Easy crispy taquitos
This Mexican-inspired, vegan-friendly dish has some fire — consider yourself warned
Taquitos are simply tortillas rolled around a filling — typically chicken or beef — and fried.
This recipe for Black Bean Taquitos was adapted from Hot for Food: Vegan Comfort Classics (Penguin Canada) by Lauren Toyota.
BLACK BEAN TAQUITOS
Serves: 8 (Makes 24)
Make ahead: Filling can be refrigerated for up to a week, or frozen for up to three months. Taquitos can be refrigerated for up to five days; reheat in a 300-F (150C) oven for about 15 minutes.
1 small onion, cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) chunks
6 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces (white and green parts)
1/2 small red bell pepper,
stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces
4 cloves garlic, halved
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces (with seeds)
3 1/2 cups (875 mL) cooked or no salt-added canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup (250 mL) defrosted frozen corn
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) grated vegan cheddar cheese (may substitute dairy cheese)
2 tsp (10 mL) ground ancho chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt, or more as needed
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) canola or other vegetable oil, plus more as needed
24 six-inch (15-cm) corn tortillas
Sriracha, for serving
Vegan sour cream, for
serving (may substitute dairy sour cream)
Guacamole, for serving
Combine onion, scallions, pepper, garlic and jalapeno in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not pasty.
Transfer to a bowl, then stir in beans, corn, vegan cheese, ancho chili powder, cumin and salt. Taste, and add more salt, as needed.
Pour 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of oil into a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add as many tortillas as will fit without overlapping, and heat them gently until softened, 30 seconds per side.
Let excess oil drip off as you transfer them to a plate. Repeat until all tortillas are heated, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons (15-30 mL) of oil at a time if the skillet gets dry.
While the tortillas cool, pour remaining oil into the skillet, over medium heat, to a depth of 1/2 inch (1.25 cm); add more oil as needed.
Set two rimmed baking sheets nearby, and line one with paper towels.
Begin filling and rolling taquitos. Place about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the filling across one tortilla, then roll it up as tightly as possible and place it, seam side down, on the unlined baking sheet. Repeat until all tortillas are filled.
Once you have five or six taquitos formed and the oil in the skillet is shimmering, place them seam-side down in the oil, being careful to avoid splatters and not overcrowd the pan.
Cook until the bottom is crisp and dark golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, then use tongs to carefully turn the taquitos over and cook on the other side until crisp and dark golden brown, 3 minutes. Use a splatter screen, as needed.
Some filling may spill out of the taquitos as they fry; use a small spoon to push it back in where you can, but don’t sweat it too much.
Transfer taquitos to the paper towel-lined baking sheet as you go, and continue until all the taquitos are fried. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out any burnt pieces of spilled filling in between batches.
Drizzle taquitos with sriracha and sour cream and serve hot, passing guacamole for dolloping and dipping.