Nachos and Dips? Chips and Salsa?
Pop by any Mexican restaurant and there is bound to be this dish as an appetiser or snack on every table – Tostada Chips & Salsa! While some may present as an individual dish, other restaurants may offer the “bottomless” option. Needless to say, if you are settling down for a few hours of catching up with friends or dining with loved ones, Bottomless Tostada Chips & Salsa is perfect!
Tostada or Tortilla?
What is the difference? You may have seen Nachos in a pre-packed aluminium foil used as chips dipped with salsa. Essentially, both Tostada and Tortilla come from the same source – corn-based, but only of different shapes. Tostada is flat and bowl-shaped while Tortilla chips are cut into triangular pieces.
Salsa is a Spanish word referring to sauces in general but when the sauce came to the United States, it became the name of the Mexican dip that accompanies various dishes. Salsa is mostly tomato-based, with added a type of acid, herbs, onions and chillies to taste.
A party snack for all!
Since Tostada Chips & Salsa is a common party snack on most, if not all tables. Why not try out this simple recipe and make some of your own?
Servings: 2 cups
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 whole ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped into small cubes
- Half of an onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno/chilli (to taste), minced
- ¼ cup of finely chopped coriander/cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
- Vegetable oil for frying
Directions:
- In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, onions, jalapeno/chilli, coriander/cilantro and some salt and pepper to taste. Cover the salsa with a plastic wrapper and set it aside for about an hour.
- Pour in vegetable oil about 2 inches deep in a deep frying pan. Heat the oil over medium heat to about 180°C.
- Fry the corn tortillas whole (tostadas) or cut them into smaller pieces to make them into bite-sized chips. Fry them till golden brown, turning them from side to side over 2 minutes.
- Remove the golden-brown chips and place them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil and cool. Season the chips lightly with salt and serve with salsa made earlier.
Voila! There you go! Now you are ready to snack it up!