how to make soft enchiladas?

[marcyinPA]

I warm up my tortillas. I also make Enchilada sauce on the stove using the McCormick packet (2 of them to make a lot of sauce). When tortilla is warm, put on a plate and put a spoonful of sauce on tortilla. Then add your filling. Wrap up and put in a pan. I put the rest of the enchilada sauce all over the enchiladas. Then top with a bunch of cheese. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until hot and cheese is melted. That's what I do........

This is pretty much how I make mine, except that I use canned enchilada sauce (like Old El Paso or whatever).

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We cover with sauce after we warm the filled tortilla. We think is how our local mexican place does it. Their tortilla shells remain very soft, not crispy at all. Of course this is how the kids like them and they complain when our homemade ones get hard on the ends.

Sorry, I was trying to emphasize that a flour tortilla is not really an enchilada, enchilada's are made with corn tortillas. That can also play a part in texture.

 

[Lintasare]

Sorry, I was trying to emphasize that a flour tortilla is not really an enchilada, enchilada's are made with corn tortillas. That can also play a part in texture.

Exactly. I live in NM and around here all enchiladas are made with corn tortillas that I know of. And they aren't rolled, they are usually made like a casserole with layers of corn tortillas, filling, sauce and cheese with more sauce and cheese on top.

Flour tortillas are for burritos, fajitas and quesadillas.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sorry, I was trying to emphasize that a flour tortilla is not really an enchilada, enchilada's are made with corn tortillas. That can also play a part in texture.

Exactly. I live in NM and around here all enchiladas are made with corn tortillas that I know of. And they aren't rolled, they are usually made like a casserole with layers of corn tortillas, filling, sauce and cheese with more sauce and cheese on top.

Flour tortillas are for burritos, fajitas and quesadillas.

I have had "enchiladas" all over the place and the majority of enchiladas are made with flour tortillas. I do prefer the corn tortillas however most restaurants use flour tortillas. Since that is what I always get, I am stuck with how they prepare them.

It is a rarity to get a enchilada made with a corn tortilla esp. here in MO.

 

[KerriSue]

Instead of microwaving the tortillas you fry them in oil.

This is the way I do it too. I had some Mexican friends teach me how to make them. The difference is I use corn tortillas instead. Super duper yummy

 

[canopynut66]

we make them with corn shells and I put some enchalida scuce in the pan and then fill each shell and roll and lay thru the pan then cover with sauce (we like a lot onthem) and cover and bake maybe 20 minutes to warm them thru. we do burritos with flour shells.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I have had "enchiladas" all over the place and the majority of enchiladas are made with flour tortillas. I do prefer the corn tortillas however most restaurants use flour tortillas. Since that is what I always get, I am stuck with how they prepare them.

It is a rarity to get a enchilada made with a corn tortilla esp. here in MO.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchilada

An enchilada ( /ˌɛntʃɨˈlɑːdə/, Spanish: [entʃiˈlaða]) is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a chili pepper sauce. Enchiladas can be filled with a variety of ingredients, including meat, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, seafood or combinations.

If they are made with flour tortillas they really are not enchiladas...they are being made incorrectly. I could link some other sources as Wiki isn't really trustworthy, but any true mexican definition will be a corn tortilla.

 

[Shyvioletisme]

Never had issues with enchiladas getting hard. We do:
corn tortilla, dip in sauce. Put in filling, roll. We fill the bottom of a casserole pan with the rolled enchiladas. Top with sauce and cheese. bake. They are perfect everytime. Never use flour tortillas, not a real enchilada that way. Flour tortillas are for tacos and burritos.

 

[pigletgirl]

It is a rarity to get a enchilada made with a corn tortilla esp. here in MO.

You can say that again -- I haven't found very good Mexican food anywhere. But I am picky.

At a tex-mex restaurant, its probably more likely to find the enchiladas made with flour tortillas but if you go to a true authentic mexican restaurant, you can find them made the traditional way with homemade corn tortillas

 

[Lintasare]

Even the frozen enchiladas they serve at Trader Joes are made with corn tortillas.

I say again if it's made with flour tortilllas than it's not an enchilada.

 

[Nik's Mom]

This traditional Mexican American cook uses corn tortillas.

 

[msjprincess]

I have a question for the places that use flour tortillas. Then what's the difference between a burrito and an enchilada?

 

[meredith1]

I am a bit of a snob with my mexican food. I've made the chicken and the beef enchiladas from this site and both are unbelievable.


http://thepioneerwoman.com/?s=enchiladas&submit=

ETA-I've never heard of using flour tortillas for enchiladas-only corn. You use flour for things like burritos, soft tacos. fajitas and quesadillas.

 

[Lintasare]

I have a question for the places that use flour tortillas. Then what's the difference between a burrito and an enchilada?

If you are using flour tortillas there really is none.

Burritos can be made a couple ways, rolled up in a flour tortilla with no sauce for a handheld burrito. Or it can be rolled, put on a plate and covered in sauce. I like mine covered in sauce.

Enchiladas can be made a couple different ways as well. Casserole style where the corn tortillas are layered with the sauce and filling. They can also be rolled with the sauce spooned over the top.

 

[disney4us2002]

So for those that use corn tortillas and dip them in the sauce before filling and rolling - how? Isn't that exceedingly messy?

The white chicken recipe on the pioneer woman site looks promising. I may attempt that. I know I've never had green sauce enchiladas in our local mexican because I hate the green sauce; they are almost white. I wish I knew how they make them!

 

[branv]

Well I can't speak for how to make flour enchiladas, as enchiladas are made with corn down here as nature intended I can say when I make soft tacos/fajitas and opt for flour, we wrap the flour tortillas in foil and bake in the oven for a bit first. Or if we're in a rush, wrap them in wet paper towels and microwave (but have found that this is very short lived heat, changes the texture for the worse, and does tend to dry out). Honestly, though, if the only flour tortillas you can get are the waxy kind you buy off the shelf at the grocery store, it's just hard to ever get them very tender. If you can find a local restaurant that makes them by hand, it's worth it (and cheap usually) to buy them from there. The results will be so much better, I promise.

Honestly, the only people I've ever met who made enchiladas with flour tortillas were from (or using recipes from) states north and east of the southern border states. The few times I've had to eat them this way (usually pot lucks), they were gooey/gluey on the bottom. Blarghhhh. I urge anyone who's never had them with corn to give it a try.

Can't say any tex-mex enchilada I've had was flour either (being as I'm actually IN Texas), though some chain places do use a thicker, larger white corn tortillas, such as Chuys.

Anyway, the way I was taught to make them was to very briefly fry the corn tortillas in oil to make it soft (but not crunchy), dip it in your sauce, then roll it around your filling. Put in a pan with some more sauce, top with cheese if you like. I use all kinds of fillings/toppings, but my favorite is a red or verde sauce. I finally perfected my red sauce. I'm not so hard-core that I cook down fresh tomatoes and grind my own dried peppers or anything, but it's a good mix of simple and tasty using tomato sauce, salt, quality chile powder "toasted" with oil to bring out the flavors, cumin, garlic, stock and a bit of cocoa powder for depth. Mmmmmm...getting hungry

I can say that the one of the things I miss about my ex-SIL is her family's cooking. They were all from Durango, MX, and her mother would hand make the most amazing corn tortillas. Of course, they mostly used these to eat cabrito, NOT enchiladas

 

[branv]

So for those that use corn tortillas and dip them in the sauce before filling and rolling - how? Isn't that exceedingly messy?

It's very messy But so worth it. The chile/salt in the sauces can hurt too if you have have cuts or sensitive skin, and it can stain your fingers like crazy. If it's a concern, just use some disposable gloves.

 

[Nik's Mom]

So for those that use corn tortillas and dip them in the sauce before filling and rolling - how? Isn't that exceedingly messy?

The white chicken recipe on the pioneer woman site looks promising. I may attempt that. I know I've never had green sauce enchiladas in our local mexican because I hate the green sauce; they are almost white. I wish I knew how they make them!

I just dunk the corn tortillas into the sauce, let the excess drip off, lay flat in dish, fill and roll. It's not too messy.

 

[shortbun]

I've never had an enchillada made with flour tortillas

A trick a friend taught me for enchilladas with corn tortillas is to dip the entire tortilla in warm enchillada sauce, then add the filling, roll up and place in the baking dish seam side down. The warm sauce softens the tortilla making it plyable to fill & roll.

Don't flour tortillas just turn to goo????

Exactly! Sauce(dip it) the corn tortilla, fill it, roll in and put it in a pan, seam side down, tight. Once the pan is full, add more sauce, top with cheese then bake. This is the way my two friends who were taught by their grandmothers(who really make amazing food)do it.

 

[KathyTX]

At a tex-mex restaurant, its probably more likely to find the enchiladas made with flour tortillas but if you go to a true authentic mexican restaurant, you can find them made the traditional way with homemade corn tortillas

No, no, no, no, no...

Tex-Mex enchiladas use corn tortillas.

You use Flour tortillas for burritos or chimichangas, but not for enchiladas.