Ingredients
| 1½ teaspoons black peppercorns | |
| 1½ teaspoons coriander seeds | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 200g masa or cornmeal flour | |
| 200ml warm water | |
| oil for frying |
Making your own tostadas is a labour of love, but it’s fun and you can spice them up as I do here. The method below gets you into a rhythm and makes it easy to work with the delicate dough.
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Instructions
| 1. | Grind the peppercorns, coriander seeds and salt to a rough powder either using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. |
| 2. | Put into a bowl with the masa flour and mix to combine. |
| 3. | Stir in the warm water and then knead for 8 minutes until it forms a soft and pliable ball that does not crack, adding a little extra water or flour if you need it (the texture should be like Play-Doh). |
| 4. | Set aside to rest for 30 minutes. |
| 5. | Cut some baking paper into 6 sheets, 10cm x 10cm each. |
| 6. | Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls. |
| 7. | Flatten a dough ball between two pieces of paper, then roll out into a very thin round, about 9cm diameter. |
| 8. | Repeat this as you cook the tostadas one at a time in the oil, reusing the paper when necessary. |
| 9. | To cook, heat some oil in a small pot to 180°C. |
| 10. | Set a small frying pan over a medium-low heat. |
| 11. | Take one tostada and peel off the top layer of paper. |
| 12. | Place it face down in the frying pan for 30 seconds to set the dough, then peel off the remaining paper and transfer the tostada to the oil. |
| 13. | Cook for 30 seconds until golden and puffed. |
| 14. | Cool on a kitchen towel then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. |
Recipes & food styling Fiona Smith
Photography Aaron McLean
Styling Fiona Lascelles