We are super excited to be partnering with Noggin this month to celebrate and share with everyone our culture, heritage and traditions. Food is such an important part of who we are that we couldn’t think of a better way to share a little bit of who we are than with a yummy kid friendly recipe for you!
Has it ever happened to you that you take a bite of your favorite food and you magically get transported to a special place or time in your life? That is exactly what happens to me every time I eat a memelita. I am immediately taken back to my Childhood in Oaxaca where memelita stands are found in every mercado and every busy corner through the city. I remember how my mom would pick them up for us on our way to school from the puesto in the corner from our house in the mornings or give us some cash to buy them in school for lunch.
Having memelitas for breakfast is a tradition that I have continued through the years, even after moving to the US and it has now become a staple in my dinner table in the mornings with my own family, This past summer I traveled with the girls to Oaxaca after a long time so they could reconnect with their roots and the culture, they loved learning more about the people and meaning behind the Alebrijes, seeing the Calendas (parades) with colorful dances and music through the city, visiting family and honestly just feeling free.
However, like I said, we are food people and as we ate our way through Oaxaca together one dish that we repeated more than i’d like to admit was definitely the memelitas. This is such a easy and simple yet amazingly delicious kid friendly bite that no matter where we went in the mornings we had to try memelitas everywhere we went and the girls enjoyed them so much every .. single .. time. It was such a wonderful and fun experience that when the kids get older I hope they will too be transported to this summer when they cook and eat memelitas for themselves.
Making memelitas is actually pretty simple, and I wanted to share the recipe that i use at home when I make them for the girls. You can also check out the IGReel I created in partnership with Noggin for step by step recipe video. I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think
Memelitas Recipe
Ingredients:
For Masa:
2 cups Masa Harina (Instant Masa Flour) . My favorite is the Guelaguetza Masa Harina which is made from heirloom Oaxaca Corn. .
1 ¼ cups of lukewarm water
Salt
Masa Preparation:
Add Salt to lukewarm water.
Mix flour and warm salted water.
Knead with hands until you achieve dough-like consistency, you are looking for masa that is moist to the touch, use immediately after preparing.
For Memelas:
1 lb of Fresh Masa or Prepared Masa Harina (above recipe)
¼ cup of aciento ( ground chicharron)
¼ cup black bean paste
½ cup Queso Fresco
1 cup Quesillo (Queso Oaxaca)
Preparation:
Assemble the masa into small balls (2 inch wide approximately) and set them aside. Lightly press each one individually on a plastic lined tortilla press. Place a no stick griddle over medium heat. Carefully transfer each memela into the comal. Cook each side for about 2 minutes until fully cooked.
Using your fingertips while tortilla is hot , fold up the edges of the memelaas so they can start looking like little boats, you can also use a knife to do this. Add a few slits in the middle.
Spread about ½ tsp of aciento on memelitas, layer with 1 tsp of beans, crumbled queso fresco and Quesillo . Return the memelita to the hot comal until the bottom is a bit crispy. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
