(Mexican corn tortillas). Most often in America they are sold in the form of semi-finished products. Simply cut the tortillas into triangles and fry or bake.
But it's much better to make your own nachos. Typically, these chips are made from corn flour, but there are options made from wheat flour, as well as flour mixtures. The chips are vegan and contain minimal ingredients.
In America, the most popular nachos are fried in oil. But baked nacho chips are much healthier, so that's why I make this version.
Ingredients for making nacho corn chips
- Corn flour - 2 cups (360 g). If you don’t have corn flour, then you can definitely find corn grits in stores. You can grind the cereal finely to make flour. I talked about this in the tortilla recipe (link above).
- Salt - 1 teaspoon
- Hot (!) water - approximately 1 + ¼ cup. It is very important that the water is hot - thanks to this, the dough seems to be “baked” at the kneading stage.
- Vegetable oil - 30-40 ml. Mix with hot water. In the old version of the recipe (see video below), I cooked these chips without oil. I recommend adding oil. It gives the dough elasticity, and the nachos come out denser. The dough with butter rolls out easily and does not crumble.
How to make nachos - corn chips. Video recipe
Mix corn flour and salt. If desired, also add ground paprika and hot pepper.
Add hot water with oil and knead the dough first with a spoon or fork. Then let the dough cool slightly and continue kneading with your hands.
The dough turns out quite dense, not sticky.
Spread baking paper on the table. Lightly dust the paper with flour. Instead of baking paper, you can use a silicone mat or plain white paper. It must first be lubricated with vegetable oil.
We also dust the rolling pin with flour so that it sticks less to the dough.
Pinch off a piece of dough the size of a golf ball. Roll it into a ball and place it on baking paper.
And roll out the ball into a very thin cake. The thickness of the cake should be no more than 1-2 mm. The thinner the better.
Now cut the dough as follows. First on long strips.
Then we cut the strips into diamonds.
And we cut the diamonds into triangles. Watch the video to better understand the principle of cutting dough into tortilla chips.
Transfer the nacho chips to a baking sheet along with the paper.
Heat the oven to 180 degrees C and bake the chips for 10 minutes in the middle of the oven, or 15-20 minutes in the upper part of the oven.
The finished chips should be dry and crispy and easily peel away from the paper.
Nachos are the famous Mexican cornmeal chips that are deep-fried and served in all Mexican-style restaurants. Learn to cook nachos - and you will always have an original snack for any table.
Spicy, spicy, delicious and unforgettable, they are served with cheese, sour cream, pickled and fresh peppers, olives, fresh tomatoes, lettuce and onions.
| Product | Quantity |
| For the nachos: | |
| Corn flour | 2 tbsp. |
| Water | 250 ml |
| Vegetable oil | 400 ml |
| Salt | 5 g |
| Cinnamon | 5 g |
| Black pepper | 5 g |
| Ground paprika | 5 g |
| For the sauce: | |
| Cheddar cheese | 100 g |
| Sour cream (20%) | 100 g |
| Bulgarian pepper | 1 PC. |
Homemade nachos recipe
For classic nacho chips, only corn flour is used, but you can use both wheat and rice, just not completely, but a smaller part - for example, you can make nachos based on 1 cup of corn flour and 0.5 cups of wheat and rice, or 1 cup of wheat.
Sift the flour through a sieve, mix with salt, pepper, paprika and cinnamon. Heat the water (it should be warm), pour in the flour and leave for 20 minutes. Knead the dough by adding vegetable oil. Mexicans use corn, you can take sunflower or olive.
The dough should be elastic. Make balls the size of tennis balls. Roll each ball between sheets of wax paper to prevent the dough from sticking. Fry each flatbread for 30 seconds in a frying pan lightly greased with vegetable oil. 
Ready-made nachos can be served with vegetables or sauces. Then divide each into 8 parts - these are our nachos. In a deep fryer or large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the rest of the vegetable oil to 180º. Place nachos one at a time into the hot oil for 35-45 seconds. The nachos should float freely in the oil.
To prevent them from sticking together, they must be constantly stirred with a wooden spatula. Fry until they are golden and crispy. Remove the finished nachos and place them on paper towels so that excess fat is absorbed into the towels. Meanwhile, grate the cheese on a fine grater.
Peel the pepper and cut into thin strips. Place the drained nachos on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. For each nacho, place a teaspoon of thick sour cream and pieces of pepper, sprinkle with grated cheese. Place in an oven preheated to 180º for 3 minutes.
Its popularity has long gone beyond the borders of the country. Today, these breads are known and loved all over the world, served both on holiday tables and as a light everyday snack. Nachos are gradually replacing chips, but differ from them not only in their much safer composition, but also in the fact that they are served with various sauces, seasonings, and toppings.
Preparation
Dough, as well as cut triangles,
ready to fry, you can buy them in many large supermarkets. But preparing them yourself is not at all difficult. The basic recipe for nachos is simple: sift a glass of cornmeal into a bowl, add a little olive oil, add flour until a tight ball is formed. Roll out the dough and cut. To do this, you can use one of two methods: roll out circles and cut radially into 6-8 pieces, or roll out rectangles and cut strips into triangular pieces. Corn dough is a classic, but if necessary, corn flour can be replaced with wheat or rye flour.
Mexican nachos recipe
Place the triangles on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden brown. Fry the onion in a saucepan, add minced beef or pork to it, pepper, salt and simmer. If desired, you can top it with tomato sauce. Place one can of beans in a sieve to drain excess liquid. Sprinkle nachos with grated cheddar cheese, add minced meat and beans, pour tomato sauce and bake. Place dipping sauce on top. Before serving, you can add chopped herbs.
The best nacho dishes
Culinary experts joke that nachos are like pizza, only Mexican. Using the classic nacho recipe as a base, you can create many different dishes to suit every taste. You just need to add your favorite foods: mushrooms and fish fillets, olives and bell peppers, broccoli, eggplant, spinach. And instead of the classic one, you can use any hard variety, for example, Maasdam or Parmesan. It is also possible to use soft varieties: feta cheese, mozzarella, suluguni.
Nacho sauces
The sauces used to top nachos have a special place. They are not always added during baking; it is quite possible to prepare 3 - 4 types of gravy and serve them separately. The most common sauce is a cheddar-based cheese sauce. In addition, delicate creamy gravies, spicy tomato, mushroom, sauces with garlic and young herbs are combined with nachos.
Conclusion
The best dishes of traditional Mexican cuisine have long taken their place in the cookbooks of housewives around the world. Food products are distinguished by their richness of ingredients, richness of flavors, and the use of natural and healthy raw materials. At the same time, preparing Mexican dishes is simple, the ingredients for them are easy to get, and they are inexpensive, and everyone likes their brightness and expressiveness. The recipe for nachos, a simple, healthy and very tasty dish originally from sunny Mexico, also strengthens its position.
Mexico is an amazing, colorful country. It is famous not only for its traditions and picturesque resorts, but also for its extraordinary cuisine. At the end of the last century, a crispy dish - nachos - appeared in Mexico. Today we will discuss how to make nachos in your home kitchen.
In the footsteps of Mexican chefs
Nachos are nothing more than crispy chips. Around the 40s of the 20th century, this dish with an amazing taste appeared in Mexico. Over time, residents of other countries wanted to crunch on such a dish. Gradually, nacho chips conquered the culinary space around the world.
Before we discuss how to make nachos, let's get some things clear:
- crispy nachos are made exclusively from premium corn flour;
- wheat flour is not suitable for preparing such a dish;
- It is imperative to add refined sunflower or olive seed oil;
- Traditionally, paprika and cinnamon powder are chosen as seasonings;
- Don’t forget about sauces; it is this ingredient that gives nachos its exquisite and unique taste.
Nachos are easy to make at home. Housewives can use an oven, microwave oven or multicooker.
Compound:
- 1 tbsp. corn flour;
- a pinch of turmeric;
- 4 tbsp. l. refined sunflower seed oil;
- 300 ml refined olive oil;
- 100 g hard cheese;
- salt and dried herbs - to taste;
- ½ tbsp. filtered water.
Preparation:
On a note! Some people prefer to cook nachos in the broiler or deep fry. Another way is in a microwave oven. Choose maximum power. Cooking time is 3-4 minutes. Don't forget to grease the parchment paper on which you place the chips with refined vegetable oil.
"Salsa" - Mexican delicacy
You have already learned how to prepare a traditional Mexican dish. Let's find out what nachos are eaten with. This crispy snack is served at the table as an independent dish, but always with sauces. The culinary gold goes to the Salsa sauce. You can also use nacho cheese sauce or any other sauce. The main thing is that it has a sharp and sour taste.
On a note! Crispy nachos can be the basis of a hot dish or salad.
Compound:
- 100 g pink tomatoes;
- 0.2 kg of Cherry tomatoes;
- 3 pcs. pickled tomatoes;
- 300 g of tomatoes of any variety;
- onion head;
- 1 hot green chili pepper;
- ½ lime;
- half a bunch of cilantro;
- 4 things. garlic cloves;
- salt to taste;
- ½ tsp. granulated sugar;
- ½ tsp. cumin.
Preparation:
On a note! With this sauce you can serve fish fillets and even meat dishes.
Mexico has always been a not very rich country, and therefore the locals have learned to use any cheap products to prepare hearty, nutritious meals. Corn is the “indigenous” plant of the area, so it formed the basis of almost all dishes of traditional Mexican cuisine. Nachos, as you know, are made from corn flour. Like most Mexican dishes, nachos won't break the bank and won't take much time to prepare.
What are nachos? These are a kind of homemade triangular shaped corn chips flavored with hot peppers and cheese. Traditionally, nachos are usually served with salsa, guacamole or other hot, spicy sauces.
Who invented nachos?
It is very rarely possible to establish who exactly invented this or that dish, especially if we are talking about a treat that has become a symbol of an entire country. However, the name of the inventor of nachos is known for certain. He was the head waiter of the Mexican cafe, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya. The wives of American soldiers stationed in the small town of Piedras Negras once went to the market to do some shopping.
The tiring hike and the endless shouts of the merchants tired the ladies so much that they decided to take a break and refresh themselves at one of the local establishments. But the day had long since turned into evening, and the women entered the cafe after closing. The head waiter really didn't want to show off the American women, so he quickly put together an appetizer from the ingredients that were left on the table - he cut the tortillas into triangles, sprinkled them with cheese, lightly baked them and seasoned them with jalapeno pepper.
Naturally, Ignacio did not tell the ladies that he had created a delicious dish from the first available products, presenting it as Nachos especiales, which literally translates as “Special Nachos” or “Special Nachos.” The American women liked the dish so much and spread so quickly throughout Texas, and then throughout South America, that from then on the resourceful head waiter Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya was provided with his favorite job for the rest of his life.
How to make nachos
The nacho recipe is very simple, and the best part is that the ingredients for this dish are very inexpensive.
Required ingredients:
- corn flour – 1 cup;
- wheat flour – 100 g;
- corn oil;
- sharp varieties of cheese (Dutch, Poshekhonsky, Maasdamer, Cheddar);
- lettuce leaves;
- ground black pepper;
- sour cream/cream;
- hot water – 250 ml.
Cooking method:
Sift the cornmeal through a fine sieve to remove unground kernels and any debris. Add a pinch of salt, cinnamon and a little ground black pepper. Mix the ingredients.
Pour boiling water over corn flour, stir and leave to cool and swell for 15-20 minutes.
When the cornmeal is cool enough to handle, add the wheat flour.
Knead soft dough. It should not be very hard, crumble or stick too much to your hands. Wheat flour will give the dough elasticity so that it can be easily worked with.
Divide the resulting lump of dough into 5 small equal parts.
Roll each of the five lumps into a small cake at least 1.5-2 mm thick. It is best to roll out the flatbreads (by the way, these are the flatbreads that are called tortillas) between two sheets of parchment paper. But if you don’t have anything suitable at hand, generously sprinkle the table, hands and rolling pin with flour and feel free to roll out the dough. Then, using a pizza cutter or regular knife dusted with flour, cut the tortilla into 8 equal pieces. The edges should also be trimmed to create triangles.
While you are cutting tortillas, MirSovetov recommends not to waste time, but to heat up the oil. Pour oil into a deep frying pan or non-stick pan. The layer of oil should be at least 3 cm. When it is hot enough, carefully lower the raw triangles into it. If the container is small in diameter, it is better to fry nachos 1-2 pieces at a time. As it browns, turn the triangle over to the other side with a fork.
Place fried nachos on a plate lined with paper napkins to drain off excess oil.
Meanwhile, grate and cut the jalapeno pepper into rings.
Place the fried nachos on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place half a teaspoon of sour cream or cream on each triangle, sprinkle with cheese and jalapeno pepper. Place in a preheated oven or microwave for 2-3 minutes so that the cheese melts and mixes with sour cream or cream. Nachos are a fairly high-calorie dish, so if you want it to be less fatty, MirSovetov recommends using low-fat sour cream or avoiding using this ingredient altogether.
Place the finished nachos on lettuce leaves and serve!
After such a hearty and tasty treat, it is imperative to take a short siesta, that is, a traditional Mexican afternoon rest. Preparing nachos will take you no more than an hour, and the specified amount of ingredients will yield about 50 chips, so there will be enough delicacy even for a large company!
