” Empanadas with Corn Dough ” or “Quesadillas” are a delicious snack which can be eaten any day. They can be filled with a variety of fillings from farmer fresh cheese, squash flowers, potatoes, ground meat, shrimp, chicken, etc.
If you visit Mexico City or any small town, you will not have trouble finding a stand serving a variety of delicious empanadas. You can invite friends for a casual dinner any evening and present them with these empanadas. Believe me, they will not be disappointed!
Empanadas with Corn Dough / Empanadas con Masa de Maíz
Today’s corn empanadas are filled with “Tinga Poblana”, but you can also use fresh Mexican cheese, shredded cooked chicken, shrimp or cooked ground meat. Fillings vary from region to region, so here you can be creative and set your imagination free. I saved some of the “Tinga Poblana” from last week to cook these empanadas because the flavor of corn dough complements them very well.
Actually, the main reason for making these corn empanadas with “Tinga Poblana” is because I remember eating them in a small restaurant with tables and chairs outdoors. No, I am not talking about a fancy Paris-like restaurant, I’m talking about a run down place with ugly plastic furniture with good cheap food. The dough is very crispy and the Tinga is really flavorful. Enjoy!
How to make Empanadas with Corn Dough
- Prepare the dough in a bowl, mixing the masa harina, salt, and warm water to form a ball, knead dough until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 balls, and flatten and slightly cover with plastic wrap. Set aside. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Place one ball of dough between two pieces of plastic and press using a tortilla press, a heavy skillet or a dish. I know, you have seen the tortilla press, but somehow I love to use my glass dishes for this step. So, do not be afraid, use whatever you have.
- Remove the top piece of plastic and spoon some of the stuffing onto the tortilla. Leaving enough room to seal the edges.
- Using the piece of plastic fold the dough over to make a half moon shape turn over. Pinch the edges, making sure they seal to avoid any leaking of the mixture while frying. Remove the empanada from the plastic set aside on a large plate or tray and cover with a plastic wrap. Keep working with the rest of the dough making the empanadas.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. It’s frying time!
- Deep fry the empanadas one or two at a time until golden brown.
- About 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot topped with lettuce and avocado. Eat them adding some salsa. After that, take a long walk.
HOW TO MAKE EMPANADAS WITH CORN DOUGH
Ingredients
- 2 cups of masa harina
- 1-¼ cups of warm water amount may vary depending on air humidity and other wheatear conditions.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 pieces of round plastic cut out from a bag. freezer bags are ideal for this purpose.
- 2 cups of filling cooked chicken, ground meat or grated cheese
- 2 cups of shredded lettuce
- 1 avocado diced
- About 1 1/2 cup of vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the dough in a bowl, mixing the masa harina, salt, and warm water to form a ball, knead dough until smooth. Divide the dough into 12 balls, and flatten and slightly cover with plastic wrap. Set aside.
- Place one ball of dough between two pieces of plastic and press using a tortilla press, a heavy skillet or a dish. I know, you have seen the tortilla press, but somehow I love to use my glass dishes for this step. So, do not be afraid, use whatever you have.
- Remove the top piece of plastic and spoon some of the stuffing onto the tortilla. Leaving enough room to seal the edges.
- Using the piece of plastic fold the dough over to make a half moon shape turn over. Pinch the edges, making sure they seal to avoid any leaking of the mixture while frying. Remove the empanada from the plastic set aside on a large plate or tray and cover with a plastic wrap. Keep working with the rest of the dough making the empanadas.
- Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. It's frying time!
- Deep fry the empanadas one or two at a time until golden brown.
- About 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot topped with lettuce and avocado. Eat them adding some salsa. After that, take a long walk.
Notes
Nutrition
Empanadas with Corn Dough Recipe
Did you like the recipe? Please let me know in the comments section, do you have questions, or share the link with your friends. I hope you have an incredible time cooking!
Provecho!
Mely Martinez, the cook at Mexico in my Kitchen!
More recipes:
Crab Empanadas Recipe
Tuna Empanadas
Receta en español Empanadas de Maíz.
can you bake them?
Sorry, I had never try to bake them.
Where did you get the pan you used for cooking and what is it called?
Hello Jolene,
Some people call it ‘Comal de Bola”, check my last post, I talk about this pan and where to buy it.
Here the link: Gift Guide
My friend Ella made these for a class in school years ago and they were terrific.Her father came from Trinidad I believe.
Now I know what my mother-in-law sent home with my husband. He called them “fried taco things” but I knew there had to be a name. I looked up fried masa stuffed with beef. 🙂
These were so delicious! I placed mine on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brushed the tops lightly with oil. I then baked them at 350 for20 minutes and turned the oven to broil for another 3 or 4 untill the edges we’re brown and crispy. Thanks so much for your recipe!
Hello Andrew,
Thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know about cooking the empanadas in the oven and the technique you used. I’m sure many people will appreciate the idea.
I made these tonight using chicken stock instead of water and a simple beef, carrot, onion and cheese filling. They were amazing! I will be adding this to our dinner go to recipes. Especially happy that I have another way of getting my kids to eat veggies!
Hello Christina,
Thank you for taking the time to comment and share the additions/changes you made. I’m sure they will be very helpful for other readers. Happy cooking!
Can the filled empanadas be frozen? Uncooked most likely? And for how long? And, would they need to be thawed before cooking? Thank you. G
Hello Gene,
I had never tried to freeze uncooked corn empanadas. Corn masa for empanadas tend to dry and break easily. I guess that will happen if you freeze them for many days. If you freeze them let me know.
Hello there. On the very top you put masa harina. Is it maseca (corn) or is it harina ( regular flour)
Hello Kristine,
It is referring to any brand of corn flour, it could be Maseca or Minsa.
Oh Mely, these are amazing! I used chicken broth instead of water and a pinch of sazon seasoning in the dough. I may have used a bit too little broth or allowed it to dry out because the dough easily cracked, may have over filled too. I used seasoned chopped cooked chicken and shredded sharp cheddar for the filling. Yes these can be baked and I may have gone too high temp. 425 for 30 min. They browned nicely and very crispy, especially where the crimp was. Baked though they seemed on the dry side. Maybe less heat next time. I did pan fry one with some bacon fat I had in tbe fridge and my oh my….frying is vastly superior in results. Simply amazing fried but I want to try and stay away from deep frying. Over all these came out great and will try again tweaking the bake time and temp a bit. Oh….I’ll still pan fry one or two.
Hello Ed,
Thank you for sharing your experience baking corn empanadas, it is always interesting to see all the ideas.
Have fun cooking!
Hola Mely. Can I use premade masa for tortillas?
Hi Marisa, you mean the nixtamal masa sold at the molinos or some latin stores. Sure!