Frying Tacos

Rosyrain

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I got a new cookbook the other day and it had a really good looking receipe for chicken tacos, but it calls for you to fry the tacos. Basically you stuff the tacos with the chicken filling and then dip them in a deep fryer for a couple of minutes before filling them with the fresh cheese and veggies. I was a bit concerned that the tacos would soak up too much oil, has anyone tried to deep fry a taco before?
 
I've never heard of frying tacos at all. My first thought was the stuffing coming out of it in the oil.
 
I fry my tacos all the time only not in a deep fat fryer. I soften the corn tortillas by placing them directly on a stove burner turned to low, pick each one up, one by one and place them in my left hand which I've covered with a wad of paper towels to protect my hand from the heat. Then I sort of fold the tortilla with my hand and scoop some cooked taco meat in the pocket I've made. Then I use a set of tongs to bring the edges of the filled taco together and then lay the taco on its side in about a half inch of hot oil. After about 30 seconds to one minute, I turn the taco to its other side to finish cooking. I remove the taco from the oil, letting the excess oil drain out and set the taco on a platter covered with a thick layer of paper towels. Once the platter starts to get full, I holler for everyone to "come and get it" and each person can add the toppings of their choice which I prepared in advance.

It's like an assembly line; one tortilla on the burner, one in my hand and one frying in the pan. I usually have only two frying at a time or things can get away from me. The filling doesn't fall out if I'm careful not to put too much filling in each tortilla. I learned this technique a hundred years ago from a Mexican American chef I was dating. It's hot work, but everyone seems to love them.
 
Well I guess it was more of a normal thing than I thought. I am going to have it a try. Sounds like it would be delicious, I just thought that all the filling would get oil soaked. Now that I think about it, it is the same principle as when you deep fry taquitos.
 
I fry my tacos all the time only not in a deep fat fryer. I soften the corn tortillas by placing them directly on a stove burner turned to low, pick each one up, one by one and place them in my left hand which I've covered with a wad of paper towels to protect my hand from the heat. Then I sort of fold the tortilla with my hand and scoop some cooked taco meat in the pocket I've made. Then I use a set of tongs to bring the edges of the filled taco together and then lay the taco on its side in about a half inch of hot oil. After about 30 seconds to one minute, I turn the taco to its other side to finish cooking. I remove the taco from the oil, letting the excess oil drain out and set the taco on a platter covered with a thick layer of paper towels. Once the platter starts to get full, I holler for everyone to "come and get it" and each person can add the toppings of their choice which I prepared in advance.

It's like an assembly line; one tortilla on the burner, one in my hand and one frying in the pan. I usually have only two frying at a time or things can get away from me. The filling doesn't fall out if I'm careful not to put too much filling in each tortilla. I learned this technique a hundred years ago from a Mexican American chef I was dating. It's hot work, but everyone seems to love them.
this sounds really good! I think I could handle it, too! Well, maybe. It sounds good enough I just may have to give it a go!
 
I have never heard of frying a taco with the meat filling in it. It seems to me it would tend to be greasy. I have fried my own taco shells in the past by simply putting the corn tortilla in hot oil and as soon as it softens enough I use tongs to fold it in half, holding it open some, and when the one side gets crispy, I turn it over and cook until the second side is crispy. Now, when I lived in Ethiopia I had a friend who did tacos in a completely unique way. She would put the meat and cheese in the raw corn torllilla, then place them next to each other in a baking pan and cover them with sauce. Then she baked them until the cheese melted and we would add the lettuce, tomatos, onion. avocado, ect ourselves. To me they seemed a bit more like a version of an enchilada, but she called them tacos.
 
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