Cooking in
France
Mexican
Panuchos
A foundational antojito from the Yucatán Peninsula, panuchos are hand-formed corn tortillas that puff during cooking, creating a hollow interior ready to be filled with seasoned black bean paste and hard-cooked egg before being fried golden and crowned with shredded meat and pickled onions. Diana Kennedy documents them as a cornerstone of Yucatecan street food — deceptively simple in form, layered in technique. The tortilla does the structural work; the cook's job is to read its behavior on the comal and act quickly when it speaks.
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I
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225 g (scant 1 cup)
prepared corn tortilla masa
12
rounded tablespoons frijoles colados y fritos a la Yucateca (strained, lard-fried black bean paste)
12 slices
hard-cooked egg
Your own market
Lard or safflower oil for frying, as needed
360 ml (approx. 1½ cups)
shredded pollo en escabeche rojo, other shredded meat, or shark
360 ml (approx. 1½ cups)
cebollas en escabeche
Origin · Mexico
II
The Method
1
Divide masa into 12 equal balls. Press each into a thin tortilla using a tortilla press lined with plastic.
From the canon — The corn tortilla is the foundational food of Mexican cuisine — a thin, round disc of nixtamalized masa cooked on an ungreased comal (flat griddle) until it … Tortilla — hand press, comal, and the puff →
2
Cook tortillas on a dry comal over medium-high heat, approximately 190°C (375°F), turning once. Wait for the tortilla to puff — this is essential.
3
While still hot and puffed, slit along the puffed face with a small knife to create a pocket. Keep the base intact.
4
Spoon a generous tablespoon of black bean paste into the pocket. Add one slice of hard-cooked egg. Press the opening closed.
5
Heat lard or safflower oil in a wide pan to approximately 180°C (355°F). Fry filled panuchos until golden and lightly crisp on both sides, roughly 1 minute per side.
6
Remove and top immediately with hot shredded meat and pickled onion rings. Serve at once.
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