These crispy fried tortillas are schmeared with refried black beans and topped with slaw and pickled red onions. They originated in Yucatecan markets sometime in the early 1900s, where vendors would make use of day-old beans by puréeing them and slathering them on fried tortillas with hard-boiled egg and some onions. As their popularity grew, more focused panucherías opened up around the region, and the toppings expanded to include things like Pavo en escabeche oriental (Yucatán-Style Turkey and Onion Stew) or shredded chicken.
Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- cup/75ml cider vinegar
- 6 x 13cm corn tortillas
- 3 cups/500g cooked black beans
- cup/150ml vegetable oil
- 450g Mexican chorizo
- salt and ground pepper
To serve
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and mashed
- 1 lettuce, finely shredded
- 2 jalapeño peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
Method:
First, pickle the onion slices. Place in a pan, cover with water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute, then drain.
Grind the black peppercorns and cumin seeds together in a mortar, then add them to a small pan with the oregano, garlic, vinegar, drained onions, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Pour in enough water to just cover, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside until ready to serve.
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add one tortilla at a time and flip frequently until it becomes stiff and leathery, puffing in the middle. Using a small knife, cut along the sides of each cooked tortilla, about a third of the way around. Carefully open the pocket, trying not to tear it. Place 1 tablespoon of beans inside each pocket and spread them around by pressing down gently on the top of each tortilla.
Pour the oil into a large frying pan over medium-high heat. One at a time, add the stuffed tortillas and cook on each side for about 2–3 minutes, or until crisp. Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in another frying pan over medium heat for 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and coarsely chop.
Place the panuchos on a plate and sprinkle with the chorizo and drained pickled onions.
Serve with chopped tomatoes, mashed avocado, shredded lettuce, and chopped jalapeños.
Extracted from The Latin American Cookbook by Virgilio Martínez | Published by Phaidon.
Available 15 October | phaidon.com
