Tortillas: a recipe from Panama
Here we go with the first recipe from my trip to Panama. It's such a relief to travel to countries where corn dishes are so popular!
There are many versions of tortillas around Central and South America, and in Panama they are always with corn. They remind me of polenta squares, but the steps are different. This is so easy: 3 ingredients and 3 steps!
Ingredients (makes 6)
160 gr pre-cooked corn flour (I used PAN - yellow corn flour)
250 ml water
10 gr rice flour
Salt to taste (1 tsp suggested)
Oil to cook
Mix the 2 flours and salt in a bowl, then add the water. Quickly work with your hands until the dough is homogeneous. Let is rest for 3 minutes.
The dough is quite elastic, so you can create the rounded shapes with your hands or with the help of a rounded mould.
The traditional tortillas are cooked in a pan with olive oil, until golden brown. It takes about 5 minutes per each side. Otherwise you can also cook them in the oven: brush the surface with olive oil and place the tortillas in a tin. Bake for 20 min at 180 °C .
TIPS: Tortillas are often served for breakfast while very hot, with a little square of cheese on top. We suggest to cook them on the spot, unless you want to prepare a couple of them for your lunch box.
