More Than Taco Tuesday!

The tortilla plays an important role in Mexican cuisine. This delicious food can be used as a utensil, a source of carbs, and a filler for your meal. If you followed our ad in Edible San Diego or just want to learn how to make authentic tortillas, we welcome you to view our full recipe shared by the ECOLIFE Mexico team.

Traditional Tortilla Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 kilos of corn
• 4 tablespoons of lime or ash
• 6 liters of water

Directions

1. 1. Remove any dirt or foreign objects and place 2 kilos of clean corn kernels in a large pot.
   2. Fill the pot with water until corn kernels are covered (2-3 liters of water per kilo of corn). Add two tablespoons of lime or ash per kilo.

1. Stir occasionally until the mixture boils.
2. Turn off heat, cover, and remove pot from the stove. Allow the mixture to rest overnight.
3. The next day, check to see if the kernels are ready to be formed into dough by rubbing a kernel with your fingertips. The skin should come loose from the kernel.
4. In a colander, strain the kernels and rinse them twice (or until the water runs clear).
5. Place kernels in a metate (a flat, volcanic rock surface or a large mortar and pestle) and grind. Add water as needed to keep the dough moist.
6. After mix has been ground into a dough-like texture, roll the dough into small spheres of 60 grams each (continue to sprinkle water onto the dough as needed to keep moist). When not using the dough, keep it loosely covered with a damp cloth.
7. Using a tortilla press or flat piece of wood, press each sphere into a tortilla shape.
8. Allow the “comal” or pan heat up to 250ºC and place the tortillas on the ungreased surface. Once the tortilla starts to bubble, flip it with your hands, and taking care not to burn yourself. Only flip a tortilla twice (more than that make them stiff).
9. Store your cooked tortillas in a cloth-lined basket until you are ready to serve them.
10. Now your tortillas are ready to eat, enjoy!

Did you know that three billion people in the world cook over open-fires in their homes, posing a myriad of health threats? ECOLIFE’s Stove Program in central Mexico provides fuel-efficient stoves so families can cook safely while creating traditional meals using 60 percent less wood. Our goals are to reduce air pollution, educate the community, and save on fuelwood in order to protect the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve. The patsari stove has a chimney that diverts pollutants outside the home and the brick sides are cool to the touch so families can cook safely.   We hope you’ll enjoy eating these delicious tortillas and will help us provide more fuel-efficient patsari stoves to families! Donate to our stove program here.