How to make this Mexican ‘toastie’ with halloumi (plus the ‘craveable’ chillies you’ll put on everything)

Rosa Cienfuegos, of Dulwich Hill’s Tamaleria & Mexican Deli shares a popular vegetarian-friendly recipe from her latest cookbook, CDMX.

Tostadas de queso (cheese tostadas)

I usually make these tostadas to enjoy as a snack whenever I have tortillas leftover at home, and they are always a success. The first time I had something similar was at a kids’ party in Mexico City. I haven’t seen or found anything like them at street food stalls, but they are delightful and a wonderful vegetarian option.

INGREDIENTS

• cooking oil spray
• 400g halloumi, cut into thick rectangular slices
• 4 avocados
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp table salt
• 10 tostadas (see below)
• ½ x quantity pico de gallo (see below)
• 1 x quantity jalapenos toreados (see below)

METHOD

1. Heat a comal or heavy-based frypan over medium heat and spray with oil. Add the halloumi and cook for about 2 minutes each side, until lightly golden. Remove from the pan.
2. Mash the avocados and stir through the olive oil and salt. Spread a thick layer of the mashed avocado onto each tostada and top with two slices of halloumi. Spoon the pico de gallo over the haloumi and serve with the jalapenos toreados on the side.

Makes 10

Jalapenos toreados (blistered jalapenos)

I love being able to buy fresh jalapenos in Australia. Every time I visit the supermarket I always end up buying at least a couple to spice up my meals or, in this case, to grill and keep in a big jar for whenever I have a craving.

I remember, when I was living in Mexico City, making tacos de carne asada with my friends. We would share the cooking tasks, and I was usually in charge of pouring all the sauces into the jalapeno jar. The fun of this is that you can add more or less of any ingredient – your choice!

INGREDIENTS

• 10 fresh jalapeno chillies
• 1 tsp garlic salt

• 1 tbsp Valentina hot sauce
• 1 tsp Maggi seasoning
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce (omit if vegetarian)
• juice of 1 lime

METHOD

1. Char the jalapeno chillies in a dry comal or heavy-based frypan over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until they blacken.
2. Place the chillies in a clean 1 litre jar and add the garlic salt, Valentina sauce, Maggi seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and lime juice. Screw on the lid securely and shake the jar to combine the ingredients.
3. Enjoy straight away or store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Makes 10

Note: I love making big batches of these jalapenos so I always have something spicy on hand to add to my meals; you can also add sauteed sliced onion.

Tostadas

Tostadas are the Mexican version of toasties. They are used in many dishes or as a base for thousands of toppings – I remember eating them just with cream and salsa when I lived in the city.

A tostada is simply a deep-fried corn tortilla. You can also dry-toast the tortillas in a comal over low heat until crisp, but watch carefully that they don’t burn.

Feel free to add them anywhere you like – either by themselves or topped with a nice thick cream, avocado, cheese, refried beans, salsa …

INGREDIENTS

• vegetable oil, for shallow-frying
• 10 tortillas de maiz (see below)

METHOD

1. Heat 100ml of vegetable oil in a large frypan over medium heat to 180C on a kitchen thermometer. Fry the tortillas, one by one, flipping frequently and adding 50ml of extra oil after every three tostadas, for about 2 minutes, until they are crisp and lightly golden. If bubbles start to rise in the tortillas when they are cooking, use tongs to pinch the holes together. Transfer the tostadas to a plate lined with paper towel to drain.
2. If you prefer, you can dry-toast the tortillas in a comal over low heat, flipping frequently, until crisp.

Makes 10

Tortillas de maiz (corn tortillas)

What’s the difference between nixtamal and cornmeal tortillas? Nixtamal is a Nahuatl word that means “masa” and “ash” – the process involves cooking corn kernels with limewater, then grinding them to make dough (masa), which is then pressed into tortillas using a machine or tortilla press. It is the traditional and best way to make tortillas, but it’s also a time- and labour-intensive process.

In this recipe we are going to use cornmeal, as it is easier to find. Cornmeal is made from cooked corn – brands like Maseca and Minsa are the most popular and I have found them at Latin American markets, even in Europe. Some Asian or Indian supermarkets also sell cornmeal, but labelled as “maize flour”. I keep maize flour at home always, as it saves me from emergencies that Mexicans dread, like there not being any tortillas at the supermarket!

INGREDIENTS

• 500g masa flour (yellow, white or blue) pinch of salt
• 50ml vegetable oil
• oil cooking spray

METHOD

1. Combine the masa, 600ml of warm water, the salt and oil in a bowl until you have a soft and non-sticky dough.
2. Lightly spray a comal or heavy-based frypan with oil spray and place over medium-high heat. Place a square of plastic wrap over the bottom half of a tortilla press. Roll 50g of the dough into a ball and place it in the middle of the press. Cover with another square of plastic wrap, then close the press and gently push down to flatten the dough into a 16cm tortilla, about 3mm thick.
3. Open the tortilla press, remove the top layer of plastic wrap and flip the tortilla onto your hand. Remove the bottom layer of plastic wrap and place the tortilla in the comal or pan. Cook for about 2 minutes each side or until the tortilla puffs up, and the edge is just starting to change colour. Transfer the cooked tortilla to a tortilla warmer or wrap in a folded tea towel, then repeat with the remaining dough.
4. Leftover tortillas will keep in a tortilla warmer in the fridge for up to 4 days. Gently reheat in a comal or microwave (wrap eight tortillas in a tea towel and cook on high for 1 minute), or use them to make tostadas (see above) or totopos.

Makes 20

Pico de gallo (fresh salsa)

I love that pico de gallo is becoming more popular outside of Mexico. It’s an easy, healthy and versatile salsa that can be used as a salad, side, topping or filling. I highly recommend you try it with different dishes to find your favourite pairing – I especially love to serve pico de gallo with roast chicken tacos … it’s the best!

INGREDIENTS

• ½ white onion, diced
• 4 green jalapeno, serrano or Thai chillies, finely chopped
• handful of coriander leaves,finely chopped
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tsp table salt
• tomatoes, diced into 3cm cubes

METHOD

1. Place the onion, chilli and coriander in a bowl, add the lime juice and salt and gently stir for 3 minutes. Add the tomato, stir and serve straight away. Pico de gallo is best eaten on the day it is made.

Makes about 450g (2½ cups)

Serves 4

This is an edited extract from CDMX by Rosa Cienfuegos, published by Smith Street Books, distributed by Thames & Hudson Australia, RRP $55.00. Photography by Alicia Taylor. Buy now