Description
Enchiladas Potosinas are a traditional Mexican dish featuring corn tortillas infused with a spicy guajillo chili dough and filled with a flavorful queso fresco and tomato-based salsa. These crispy, folded enchiladas are perfect for a savory meal topped with shredded lettuce, cotija cheese, diced onions, and Mexican crema.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Dough
- 2 cups masa harina
- 5 guajillo chiles
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- ½ cup neutral oil (for frying)
- 1–2 tsp olive oil (for salsa)
For the Salsa Filling
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 1 tomatillo
- ¼ small white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1–2 serrano peppers
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
- ½ recipe queso fresco (crumbled)
For Serving
- Shredded lettuce
- Queso cotija
- Diced white onions
- Mexican crema
Instructions
- Prepare the Chili Paste: De-stem and seed the guajillo chiles. Place them in a pot of water along with Roma tomatoes, tomatillo, and serrano peppers. Bring to a low boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until chiles soften. Separate the chiles and blend them with ½ cup water until smooth to create the guajillo chile paste.
- Make the Dough: In a large bowl, whisk masa harina with ¼ tsp salt. Add 1 ½ cups very warm water and 3 tbsp of the guajillo chile paste. Knead the mixture into a moist, smooth dough over 5-10 minutes. Cover and set aside.
- Prepare the Salsa Filling: Drain cooked tomatoes, tomatillo, serrano peppers, and add to a blender with 1 tbsp guajillo chile paste and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth.
- Sauté Onions and Garlic: Heat 1-2 tsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Sauté diced onions for 2-3 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Slowly strain the blended salsa into the pan and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Combine Salsa and Cheese: Remove the saucepan from heat, let the salsa cool slightly, then mix in crumbled queso fresco to form the filling.
- Form Tortillas: Cut two pieces of plastic or wax paper to fit a tortilla press. Divide the dough into 50g balls, roll smooth, and press each ball between the plastics to form thin tortillas. If no press is available, flatten using a baking dish or rolling pin.
- Assemble Enchiladas: Heat a skillet over medium. Cook each tortilla on one side briefly, remove from heat, add a scoop of filling on the uncooked side, wet edges with water, fold the tortilla in half, and pinch edges to seal.
- Cook Folded Enchiladas: Return the folded enchiladas to the pan and cook each side for 1-2 minutes until lightly cooked and sealed. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Fry Enchiladas: Heat ½ cup neutral oil in a pan over medium heat. Shallow fry enchiladas in batches of 3-4 until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Serve: Serve warm topped with shredded lettuce, queso cotija, diced white onions, and Mexican crema. Enjoy!
Notes
- The dough should be moist but not sticky; add warm water gradually if needed.
- Adjust the number of serrano peppers based on your heat preference.
- If unavailable, queso fresco can be substituted with a mild crumbly cheese.
- Use a tortilla press for best results but flattening by hand works fine.
- Shallow frying gives the enchiladas a crisp texture without being too oily.
- Leftover guajillo chile paste can be stored refrigerated for up to a week.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Boiling, Blending, Kneading, Sautéing, Frying
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 enchilada (approx. 120g)
- Calories: 260 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 280 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
Keywords: Enchiladas Potosinas, Mexican enchiladas, guajillo chile enchiladas, traditional Mexican recipe, queso fresco enchiladas
