Panuchos (Yucatán-Fashion Bean-Stuffed Tortillas) Recipe

Panuchos are a masa-based specialty from Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula: crisped tortillas filled with refried beans and topped with wealthy, tangy toppings. At their core, they’re deceptively easy—simply masa, beans, and fats—however assembling them is a multi-step course of.

Should you’re accustomed to the broader household of masa shapes, you may marvel how panuchos differ from gorditas. Whereas each contain thickened tortillas, gorditas are sometimes fried till deeply crunchy all through. Panuchos, in contrast, are thinner, with a crisp exterior that yields to a creamy bean-filled inside, designed to help saucy toppings with out collapsing.

In Yucatán, panuchos are mostly topped with the well-known barbecued pork dish cochinita pibil and pickled crimson onions, a pairing that is so traditional it borders on necessary. The pork’s citrusy, achiote-laced richness and the sharp chew of the onions stability the fried masa and beans superbly. That mentioned, making conventional cochinita pibil is an all-day affair, involving banana leaves and lengthy, gradual cooking. My recipe makes use of a streamlined rooster topping that delivers comparable flavors with a fraction of the effort and time, preserving the give attention to panucho meeting and approach.

Suggestions for Filling and Shaping Panuchos

Basic panuchos are made by cooking a tortilla on a comal till it puffs, then slitting it open and filling it with beans. That puff is important—however it may be difficult to provide constantly at residence. To make the method extra dependable, this recipe makes use of two raw tortillas pressed collectively and sealed solely across the edges, forming a pocket from the beginning.

Urgent the tortillas skinny ensures they cook dinner by way of shortly and evenly. The panuchos are first parcooked simply lengthy sufficient to set the masa and provides them construction. Working with one by one, every pressed-together tortilla pair is then rigorously slit open and full of refried beans, that are unfold into a fair layer earlier than the perimeters are gently pressed again collectively to reseal the pocket. Historically, panuchos are crammed solely with frijoles refritos, although slices of hard-boiled egg are typically tucked inside.

A remaining fry crisps the outside and warms the beans, creating the distinction that defines a very good panucho: crisp, creamy, wealthy, and prepared for toppings.

Panucho Toppings

As soon as fried, the panuchos are dressed merely and generously. To imitate the flavors of the traditional cochinita pibil topping with out the lengthy cook dinner time, I borrow its signature flavorings—achiote, heat spices, citrus, and garlic—and switch them into a fast blender sauce. Tossed with shredded poached or store-bought rotisserie rooster and flippantly warmed, the sauce delivers depth, warmth, and a touch of smokiness because of charred habanero and garlic.

Be at liberty to combine up the meat topping: As an alternative of cochinita pibil or the rooster topping included on this recipe, you should utilize carnitas, birria, or tinga.

The one topping I contemplate non-negotiable is pickled crimson onion. Its acidity cuts by way of the richness of the fried masa and beans, preserving every chew from feeling heavy. Yucatán-style pickled onions—historically made with bitter orange juice or a citrus mix—are scrumptious right here, including brightness and delicate bitterness. From there, you may hold it easy or get artistic with unconventional additions like Oaxaca cheese, charred recent chiles, and even kimchi.

As soon as assembled, panuchos are greatest eaten scorching and freshly fried, when the textures are at their peak and the toppings meld into the beans and masa under.