Sonoran Style Enchiladas
Delicious stacked red enchiladas made popular in Sonora, Mexico!
Servings 4 Servings
Ingredients
Corn Tortillas
- 1 3/4 c warm water
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 1/4 cups masa harina(nixtamasa maseca brand)
Enchiladas Sauce
- 4 oz Guajillo or California dried chile pods
- 6 chile japones or arbol peppers
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato bouillon
- 4 c water
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1/3 tsp cumin
- 1/3 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 tsp oregano
- salt to taste
Assembling, Filling and Garnish
- 2 cups oil for frying I used avocado oil
- 12 oz queso fresco
- 1 cup white onion, finely diced
- 6 green onions, finely sliced
- Lettuce
- Mexican crema
- Avocado
- Your favorite salsa
Instructions
Corn Tortillas
- In a bowl, pour in the warm water. Mix in the salt until it dissolves.
- Gradually mix in the corn flour masa harina until the dough forms. Dough should be tacky, but not sticking to your hands. Divide the dough into 20 small dough balls. Cover well with plastic wrap until ready to use.
Enchilada Sauce
- Remove the stems and seeds from the large chile pods. If the pods looks dusty, rinse them under lukewarm water. Transfer pods to a pot of water that is coming up to a simmer. Drop in the spicier japones or arbol to the pot. Move chiles around after a few minutes. After ten minutes remove from heat. Let stand for ten more minutes.
- When ready, drain out all of the water from softened pods. Transfer to the blender jar. Pour in 4 cups of water, garlic and tomato bouillon. Blend on high until very smooth. If you are not using a power blender, strain the sauce through a wire strainer for a smooth sauce. Set aside.
- In a large sauce pan, preheat two tablespoons of oil for a few minutes at medium heat. While oil is still cold, mix in the cumin and granulated garlic to the oil. If you like more seasoning, double up on the measurements. Stir to combine with oil. Cook just until the spices become aromatic and oil is hot. Pour in the enchilada sauce. Stir well to combine and continue cooking for 25-30 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, mix in the crushed oregano. Taste for salt. Keep warm on low.
Finishing Enchiladas
- While the sauce is simmering, prep by crumbling the queso fresco. Cover and set aside. Finely dice and slice onion varities. Mix to combine both onion varities. Cover and set aside.
- While you preheat the oil in a skillet, re-work the masa balls in your hand before pressing.
- When oil is hot, press one masa ball at a time. These are small 3 inch discs. Place them directly into the hot oil. After 20 seconds, using a wooden spoon, begin to spoon a little of the hot oil over tortilla. You don't really want it to puff up, so press it if it begins to do that. The tortillas will take about 2 1/2-3 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer fried tortillas to a plate lined with paper towels.
- When you are ready to plate, using tongs, dip one fried tortilla into the warm enchilada sauce. Transfer to serving plate. Spoon on some onions and crumbled queso(cheese). Repeat these steps using five tortillas in total. Garnish with shredded lettuce, Mexican crema, avocado and your favorite salsa! Serve as is or with a side of red rice and refried beans.
Notes
You can mix the corn masa 1-2 days ahead of time and keep it refrigerated in a plastic storage bag. Bring the masa out so it warms up to room temperature and easier to work with. The enchilada sauce will taste ten times better if you prepare it a few days ahead!