Fried Quesadillas
Crunchy fried stuffed quesadillas! Perfect for any night of the week.
Servings 8 Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups masa harina corn flour
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup oil, plus more for frying avocado, canola, or pork manteca!
- 1 1/2 cups hot water
What Else Do I Need?
- Pick a filling! Beef picadillo, carne guisada, rajas with cheese, chorizo with potato, mushrooms, black beans!
- Mexican Cheese! Oaxaca, queso fresco, Chihuahua, pepper jack
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl just to make sure there are no lumps.
- Mix in the oil and then gradually mix in 1 cup of the hot water until you have a semi smooth dough. Grab a piece of masa and roll it into a ball. If it looks smooth with no cracks, then it's ready. If not, gradually mix in more hot water until the dough is smooth and soft. It should feel tacky, but not sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- When ready, divide the dough into 8 equal portions and roll them into balls, then flatten with the palms of your hands. Transfer to a plate and keep them covered with plastic wrap.
- Preheat 2 cups of oil(avocado, grapeseed or canola) to medium heat for 5-6 minutes.
- Make sure you have all your fillings ready, tortilla press lined before you begin to press and fry quesadillas. Remember fillings must be cool.
- Line a plate with paper towels and set near pan you will be frying in. Take one dough ball at a time and flatten, using lined tortilla press, to about 4 1/2-5 inches.
- Peel away top plastic to expose flattened masa disc. Fill with 3-4 tablespoons of filling(including cheese). Fold over like a taco using the help the the remaining plastic and gently press edges together. Peel away plastic and transfer to hot oil.
- The quesadillas will fry for 6-7 minutes, flipping them over halfway through cooking time. Gently ladle some oil over the uncooked side of quesadilla to seal the masa. They should be crispy and look golden brown. If they darken too fast, you may need to turn your heat down slightly. Transfer to line plate to drain off excess oil. Let them rest for a few minutes.
- Using a small sharp knife, carefully slice the qusadillas open and garnish with guacamole and salsa! Or, you can lay them on your plate and add all of your favorite garnishes on top! Either way, they are delicious!
Notes
If you want to eliminate the flour from the recipe, that's fine. Just flour with more masa harina. The masa is a little more delicate, but it's delicious!