Enchiladas — corn tortillas dipped in chilli sauce, filled, rolled, and served with more sauce — require a specific assembly technique to prevent the tortilla from becoming soggy before service. The key: the tortilla is briefly fried in oil before being dipped in the sauce — the oil coating prevents the sauce from fully penetrating the tortilla and turning it soggy. Unfried tortillas in enchiladas are a different preparation — softer, more integrated with the sauce, less textural contrast.
- **The tortilla preparation:** Freshly made or store-bought tortillas fried very briefly (15–20 seconds per side) in 1–2mm of hot oil — enough to coat the surface with fat but not to crisp. The tortilla should remain pliable. - **The sauce dip:** Immediately after frying, the warm tortilla is dipped in the sauce — the oil coating delays but does not prevent sauce absorption. - **The fill:** Shredded chicken, cheese, potato and chorizo, black beans — minimal filling amounts that allow clean rolling. - **The sauce variety:** Enchiladas rojas (red chilli sauce), verdes (salsa verde), mole, or suizas (cream sauce) — the sauce defines the preparation type. - **Service:** Immediately — assembled enchiladas cannot rest for more than 5 minutes before the tortilla becomes saturated.
Mexico: The Cookbook