Corn chips and salsa are commonly served at Mexican restaurants.
Tortilla chips, made from corn or flour, are so popular that they have an entire day devoted to them. Each February 24 marks National Tortilla Chip Day. Although tortillas are Spanish in origin, Californian Rebecca Webb Carranza is responsible for bringing tortilla chips into American culture. She took fried, rejected pieces of tortillas made in her factory and passed them along as chips.
Luckily, a factory is not needed to make fresh corn tortilla chips at home. A few ingredients and a little preparation are all that is required to create a warm batch of your own.
Instructions
1. Mix 2 cups of masa harina with 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups of warm water to the mixture.
2. Knead the masa harina, salt and water with your hands for 3 minutes or until a soft ball of dough forms.
3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge. With a rolling pin, work the dough from the inside out until it is thin.
5. Cut the dough into squares or wedges using a pizza cutter or knife.
6. Bake or fry the corn chips. To bake them, grease a baking pan or baking stone. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 8 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the chips one time and continue baking for another 2 minutes.
To fry the corn chips, heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large, heavy skillet. Carefully drop the corn chips, one at a time, into the hot oil. Let the chips fry for 30 seconds and remove them with a slotted spoon. Transfer the fried chips to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Tags: corn chips, chips time, dough from, masa harina