Taquitos Mela is a cenedureria (the street facing of a home opened to make and sell homemade food) in the city of Hermosillo, Sonora. They make one of best chimichanga I had ever tasted. I grew up with chimis my whole life and my mother never made them this way. Their menu consist mostly of fried foods, labeled as "La Casa de la Chimichanga Especial" their version is composed of a thin tortillas de harina, fresh and crispy, not over filled and with layers of flavors. There is only two options available, carne con papa or beans. Every time I pass through Hermosillo, I have to make a pit stop. Chimichangas are a traditional food from Sonora – Taquitos Mela just takes it up a notch.
Special thanks to my Tia Anita and Tio Victor from Hermosillo who introduced me to Mela back in ~2009. This recipe is inspired by Taquitos Mela.
Let's get started.
List of Ingredients for the Chile Colorado:
- 20 Dried chiles Guajillos ( 2oz bags x2)
- 1 Small yellow onion
- 2 Large garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon orégano
- 3 Cups of water (keep one additional cup handy)
- Sal al gusto
Makes about 4-6 servings
Ingirents for the Chimichanga:
- 1 pack of 10-12 Inch tortillas de harina
- Creama Fresca (table cream, not sour cream)
- 1 Large avocado
- Queso fresco
- Finely chopped lettuce (I didn't add this myself)
Besides the count on tortillas, serving is dependent on preference. See final image for suggested amount per chimichanga.
Step 1: Let's start by removing all the seeds (1). Cut the stem off then split the chile in half, then gut the chile. Make sure to remove all the seeds (2) or else someones going to be very upset with you, including yourself. Doing this guarantees 99.9% no spice. The .1% is if you didn't listen to me on the previous step. Next, grab a pot, add your water, chile, onions, garlic and cumin. Not in that particular order. Boil until the chiles softens to a tender feel. I covered it but maintain a close eye to avoid spillage. Boil no more than with a medium heat. Make sure to wash you hands after handling this chile.
Grab and open the tortilla and place the beans dead center (I used our bean recipe here). Create a semi-rectangle shape. Fold the left and right sides by OVER folding then set back to spread beans. Do the same for the bottom. Then, fold the whole burrito up TWO times. You should get the opening on the botton of the burrito. If you're wondering why im calling it a "burrito", its still a "burrito" until it meets the oil.
Let's proceed. Place burrito with the opening on the frying pan with the opening facing towards the bottom. This assures your burrito, now becoming chimichanga doesn't open on you when you flip it for the first time and also doing this maintains its preferred flat shape. This is important, get a good deep fried chimichanga. Once a golden brown chimichanga emerges, place on some paper towels to soak of the left over oil off.
Note: This recipe is a mere recollection from the many times been I visited Mela. The key here is to created a well-layered without over filling the dam burrito. This is not an American burrito simply fried.