Previous Next

1 / 5

Video recipe

About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Crisp outside, soft masa inside, and a creamy black bean center — then everything gets covered with tangy salsa verde and fresh cactus. 🌽🔥

Ingredients

• For the masa 🌽
• 🌽 300 g masa harina (2½ cups / 10.6 oz)
• 💧 360 ml warm water (1½ cups / 12 fl oz)
• 🧂 ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• Black bean filling 🫘
• 🫘 300 g cooked black beans, drained (1¾ cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🧅 60 g white onion, finely chopped (½ small onion / 2.1 oz)
• 🧄 10 g garlic, minced (2 cloves / 0.35 oz)
• 🌿 ½ tsp ground cumin
• 🌿 ½ tsp Mexican oregano
• 🫒 15 ml neutral oil (1 tbsp)
• 🧂 ½ tsp salt
• Nopales 🌵
• 🌵 300 g cleaned nopales, cut into strips (10.6 oz)
• 🧅 40 g white onion, sliced (⅓ cup / 1.4 oz)
• 🧄 1 garlic clove
• 🧂 ½ tsp salt
• Roasted salsa verde 🌶️
• 🍅 500 g tomatillos, husked and rinsed (1.1 lb)
• 🌶️ 1–2 serrano chiles
• 🧅 80 g white onion (½ medium / 2.8 oz)
• 🧄 2 garlic cloves
• 🌿 20 g fresh cilantro (¾ cup loosely packed)
• 🍋 15 ml lime juice (1 tbsp)
• 🧂 ¾ tsp salt
• To finish 🧀
• 🧀 120 g queso fresco, crumbled (4.2 oz)
• 🧅 80 g white onion, finely diced (½ medium / 2.8 oz)
• 🌿 Fresh cilantro
• 🍋 Lime wedges
• 🌶️ Extra salsa verde

Preparation

• 1 Prepare the bean filling 🫘 Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, then add garlic, cumin and oregano. Add the black beans and salt. Mash until mostly smooth and cook for 4–5 minutes until thick enough to hold its shape. Let cool.
• 2 Cook the nopales 🌵 Place the nopales, sliced onion, garlic and salt in a saucepan. Cover with water and simmer for 10–12 minutes until tender. Drain well, rinse briefly under cool water and set aside.
• 3 Roast the salsa ingredients 🌶️ Heat a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over high heat. Roast the tomatillos, serrano, onion and garlic until blistered and darkened in spots, about 8–10 minutes.
• 4 Blend the salsa verde 🍅 Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender. Add cilantro, lime juice and salt. Pulse until slightly textured rather than completely smooth.
• 5 Make the masa dough 🌽 Mix masa harina and salt in a bowl. Slowly add the warm water while mixing until you have a soft, pliable dough that does not crack when pressed. Cover with a damp towel and rest for 10 minutes.
• 6 Shape the tlacoyos 🥟 Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. Flatten one ball into a thick oval about 12–14 cm long. Place about 1½ tablespoons of black bean filling down the center. Fold the masa around the filling and seal completely. Gently flatten back into a long oval about 1–1.5 cm thick. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• 7 Cook on the comal 🔥 Heat a dry comal or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tlacoyos for 4–5 minutes per side, turning once or twice, until cooked through with browned and lightly charred spots.
• 8 Crisp the surface 🌽 For a more street-food-style finish, brush the cooked tlacoyos very lightly with oil and return them to the skillet for about 1 minute per side.
• 9 Add salsa verde 🌶️ Place the hot tlacoyos on a serving plate. Spoon roasted salsa verde generously over the top.
• 10 Add the nopales 🌵 Pile the cooked nopales over each tlacoyo. Their fresh, slightly tangy flavor balances the rich masa and bean filling.
• 11 Finish and serve 🧀 Top with crumbled queso fresco, diced white onion and cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges and extra salsa verde.

Timing details

Nutrition

Estimated values per serving.

Tips & variations

More from this category

Share & Print