionally flip the tortilla briefly to see if toasted brown dots
are forming.
When you see the dots, flip the tortilla again onto its third and final
side, the "inflating" side. Since you sealed your tortilla on the first
side, and then on the second side, the steam is trapped inside the tortilla,
and it inflates when on its third side. The inflating step makes beautifully
light and tender tortillas. Once your tortilla has fully inflated, remove it
from the griddle about 20 seconds later, and place it in a clean towel to
keep warm.
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