Authentic Memelas con Asiento y Quesillo
Memelas con Asiento y Quesillo·(meh-MEH-lahs kohn ah-SYEHN-toh ee keh-SEE-yoh)
Mañanas en la Cocina: Breakfasts & Morning Rhythms
Walk the labyrinthine aisles of Oaxaca's Central de Abastos market on any given morning, and the air hangs thick with the intoxicating smells of roasting corn and rendering pork fat. This is the domain of the memela, an ancient, elegant masa cake toasted on a dry griddle, lightly pinched around the edges, and painted with the most deeply savory ingredients imaginable. The secret to that undeniable, close-your-eyes-and-sigh Oaxacan flavor is asiento—the gritty, roasted pork fat scraped from the bottom of a carnitas cauldron. Since you probably don't have copper pots of confit pork bubbling in your suburban kitchen on a Tuesday, we employ an abuela's trick: blending pure lard with crushed chicharrón. Keep it simple. You press the masa, you toast it, you pinch it, you smear it.
Before you start
Create the cheat's asiento.
Aggressively mix the pork lard with the crushed chicharrón dust in a small bowl until it forms a gritty, spreadable paste to recreate the rustic flavor of a traditional Oaxacan butcher shop.
Hydrate the masa.
Combine the masa harina and salt in a large mixing bowl, then gradually stream in the warm water while kneading with your hands until the dough takes on the texture of fresh, soft play-dough.
Ingredients
- pork lard1/4 cup
- pork cracklings1/4 cup
- masa harina2 cup
- warm water1 1/2 cup
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
- black refried beans1 cup
- Quesillo or Oaxaca cheese1 1/2 cup
- roasted red salsa1/2 cup
- white onion1/2 med
- cilantro1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Preheat the griddle.
Place a large cast-iron skillet, flat griddle, or comal over medium-high heat until it is hot but not quite smoking.
- 02
Press the memelas.
Divide the masa into 8 to 10 golf-ball-sized spheres and gently press each one in a plastic-lined tortilla press into a disk about 5 inches across and nearly 1/4-inch thick.
- 03
Toast on the dry comal.
Peel the plastic away, gently lay the masa disk onto the hot griddle for 45 to 60 seconds until the bottom releases easily and shows light brown spots, then flip and toast the other side.
- 04
Pinch the edges.
Remove the hot memela to a cutting board and immediately use your thumb and index finger to quickly pinch a tiny lip around the very edge, adding a couple of small pinches in the center to create craters for the fat.
- 05
Layer the flavor on the heat.
Return the pinched memelas to the griddle over medium-low heat, immediately smearing a half teaspoon of the asiento paste across the surface, followed by a thin layer of black beans and a generous handful of shredded Quesillo.
- 06
Crisp and melt.
Let the memela sit on the heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the bottom gets incredibly crispy, the pork fat sizzles into the corn, and the cheese melts into a gooey blanket.
- 07
Garnish and serve.
Transfer the memelas to a plate, spoon over the smoky salsa, scatter with diced white onion and cilantro, and eat immediately while the masa is hot and crunchy.
Notes
Adjusting the masa hydration.
Ambient humidity affects the flour. If the dough cracks easily when you press it, knead in a splash more water; if it sticks to your fingers, dust it with a little more dry masa harina.
Finding the right cheese substitute.
If you cannot source real Quesillo, low-moisture mozzarella or unaged Monterey Jack are the best pragmatic alternatives to replicate that crucial, creamy, meltable texture.
The secret of the salsa.
Doña Vale's famous market salsa is never boiled. To truly capture the spirit of Oaxaca, dry-roast your tomatoes and garlic on a hot cast iron until deeply blistered and blackened before blending.
From Oaxacan Roots.