As you know, I'm trying to blog more regularly these days, at least once a week. Friday is usually the day I can get to do that, but when I have a busy week and there's little or no time to go food shopping, I try and come up with something I can blog about and which I have ingredients to make and photograph before all light is gone. Like many bloggers, this is a hobby for me, a passion and a pastime, this means that the day job, and in our case, the night job, have priority over everything else. This was one of those weeks but I wanted to blog anyway, so I realised I had three unfinished posts, I took a quick survey on my facebook page and it was sort of 50-50 between tortilla chips & a chicken dish, the deciding factor was the fact that I had everything at home to make this, so I did it.
Who doesn't love tortilla chips anyway?! I for one, love their crispiness and how easy they are to make. Every single Mexican food restaurant in Mexico, would welcome you to your table with a plateful of these and two or three salsas in little bowls. They are kind of a standard starter for use of a better word. All restaurants make them from scratch and their flavour and texture is far from the paper thin baked ones you get in the supermarket and they are so much more satisfying as well! If you have any leftover, you can make nachos and they won't fall apart and go soggy, you can turn them into red chilaquiles or use them as croutons for your soup. They're Coeliac friendly, super quick to make and they taste divine. They are, I grant you, fried, but at least you know what goes into making them, rather than getting those with all the E numbers & artificial flavours in them. Go on give them a try, you won't regret it!
Using a sharp knife, cut the tortillas in half, then in four, then in six and then in eight parts, so that you end up with 8 triangles per tortilla.
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan at high heat.
Drop the tortilla triangles gently into the hot oil to fry. Use a large perforated spoon and a fork to separate the tortillas in the oil and to turn them when they start going golden.
Fry the tortillas for about 40 seconds on either side or until they are golden brown and crispy.
Using the perforated spoon, take them out of the oil shaking any leftover oil and place them on a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel. The paper towel will absorb any excess oil.
Shake some of the chili & lime powder while they're still hot and a little bit oily. This will help the powder to stick to the tortillas chips and coat them.
Your homemade tortilla chips are ready to enjoy! We had them with a little squeeze of lime juice and a shot of tequila! Perfect party food or afternoon snack.
