Destination
Puerto Vallarta
The story
Gorditas — literally "little chubby ones" — are the thick, split, stuffed cousin of the tortilla. A round of masa about 1.5cm thick is cooked on a hot comal until it puffs up like a pillow, then split open at the edge with a knife and stuffed with a savoury filling — chicharrón prensado (pressed pork rind in salsa), tinga de pollo, rajas con crema, refried beans, or the classic street-market version, chicharrón. Sold at every mercado in Mexico City, Puebla, Querétaro and San Luis Potosí, gorditas are the mercado breakfast — you eat two, standing at the counter with a foam plate, before you go to work.
Method
Whisk masa harina and salt in a bowl. Add warm water and melted lard. Knead by hand 2 minutes until smooth and playdough-soft. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
Roll the dough into 12 balls (larger than golf balls). Press each between baking paper into thick discs — 10cm across and 1.5cm thick. Do not press thin.
Heat a dry heavy pan or comal over medium-high heat. Cook each gordita 3 minutes on the first side, 3 minutes on the second, 2 minutes on the base side. It should puff up — if not, press gently with a spatula to encourage the puff. Cook a total of 8 minutes per gordita.
Char the tomatillos, chillies, garlic and onion on a dry pan 6 minutes. Blend with coriander, salt and 100ml water to a coarse sauce. Warm the oil in a pan. Break up the chicharrón; add to the pan with the salsa verde. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened and the chicharrón has softened.
Melt butter in a pan. Cook the sliced onion 5 minutes. Add poblano strips and corn; cook 5 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the crema, queso fresco and salt. Keep warm.
Slice each gordita open at the edge with a small paring knife — you're making a pocket like a pita, not cutting in half. Spoon 2 tbsp of filling into each pocket.
Sprinkle a pinch of crumbled queso fresco and chopped coriander into each stuffed gordita. Add a slice of radish.
Serve immediately, arranged on a warm plate. Offer salsa verde, salsa roja and lime wedges on the side. Eaters add extra salsa and eat with hands. Two gorditas per person is a good portion.
Tips
- Cook thicker than a tortilla. 1.5cm thick is the target. A gordita is not a tortilla — it's a stuffed cake, and it needs bulk to hold filling without cracking.
- Encourage the puff. Press gently with a spatula while cooking to trap steam and encourage a balloon. If they don't puff, cut them open manually with a knife.
- Two fillings per plate. The mercado version lets eaters mix — a chicharrón gordita and a rajas gordita on the same foam plate. Make both fillings and let eaters choose.
- Chicharrón prensado is a specific ingredient. It's the pressed cake of pork rind that's rehydrated in salsa, sold at every Latino grocer. Do not substitute pork scratchings — the texture is completely wrong.
- Eat warm, not hot. Gorditas straight off the pan burn your mouth. A one-minute rest before splitting is right.
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