When I was growing up, my mom used to heat up tortillas by placing them, one at a time, on our stove’s gas flame. We usually had flour instead of corn, and she’d put one on the flame and then go away for a few seconds. When the air started to smell like charred toast, she’d come back and flip it. One side of the tortilla would be covered with black, burned splotches.
“You burned it!” I’d tell her.
She’d say: “I like them that way.”
I used to think eating burned tortillas was weird. But lately, I’ve started leaving my corn tortillas on the flame just a little bit longer. The burned parts give it this smoky, carbony taste, and it makes the tortilla a little crisper, without turning it into a tostada.
Here in Mexico, our stove has a comal between the burners. I used it once to heat up my corn tortillas, and I’m kind of ashamed to admit that I didn’t like it too much. The tortillas came out too soft. Not enough burnt parts.
How do you like your tortillas? And how do you cook them?
My grandma would heat her tortillas both ways, on a comal and directly over the flame. I like the burn marks on my tortilla too. My hubby doesn’t like them. BUT…his mom always burns her tortillas on the comal! 😀
I heat them both ways, too, directly on the burner or on a comal. But once I learned a recipe for Tarahumara style tostadas and the tortilla is burned like the one you show on purpose because the burned part adds a special flavor to the layered fillings. One of the fillings is hard boiled egg yolks pressed through a sieve and then mashed with avocado – and that really tastes good with the burned part of tortilla for some reason. yum!
Hard-boiled egg yolks and avocado? That sounds decadent. Have to try it. Thanks LZ!
In the microwave oven, or in a crepe pan, several stacked at once. Much attention and turning.
Burn marks are only good on flour tortillas.
Saludos,
Don Cuevas
What a timely topic! I don’t eat tortillas very often, but just this week I found myself heating corn tortillas directly over the flame for that burnt flavor instead of using the plastic microwave tortilla-warmer. There is just something about that charred corn flavor that tastes great.
Glad I’m not the only one who prefers burned corn tortillas. (Except for you, Don Cuevas.) Wondering about burned-tortilla chilaquiles… too much?
I like them soft from a comal. My mom and little sister like them burned and crunchy, almost like a tostada.
I always warmed them individually on the open flame, although not long enough for burn-y taste. Now I steam them and my BF likes them better that way. However, I accidentally burned the veggies for my fajitas the other day and it tasted GOOD. So now I’m going to have to try a little burning. My mom always liked the burnt stuff too… maybe something changes in your taste buds after childbirth.
In my family we do them on a comal, but let them burn a little. You should be able to get some char if your comal is hot enough and you let them puff. My experience is solely with corn. I grew up forbidden to eat tortillas de harina, as my mother is convinced they would make us fat. Copious amounts of lard in everything? No problem. Flour tortillas? Instant obesity.
Graciela: I love it! Although I’m kinda inclined to agree with your mom, if only because I never eat just one flour tortilla. Especially when there’s salsa and guac on hand. Mmm. I’ll try leaving the tortillas on the comal a little longer — thanks for the tip!
Hi Lesley: I just recalled a tortilla variation from Oaxaca called Tlayuda, maybe you can look for it at some tianguis or mercado. It refers to a large piece of tortilla made of blue corn, but topping it off with various ingredients. The tortilla is slowly heaten same way over a comal, getting crispy and smokey after some minutes. See you
I’ve had a tlayuda a few months ago actually, at a restaurant in Coyoacan. Really liked it. There’s actually a Tlayuder
i’m a novice and don’t know what a comal is. I do know microwave makes everything stiff. guess i’ll just put it in a thin pan over flame
A comal is a circular, thin metal pan with no handles — they can be made from metal or clay, actually. The traditional comales are made from clay but it’s hard to find those here in Mexico City, for use in a small kitchen. You just want a pan that conducts heat really well. And don’t put any oil in it — the pan must remain dry. In the microwave, you could try wrapping the tortillas in paper towels so they steam. Zap ’em for maybe 10-20 seconds, depending on how many you have. If you overcook them, they become hard.