The Tlayudas are a typical dish of Oaxacan cuisine, similar to a large crispy tortilla, stuffed with various ingredients.
They are prepared in different variations, but the traditional Oaxacan version includes quesillo cheese, meat, beans, and spicy sauce prepared in the molcajete (Mexican mortar), along with chopped cabbage or lettuce, tasajo (a smoked beef cut sold in Oaxaca and similar to dried meat).
The tlayuda, also known as clayuda, usually has a diameter of 12-16 inches (30-40 centimeters) and is grilled on a plate, usually made of clay, called “anafre“, which gives it more hardness compared to a conventional tortilla, and it is stored in a tenate, a basket made of palm leaves.
It is also spread with asiento (unrefined pork fat) and pieces of pork cracklings.
The tortilla can be folded, forming a sort of quesadilla and is usually accompanied by avocado, tomato, or with roasted green chili, commonly called chile de agua, roasted spring onions, and optionally, lime.
Some also accompany Tlayudas with radishes and some sprigs of a vegetable called chepiches, similar to cilantro in taste, typical of Oaxaca.
The recipe is dedicated to the film “Emilia Perez” for the Oscar Menu, nominated for 13 Oscars, including Best Picture 2025.
Plot: The film is set in Mexico, where lawyer Rita Mora Castro (Zoe Saldana) lives and works.
One day, the woman receives an unexpected offer: to help a local boss, linked to the Mexican cartel, retire from his shady business and disappear forever.
The man (transgender Karla Sofía Gascón) wishes to undergo sex reassignment surgery not only to evade authorities but also to finally live the life with the gender he has always felt he belongs to.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Stove, Grill
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 4 corn tortillas (large)
- 7 oz frijoles
- 14 oz queso oaxaca or quesillo (or mozzarella)
- to taste lettuce
- 2 avocados
- 5 oz cured meat (sliced)
- 2 onions
- to taste spicy sauce
- to taste vegetable oil (or butter or lard)
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste salt
Steps
If you want to prepare the tortilla: follow the recipe.
Prepare the beans: boil the beans until they soften, drain without discarding the cooking water, and sauté the beans with a fat and an onion and garlic until reduced to a paste, adding the cooking water if necessary.
Prepare the cured meat: cook the meat for a few seconds on a hot plate.
Heat the tortilla: heat a large tortilla on a grill or skillet until crispy, but not too hard. You can also heat it over the fire to make it even crispier.
Assemble the tlayuda: once the tortilla is ready, spread a layer of mashed beans on the surface and, if you like, some fat (lard, oil, or butter).Then add the meat, crumbled Oaxaca cheese, sliced onion, shredded lettuce, and sliced avocado.
Put the tlayuda back on the grill or in a skillet for a few minutes, until the cheese melts and the tortilla becomes even crispier.
Once ready, add the spicy sauce to taste and serve immediately. You can also add lime for a fresh touch and accompany with roasted chili.
Storage:
The small amount of salt in the nixtamal dough (corn grits boiled and left to rest in a strongly alkaline solution of calcium hydroxide), with which it is sometimes prepared, as well as its cooking almost to toasting, ensures that the tlayuda preserves longer without decomposing, unlike common tortillas.
The small amount of salt in the nixtamal dough (corn grits boiled and left to rest in a strongly alkaline solution of calcium hydroxide), with which it is sometimes prepared, as well as its cooking almost to toasting, ensures that the tlayuda preserves longer without decomposing, unlike common tortillas.
