Authentic Mexican Tacos and Tacos al Pastor

Guys, can you believe it, I do have a full category with all Latin American recipes on this blog, but so far not a single Mexican recipe. That’s a shame, because the Mexican cuisine has so much to offer. My favorite Mexican food is tacos and for that reason we are going to make tacos from scratch, the whole thing. Because tacos are super basic, you need three ingredients: cornmeal, salt, and water. So for that reason tacos are gluten-free and also vegan. As always you will find a lot of tips below for your tacos to be successful from the start.

Tacos are as important in Mexico as are arepas in Colombia and Venezuela. However, true Mexican tacos are never “hard shell” as often suggested by the chain Taco Bell, tacos are eaten with your hands and are soft and flexible, they are a small tortilla after all. For that reason you will see them all flat on my pictures, this is how I learned to eat tacos from Mexicans. You only bend them in your hands. Tacos are usually made with cornmeal and not flour. As far as I know flour tacos are only known in the north of Mexico, but the rest of the country uses corn. Tacos are super popular in Mexico and are usually served with some spicy salsa or sauce. But now let’s get started.

• It is super important that you use pre-cooked cornmeal. Here in Germany you will find this is Asian stores or online. I recommend using the Spanish term “masarepa” to get the right one.
• Usually tacos are made with yellow cornmeal. However, I only had white one at hand and therefore decided to go with it. I didn’t really taste any difference.
• The right consistency is key, not too dry, but also not too wet. When you knead the dough it should feel like an earlobe.
• Since the pre-cooked cornmeal does soak up a lot of water, I recommend using warm water and to let it sit for about 15 minutes before you continue.
• Once you have formed the balls, cover with a damp towel so that they they do not dry out.
• If you don’t have a tortilla press, I recommend using parchment paper to roll out with a rolling pin. This also helps for the dough not to break.
• You may even use some parchment paper for your tortilla press.
• Also, once you pile them up, be sure to use a stripe of parchment paper in between, you don’t want them to stick together.
• Traditional Mexican tacos are only folded with your hands, for that reason you barely brown them, only for about 30 seconds on each side so that they remain flexible.
• Tacos taste best on the day made, but may be kept tightly covered in the fridge and can be frozen.

So we are not only going to make the taco shells ourselves, but we will make tacos al pastor, my favorite taco dish. This is a pork filling, which mariantes in some spices and has some pineapple as a nice contrast. We are going to serve it all with a spicy “salsa” and some more fresh cilantro. But I am warning you, this is spicy as in Mexican spicy. We are not going to dial it down. I feel if you eat Mexican, you need to eat the whole deal. So “buen provecho!”

Print Recipe

How to Make Tacos and Tacos al Pastor

Serves: About 4 people

Prep Time: 1 hr – Cooking Time: 30min – Total Time: 1 hr 30min

We will make original Mexican tacos and show you how to make the popular recipe "Tacos al Pastor" with a pork filling with pineapple and a spicy salsa.

Ingredients

• Tacos or Tortillas
• 450 grams of pre-cooked cornmeal (masarepa), either yellow or white
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 400-500 grams of warm water
• 
  
• Tacos al Pastor
• Pork Filling
• 30 grams of dried chilis guajillo (we got them online), about 4 chilis
• 30 grams achiote paste (either you find it in an Asian store or online, the Spanish term is pasta de achiote)
• 60 grams of pineapple juice
• 60 grams of vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt
• 1 kilogram of pork filet
• 1 can of pineapple or about 1/4 of fresh pineapple
• 1 white oninon
• 
  
• Salsa (careful, this is spicy!)
• About 6 smaller tomatoes, if you find, get green tomatillos
• 2 jalapeños or habanero chilis
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 small onion
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 avocado
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 tablespoon of natural yoghurt
• Juice of one lime
• 
  
• Additionally
• Fresh cilantro
• 1 red onion

Instructions

1

For the tacos mix the cornmeal with salt and about 350 grams of warm water with a spoon. Then knead with your hands briefly. If the dough is still dry, add further water, if too watery, add cornmeal. The final product should feel like an earlobe. Let sit covered with a towel for about 15 minutes. If it is too dry at any point, add small amounts of water and knead again.

2

Form 24 balls of about 40 grams, which is the size of a walnut. Always cover with a damp towel so that they don't dry out. Roll these out so that you get circles with a diameter of about 16 cm and about 2 mm. This is best done between parchment paper and with a rolling pin or you can use a tortilla press. When you pile them up, be sure to put parchment paper in between so that they don't stick together (see picture). Brown on both sides either in a frying pan or if you have a crepe machine on medium heat, be sure not to use any oil or other fat. You still want the tacos to be flexible so that you can bend them with your hands, don't make them too crunchy. I usually brown for only 15 seconds on one side, turn them around for 30 seconds and then brown the second side again for 15 seconds. Pile on top of each other until ready to use.

3

For the pork filling place the chilis in a small pot, cover with water and simmer for about 15 minutes or until soft. Carefully take out the water and then combine with all other ingredients from the paste to the salt and make all creamy in a food processor. Add salt to taste.

4

Rub the pork with salt and pepper from all sides, then cut into slices. Place prepared meat and the marinade in a plastic bag, making sure the meat is fully covered in the marinade. Chill for a few hours or over night. Then take out fridge and cut meat into smaller chunks and place pork, pineapple and onions onto skewers. You should get about 5 or so. Grill in the oven on a baking sheet lined with aluminium foil for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes. Let cool once ready.

5

For the salsa wash the tomatoes, carve out the end and cut off ends of the jalapeños. Cover tomatoes, jalapeños and baking soda with water in a pot and let simmer for a few minutes. Then take out and place together with another pinch of baking soda, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt, avocado, and olive oil in a food processor and process until creamy. Add yoghurt and lime juice and process again, you may wish to thin out a bit with water. Add salt to taste.

6

Serve three tortillas per plate, filling each with some of the pork filling, the salsa, additional fresh cilantro and, if you wish, some finely chopped red opnion. Tacos are normally bend by hand when eating.