Nicaraguan Quesillo - An Uber Creamy Corn Tortilla With Cheese
This incredibly creamy and crunchy Nicaraguan quesillo recipe is very easy to make. It goes great on any occasion and with a multitude of accompanying ingredients. But, it even serves well on its own for an on-the-go hearty meal.
Ingredients
For the quick pickled onions
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup white spirit vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
For the corn tortillas
- 1 cup masa harina
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 3/4 - 1 cup hot water
For the toppings
- 3 cups Nicaraguan soft cheese or mozzarella
- 1 cup sour cream
- Fresh cilantro, optional
Instructions
Make the onion pickle
- Combine the water, vinegar, honey, and salt in a medium saucepan. Then, bring the liquid to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, remove it from the heat.
- Place the sliced onions into a heat-proof jar. Pour the hot pickling liquid into the jar over the onions. Make sure that all the onions are completely covered.
- Allow the pickling liquid to cool for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. After 30 minutes, they are ready to be removed from the liquid and served.
- Any leftover pickle can be closed inside the jar and stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Make the corn tortillas dough
- To start, combine the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Then, while stirring slowly with a wooden spoon, gradually add 3/4 cup of hot water.
- Continue mixing until a dough starts to form. If you need to add more hot water to make the dough come together, then do so slowly.
- Once you have a dough, knead the mixture inside the mixing bowl until it comes together. This will take about 2-3 minutes or until the texture is springy.
- Next, allow the dough to rest in a bowl covered with a damp cloth. Leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Make the corn tortillas
- Once your dough has rested, divide it into 30-gram dough balls. Roll each ball until it is perfectly round. Set them aside under a damp cloth.
- Then, place each ball between two sheets of plastic on the tortilla press. Then, carefully, slowly, and gently press the ball until it forms a 5-inch tortilla. Stack the pressed tortillas aside.
- While you press the tortillas, start cooking some as well. Preheat a non-stick frying pan over medium to high heat. Then, cook each tortilla for about 50 seconds per side or until it starts forming brown spots.
- Once they are cooked, stack them onto a plate with a dry clean kitchen towel over them. Continue the process until all your tortillas have been cooked.
Assemble your Nicaraguan quesillos
- To start, place the grated cheese on the cooked and cooled tortilla. Then, microwave it for roughly 30 seconds on medium-high heat. Keep heating until the cheese has melted.
- Top the cheese with some pickled onions, sour cream, and fresh cilantro.
- Wrap the entire tortilla into a burrito. However, keep one end open for you to each from.
- Repeat the process until all your tortillas have been filled. Any leftover ingredients can be stored for later use.
Nutrition
Calories: 250kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 21gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 1034mgPotassium: 189mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 560IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 625mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!