Cookbook | Recipes | Ingredients

| Tex-Mex cuisine

Tortilla chips

Tortilla chips 'n dips

A tortilla chip is a snack food made from corn tortillas, which are cut into wedges and then fried, alternatively they may be discs pressed out of corn masa then fried or baked. Corn tortillas are made of corn, vegetable oil, salt and water. Although first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, tortilla chips are considered to be a Mexican food. Though usually made of yellow corn (as pictured), they can also be made of white, blue, or red corn.

Ingredients

• 1 bag corn tortillas
• vegetable oil for frying
• A heavy deep pot
• seasoning

Procedure

1. Fill the pot with 2 inches of oil.
2. Clip a confectioners thermometer to the side of the pot so that the tip is submerged in the oil but not touching the bottom.
3. Heat the oil to 360ºF (180ºC).
4. Slice a pile of tortillas through the centre.
5. Stack the two piles together and cut across to form quarters.
6. Stack the quarters and cut through to form eighths
7. Gently drop the tortilla pieces into the hot oil, a handful at a time, no more.
8. After the initial vapour has boiled off, agitate gently with a slotted spoon to fry evenly
9. When tortilla chips are golden brown, remove with a spider or slotted spoon, about 2 minutes.
10. Drain on paper towels and season lightly with salt or seasoned salt.