Chicharrón Prensado Gorditas
Ingredients
- For the Gorditas:
- 2 cups Masa Harina
- 2 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1.5 cups warm water
- 2 cups Chicharrón Prensado See notes. Not to be confused with fried Pork Rinds (your normal Chicharrón) They are quite different.
- For garnish:
- thinly sliced or chopped onion
- crumbled queso fresco
- Mexican or sour cream
- Shredded lettuce
- your favorite salsa
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl whisk the masa harina, the flour and the salt and start adding the water gradually. Knead until a dough ball comes together. It should be soft and smooth. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls.
- Preheat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium heat. It should be hot when you cook your gorditas,
- With the palms of your hands or using a tortilla press, press the masa harina balls down into 3.5" discs, to a thickness of 1cm (.19 inch).
- Cook the gorditas for about 5 minutes on each side, until fully cooked inside. You can also fry them in hot vegetable oil for 1 - 2 minutes for each side, although this step is optional. See notes to air-fry your gorditas to give them a "fried" feel.
- Carefully open one side (go around the edge about 3/4 of the way; do not completely cut off the top) of your gorditas and fill them with 2 -3 tablespoons of warm Chicharrón Prensado (see notes). Garnish and enjoy warm with your favorite salsa.
Notes
Chicharrón Prensado is available online, but you can also make your own. We have included the recipe to make it in this same post, so if you are feeling adventurous, please check it out. Chicharrón Prensado is not to be confused with fried Pork Rinds (your normal Chicharrón) They are quite different.
Also, please note that in Mexico the filling, in this case the Chicharrón Prensado, is added to the Masa Harina ball before pressing it. If you want to try this method, first shape the ball like a small pot, add the Chicharrón Prensado and then pinch the edges closed, to completely cover the filling. Then press the ball into a 3.5", 1cm (.19 inch) thick, disc. You can do this for your Basic Refried Beans Gorditas too. Just be aware that whenever you do this, the filling must be a mostly dry ingredient. For soupier ingredients just form and cook your Masa dough gorditas and once cooked, fill them and garnish them.
To air-fry your griddle/skillet cooked gorditas in your Air Fryer instead of frying them in oil: working in batches and depending on the size of your air-fryer, place 2 – 3 gorditas in the air fryer basket. Set the air fryer to 320F, and set time to eight minutes total. Flip them over at the 4-minute mark and continue air frying for the remaining four minutes on the other side.
You can make your gorditas ahead and keep them refrigerated for 2 – 3 days. They can be reheated in the microwave, or you can wrap them in foil and warm them up in a hot skillet.