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One of my favorite Mexican street foods is definitely the fried gordita! These corn cake pockets can be filled with pretty much anything- my favorite is carne asada with jalapeños and onions!
What is gordita?
Gorditas are basically a thicker corn tortilla with a pocket in the middle that can be stuffed with delicious Mexican ingredients. The possibilities are endless!
“Gordita” means chubby in Spanish, but in an endearing way. I’m not really sure why they are called that, but my guess is because they are thick corn tortillas? Who knows.
Ingredients:
- Maseca- this is corn flour and is the most important ingredient. There are no substitutes, although you can make a flour based gordita if you can’t find maseca. It will taste different, but still good.
- All purpose flour- you only need a little ap flour compared to maseca. This is to give the gordita a puffy, soft texture.
- Baking powder- makes the gordita slightly crispy, especially around the edges, and it helps the gordita puff up.
- Salt- for flavor, obviously
- Warm water- to bring the dough together
Carne Asada
- Skirt steak- this is my favorite cut for carne asada, but you can also use flank or flap meat.
- Garlic/salt paste- I learned this method from my grandfather a few years ago, and its my favorite way to flavor carne asada. Roast some garlic cloves until they are soft, then grind them into a paste with salt. Such a flavor bomb.
- Orange & lime juice- for flavor & tenderizing
- Olive oil- any neutral oil is fine, but if using olive oil make sure it is not extra virgin olive oil.
- Vinegar- white vinegar is best, but you may also use apple cider vinegar.
- Spices- pepper, cumin, chili powder, Mexican oregano, & onion powder.
- Cilantro, onion, & jalapeno- add the cilantro and onion into the marinade, then add some jalapeños to the marinated steak.
Variations
The possibilities of fillings are actually endless, but here are a few common ones:
- Refried beans & cheese
- Chicharron
- Rajas & cheese
- Chorizo
- Carnitas
- Chile verde
Frying vs. Comal
If you don’t wan’t to fry the gorditas, you an also cook them on a comal (skillet) for a healthier alternative. They will have a slightly different taste and a different texture, but still really good!
Carne Asada Gorditas
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups maseca (corn flour)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups warm water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 8 oz monterey jack cheese
Carne Asada
- 2 lbs skirt steak
- 3-4 plump garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3 limes
- 1 orange
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 small onion
- 2 jalapenos, cut in half lengthwise
Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1 roma tomato
- 1/4 onion
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp lime juice
- salt & pepper to taste
Other toppings
- queso fresco
- iceburg lettuce
- salsa
- crema
- lime
Instructions
- Roast the garlic cloves on a skillet until they have softened enough to grind into a paste with salt.
- Add the diced onions and gently press with the pestle to release juices.
- Add the cilantro, juice of 2 limes & 1 orange, vinegar, olive oil, & spices. Mix well, making sure you scrape all the garlic paste from the bottom.
- Massage the marinade into the skirt steak and add the jalapeno halves. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
- Smash the avocados then add the rest of the guacamole ingredients together and set it aside. To keep it from browning, place saran wrap right on top to seal it so there is no oxygen. This keeps it from oxidizing.
- Combine the maseca, ap flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and mix well. Slowly add the warm water and mix together until combined. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and form a pocket to stuff with cheese. You can use whatever cheese you like- i'm using monterey jack.
- Seal to form a ball
- Flatten out the balls to 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick discs. I prefer them on the thinner side. Do not make them too thick or they will absorb too much oil and won't puff up. I used my hands and a clean flat surface but you can also use a tortilla press if you have one. *You can also store these in the fridge for a couple days to use later. This recipe yeilds 8 gorditas but I stored half of them in my fridge to make breakfast gorditas with refried beans the next day 🙂
- You can grill the carne asada if you want, but I think it's best to just cook it on a cast iron skillet along with the jalapenos and onions, so they can retain all the juices and flavor.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Cut the steak, jalapenos, and onions into small chunks. Squeeze some fresh lime juice all over, then cover to keep warm.
- Fry the gorditas in neutral oil (325 degrees fahrenheit) for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown. It should puff up, creating a pocket in the center- if it doesn't, your gordita is too thick. Alternatively, you can cook them on a comal (skillet) for an oil-free gordita.
- Carefully cut into the gorditas while they are still hot, a little less than half way around.
- Stuff with guacamole, queso fresco, lettuce, carne asada, crema, and salsa.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!
I have made this recipe several times. The flavors are so good! Truly a favorite! 🤩 😋
All time favorite!!!! We love to make it every two-three weeks for a weekend dinner option!
Made this for dinner one night and it was so delicious! Thanks!
My girlfriend made this for dinner and it was very delicious! Thank you for the ideas.
Hi Stella,
I’ve been looking at recipes from many sites for ages and JUST found yours! Where have you been?(More like WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!) Now I’m just happy, I’m SO excited to try your carne asada recipe, and the carnitas and also the gorditas!! OMG! And you have Korean recipes, I’m just beside myself! I’ve got to watch my salt so I’m glad to see you use the low salt Kikkomans. (I’ve missed my Chinese, Korean and Thai recipes because of the high sodium content.)
But I want you to know a couple of things: I am so impressed that you answer the questions in your comments. To me, that shows you care about our cooking experiences. Bravo!
The second thing is that I am very impressed by your expertise — as I read through your instructions, which are very well written, they indicate a level of cooking knowledge that I find terribly lacking in mommy-blogs. Literacy is becoming a lost art. So sad.
And, finally, your background is so very unique! Korean & Mexican?! I understand Mexican flavors and I’m trying to learn more about Korean, so I’m looking forward to trying your recipes. I will keep you posted. Just remember I’m an old lady in Ohio, I lived in Hawaii for 3 years so what I know about Korean cooking I learned there. My father’s family was Italian and my mother’s was German/English. (Guess that makes me an Italian WASP. So boring…!)
Take care, and keep writing!
Jodi, the old ½-Italian woman in Ohio
Hey Stella,
I just wanted to let you know I’ve tried probably 15 different carne asada recipes over the last 5 years- from the huge names in cooking and authentic looking sources to match a recipe I had when I was younger and my dad’s coworker made us amazing carne asada. I’ve tried to replicate it ever since. Yours is easily the best recipe I’ve ever tried, by miles- thank you for sharing! Incredible flavor!
Hi Matt, thank you so much for your review! I have to credit my Abuela here- the woman doesn’t even eat red meat but she taught me how to make carne asada the way she was taught. I’ll have to tell her about your kind comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed them 🙂