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I’m warning you now—once you make these, you’ll never be able to pull into the Taco Bell drive-through and ask for a gordita with a straight face again. With ground chorizo, sautéed onion, a little queso fresco, chopped tomato, and cilantro, these homemade gorditas are the real deal. What makes these gorditas so magical is their simplicity and the main ingredient: masa harina. It’s an ingenious invention that makes preparing masa (the backbone of much of Mexican cuisine and the primary ingredient in things like tortillas, sopes, and tamales) an easy affair that comes together quickly. Keep reading on to learn just how to prepare and customize these gorditas.
In a medium, heavy skillet, such as a cast iron, heat up the lard or vegetable oil over medium heat. Once the lard is melted, add the chorizo and immediately start breaking up into small pieces. Cook, continuing to break up sausage, until crumbled, cooked through, and beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened, about 7 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk some masa harina and salt. Very slowly add water and mix with your hands until a dough forms and is the consistency of a slightly dryer version of Play-Doh. This is more of an art than a science, and the amount of water depends on your brand of masa harina, so go slow with the water and add more masa harina if the dough gets too wet. Gently work lard into dough with your hands until incorporated. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let sit 15 minutes.
Portion the dough to the desired size of gorditas, though I’d recommend making no more than 8 with this batch. Using a tortilla press or the bottom of a well-greased flat plate or baking dish, press gorditas into rounds about 1/4" thick.
If you want to toast them, you can find more information in the recipe below, but I'm going to walk you through frying them. In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt more lard or pour in oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Working in batches, arrange the gorditas in the pan so they don’t overcrowd each other. Fry, turning once, until puffed up—this should take 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the excess oil.
Once cool enough to handle, carefully slice open gorditas about two-thirds of the way through. Stuff with the chorizo filling. Divide the queso fresco, tomatoes, and cilantro among the gorditas. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream if desired.
The full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
Store leftover gorditas, unassembled, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
lard or neutral oil
Mexican chorizo, casings removed
small yellow onion, finely chopped
masa harina (such as Maseca)
kosher salt
to 1 3/4 cups lukewarm water
lard or vegetable oil, plus more if frying
crumbled queso fresco
Roma tomato, seeded, finely chopped
finely chopped fresh cilantro
Hot sauce and sour cream, for serving (optional)
Let me know how it went in the comments below!
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