Learn how to make homemade Nachos, the original Mexican recipe for fried or baked nachos, and the ideal topping for these crispy corn chips. Nachos are part of Tex-Mex cuisine, which is typical of Mexico and Texas, south of the USA, and are very popular even here in Italy, where they are served in cinemas alongside popcorn as a tasty and crispy snack. It’s easy to make nachos at home; all you need is water, salt, spices, and fine-grain corn flour. You can fry or bake the nachos according to your preference, making them a great light option. Let’s see how to make traditional and light Mexican fried and baked nachos, and some suggestions for the ideal toppings for these tasty and spicy Mexican chips.
Mexican Recipe for Homemade Fried or Baked Nachos
Here’s the Mexican recipe for homemade fried or baked nachos; the instructions include both traditional and light cooking methods. Please note that baking the nachos may take longer, depending on how many chips you can cook in each tray. The nachos can be consumed immediately after cooking, and they are perfect with fresh toppings made from tomato or avocado. Let’s see how to make fried and baked Mexican nachos with this recipe, and below it, you’ll find the ideal toppings and sauces.
Homemade Fried or Baked Nachos, the Original Mexican Recipe
Other details
- Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz Fine-grain yellow corn flour (300 g)
- 2.6 oz Fine-grain yellow corn flour for dusting (75 g)
- 2 cups Warm water (500 ml)
- 1 ½ pinch of Salt
- To taste Sunflower or Peanut oil for frying
- To taste Cumin and coriander seeds (optional)
Instructions
How to Make Nachos
- To make nachos, pour 10.5 oz (300 g) of corn flour into a bowl, add salt, and gradually add water, stirring to absorb it gradually. Don't add all the water at once, as you may need less (it depends on how fine your corn flour is). At first, the mixture will be crumbly, but it will then solidify into a compact dough.
- It will take about 10 minutes to obtain a dough that can be shaped by hand; the consistency will resemble plasticine, so it will no longer crumble. Using coarse-grained flour would have taken more time to obtain a dough that can be shaped. Let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
- If you want to season your nachos with cumin, coriander, or other spices, this is the time to do it: pour 2.6 oz (75 g) of corn flour into a bowl, add finely chopped spices, mix together, and set aside.
- To make perfectly triangular, thin, and crispy nachos, take a small amount of dough and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Then place another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll the dough with a rolling pin until you get a very thin sheet. The goal is to reach just 2 millimeters in thickness.
- Once the nacho dough is rolled out, we can remove the top layer of parchment paper and sprinkle the reserved spicy cornmeal on top. Make sure that the entire surface of the dough is covered with the spicy cornmeal. Then, use a rolling pin to press the cornmeal into the dough and to roll it out even further.
- Using a 15 cm bowl or cookie cutter, cut the dough into a circle. Using a knife, cut the circle into 4 equal parts, then cut those parts in half, resulting in 8 equal triangles (in other words, make two intersecting X's through the center).
- Once the nacho triangles are formed, we can sprinkle them with the remaining spicy flour on the side that has not yet been floured to prevent sticking. Repeat this process of rolling and cutting the dough until it is all used up.
Baked Nachos
- To make baked nachos, place the cut triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once all the triangles are laid out on the baking sheet, add a drizzle of oil and bake at 200°C for 15-20 minutes, until the nachos are nicely golden brown. The result is a crunchy, chip-like nacho that is a bit dry, but perfect when served with fresh tomato toppings.
Original Fried Nachos Recipe
- To make the original fried nachos, prepare a large skillet with 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil (not too much oil is needed since the nachos only need to be toasted), heat it up, and then add the nachos to the pan, spacing them out so they do not stick together. Fry over medium heat, being careful not to overcook them: just a few seconds on each side is all that's needed to cook the nachos to perfection.
- Drain the fried nachos on a tray lined with paper towels and serve the Mexican nachos hot or cold with your preferred sauces, such as guacamole, melted cheese, chili, hot sauce, fresh tomato sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, or barbecue sauce.
Conservation
The nachos should be consumed as soon as possible, as they will lose their characteristic crunchiness over time. It is recommended to serve them on the same day they are made, but they can be eaten the next day, although they will be less crispy.Tips
Prepare the sauces in advance of cooking the nachos so that they can be enjoyed as soon as they are ready, whether hot or cold.Watching calories
Nachos provide 306 calories (kcal) per 100 grams (3.5 oz).Seasoning and Sauces for Nachos
Once you’ve made the recipe for Nachos, you only need to worry about the ideal seasoning for your crispy Mexican chips. The seasonings are usually hot sauces made with typical Mexican cuisine ingredients such as avocado, chili, lemon or lime. For example, guacamole sauce is an ideal seasoning for nachos, made with avocado, lemon juice, fresh tomatoes, fresh chili or sweet pepper, and spices. It’s blended and used as a sauce. Alternatively, you can always use ketchup and mayonnaise, which are excellent sauces for homemade crispy chips.
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