A Pati Jinich Recipe
Tlacoyos de Masa Azul de Haba con Huevo y Nopales
8 tlacoyos
Fava Bean Tlacoyos with Nopalitos and Sunny Side Up Eggs (Recipe courtesy Rufina and Felicitas)
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 cup dried yellow fava beans, rinsed (they will become 3 cups after soaking 24 hours)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 thick slice of a white onion, about 1 ounce
- 1 jalapeño or serrano chile, stemmed and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ½ cup chicken or vegetable broth, or water, more if needed
For the nopalitos:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound cactus paddles or nopales, cleaned, sliced into ½” by 2-3” strips
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Juice of half a lime, about 1 tablespoon
For the masa:
- 2 cups blue masa harina
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups water, more if needed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or shortening
To assemble:
- 8 Eggland’s Best eggs
- Salsa Roja con Chile de Árbol y Ajo, or your favorite salsa roja
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
To Prepare
To make the filling:
- Cover fava beans generously with water in a bowl and soak for 24 to 48 hours. Drain and place in the food processor and pulse constantly until finely ground, but not turned into a paste. Scrape into a bowl and reserve.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slice and cook until completely browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard. Add the jalapeño and garlic, and cook for less than a minute, stirring, until fragrant. Incorporate the ground favas, salt, and pepper and cook for a couple minutes, until the fava mixture starts changing color. Pour in the broth, mix well, and cook for 6 to 7 more minutes, until it is cooked and turns into a consistent grainy paste. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and reserve.
To make the nopalitos:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the nopales, sprinkle with salt, and let them cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, flipping and stirring occasionally, until their viscous liquid has come out and dried up, and the nopalitos are cooked but still snappy. Squeeze the juice of half a lime and continue cooking until it dries up, another minute. Set aside.
To make the masa and tlacoyos:
- In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina and salt. Add the water and knead until incorporated, about 2 minutes, adding more water if the masa seems too dry. Add the vegetable oil and knead until thoroughly combined. Cover with a wet kitchen towel and let rest until ready to shape.
- Preheat a comal, cast iron, or nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.
- Line your tortilla press with a couple pieces of plastic (such as produce bags from the grocery store) cut into rounds. Divide masa into 8 pieces. One by one, roll each piece of masa into a ball, using water to moisten your hands as needed.
- Open the tortilla press, set a piece of plastic on the base, place a ball of masa on top in the center, and cover with the second piece of plastic. Gently press down, one or two times, until you get a chubby tortilla of about ¼” thick and about 5” round.
- Without removing from the tortilla press, add a couple tablespoons of fava bean filling right in the center, fold as if it were a quesadilla, and then roll in your hands, trying to give it an oval shape, like a football. Then press down in between the plastic in the tortilla press, gently, leaving it chubby, about ½”. Alternatively, you may shape the tlacoyos with your hands.
- Place the tlacoyo on the comal and cook for about 4 to 6 minutes per side, until masa is cooked through and has brown spots. Continue with all the tlacoyos and keep them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel or tortillero.
To assemble:
- Cook the eggs, one at a time, sunny side up, to your desired donneness. One by one, top each tlacoyo with nopalitos, a sunny side up egg, salsa, crumbled queso, cilantro and onion.
