Plate 10 of 10

Catrachitas

Named for *Catracho*, the demonym Hondurans use for themselves. Day-old tortillas fry crisper because the starch has already retrograded and there is less water to drive off — and the lard-bound bean paste on top is a moisture barrier, which is what keeps the chip crunching for twenty minutes.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 15 min
Serves: 24 catrachitas, 4 to 6 as an appetiser
Difficulty: Easy

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

Six round fried corn tortillas on a stoneware plate, each spread with dark refried beans and heaped with finely grated white cheese.

In Honduran homes and open-air cantinas, catrachitas are the national snack. The name comes from Catracho, the demonym Hondurans use for themselves.

Fresh handmade corn tortillas are quartered into triangles and fried in hot lard until brittle and golden. Each chip gets a generous layer of warm refried red silk beans cooked down with sweated onion, garlic and toasted cumin, then a blanket of finely grated salty queso duro viejo.

Crowned with lime-brightened chismol and a pickled jalapeño ring, eaten by hand with a cold beer, it is pure crunch, savoury legume and bright citrus.

Ingredients

The chips
12 wholeFresh corn tortillas, day-old and slightly dry, cut into 24 triangles
500 mlHigh-smoke-point frying oil, or rendered pork lard
6 gFine sea salt3 g on the chips, 3 g in the chismol
The topping
400 gHonduran refried red silk beans, warm and velvety
120 gQueso duro viejo, finely grated on a microplane
The chismol
4 largeRipe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into fine 3 mm brunoise
1 smallWhite or red onion, cut into fine 3 mm brunoise
1 smallSweet green bell pepper, cut into fine 3 mm brunoise
45 mlFreshly squeezed lime juice
20 gFresh cilantro leaves, chopped fine
To garnish
12 slicesPickled jalapeño ringsoptional

Day-old tortillas

Their starch has already retrograded and the interior moisture is lower, so at 185 °C the last of the water flashes to steam and puffs tiny bubbles across the chip before the masa sets rigid in about ninety seconds.

The beans are a barrier

Refried thick in lard, the fat-bound paste stops the acidic lime juice in the chismol migrating down into the fried corn. That is the entire reason the chip stays crisp on the platter.

185 °C, not below

Cool oil soaks in and the chip goes greasy instead of shattering. Cast iron holds the temperature when cold triangles land in it.

Drain the chismol

Spoon it on with a slotted spoon rather than its juice. Wet chismol defeats even a good bean barrier.

Assemble to order

Built half an hour early they soften regardless. This is a short-order dish, and it should be.

Passive time, counted separately

The chismol sits 10 minutes at room temperature. That sits outside the times quoted above.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is the salted chips, the seasoned beans and the briny queso duro. Fat is the fried corn and the lard in the beans. Acid is fresh lime in the chismol cutting straight through both. Heat is toasted cumin, raw onion and the pickled jalapeño. Umami is fried masa, red bean fond and aged dry cheese.

Equipment

10 to 12 in cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven
Deep-fry thermometer
Glass bowl, for the chismol
Tongs and a paper-towel-lined tray
Microplane

Traditionally a heavy cast-iron paila over a gas flame. A 10-to-12 inch cast-iron skillet with 3 cm of oil works in a modern kitchen — cast iron is what holds the temperature as each batch of cold triangles goes in.

Method

Fry the chips12 min
Cut the tortillas into 24 triangles and heat the oil to 185 °C.
Fry in batches of six for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, turning, until rigid, golden-amber and crisp. Drain and salt immediately with 3 g of the sea salt.
Cut the tortillas into 24 triangles and heat the oil to 185 °C.
Fry in batches of six for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, turning, until rigid, golden-amber and crisp. Drain and salt immediately with 3 g of the sea salt.
Mix the chismol8 min
Toss the diced tomato, onion, green pepper and cilantro with the lime juice and 3 g salt in a glass bowl.
Leave 10 minutes at room temperature.
Toss the diced tomato, onion, green pepper and cilantro with the lime juice and 3 g salt in a glass bowl.
Leave 10 minutes at room temperature.
Warm the beans3 min
Bring the refried beans to 75 °C, velvety and smooth. If they have stiffened, loosen with 2 tablespoons of warm water or bean broth.
Bring the refried beans to 75 °C, velvety and smooth. If they have stiffened, loosen with 2 tablespoons of warm water or bean broth.
Assemble
Lay the chips out in a single layer and spoon a heaping tablespoon of hot beans onto the centre of each, smoothing it with the back of the spoon.
Lay the chips out in a single layer and spoon a heaping tablespoon of hot beans onto the centre of each, smoothing it with the back of the spoon.
Cheese and crown
Dust all the chips heavily with grated queso duro so the cheese forms an even white blanket over the hot beans.
Top each with a teaspoon of drained chismol and a pickled jalapeño ring if you like. Serve straight away with cold beer.
Dust all the chips heavily with grated queso duro so the cheese forms an even white blanket over the hot beans.
Top each with a teaspoon of drained chismol and a pickled jalapeño ring if you like. Serve straight away with cold beer.
06
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: golden-amber chips under a glossy layer of dark red beans, blanketed in white cheese and topped with red and green dice.
- Auditory: a resonant shattering crunch, and lively bubbling as the triangles hit the oil.
- Olfactory: toasted corn, cumin-laced refried beans, aged salty cheese and lime cilantro.
Look for crisp golden-amber chips topped with glossy red beans, white cheese and red-green chismol. Expect a clear crunch and lively frying bubbles, with aromas of toasted corn, refried beans, aged cheese, lime and cilantro.

Troubleshooting

Soggy chips.: Fresh wet tortillas were used, or they were assembled early. Day-old tortillas, assembled to order.
Greasy chips.: The oil was below 175 °C. Hold 185 °C.
The topping soaks straight through.: The beans were watery. They must be refried thick in lard.

Substitutions

One-to-one global substitutions, with the technique adjustment each one requires.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Queso duro viejo	Cotija, or aged Parmigiano-Reggiano	One-to-one. The same dry salty grating cheese
Red silk beans	Central American red beans, or refried black beans	One-to-one, and they must still be refried thick
Home-fried tortillas	Thick restaurant-style corn chips	One-to-one if pressed for time, though the chip is smaller

Scaling

Half, for 12 catrachitas

Halve everything. Frying stays 90 seconds a batch.

Double, for 48 catrachitas

Double everything, frying in batches and keeping the beans hot in a covered pan.

What to serve it with

Encurtido hondureño — pickled jalapeño, onion and carrot
Guacamole with lime, salt and culantro
A cold SalvaVida, Imperial or Port Royal

Questions

Why "catrachitas"?

After *Catracho*, the proud demonym for Hondurans — a small celebration of corn, red beans and cheese.

Can I use shop-bought chips?

You can, but the real thing is larger, thicker and sturdier, made by frying whole corn tortillas cut into triangles.

Which beans are traditional?

Honduran red silk beans. Refried black beans are a good alternative.