Corn tortillas dipped in a velvety pureed black-bean sauce, folded over a filling of shredded chicken or cheese, and finished with crema, onion, and queso fresco.
A traditional Mexican home dish rooted in regions like Oaxaca, a resourceful way to use leftover beans and tortillas, sibling to enchiladas, per Mexican culinary tradition.
Each fold is heavy with a deep, earthy bean sauce that clings like velvet, scented with epazote and (in Oaxaca) roasted avocado leaf. Cool crema and salty queso fresco lift it, while the soft tortilla melts into the savory whole.
Blending and straining the beans creates an emulsified, glossy sauce that coats the tortilla evenly instead of pooling. A quick pass through oil waterproofs the tortilla just enough so it absorbs flavor without disintegrating in the sauce.
Variations
black bean or pinto bean sauce, chicken filling, cheese filling, plain, topped with fried egg or chorizo
On the Palate
Where Enfrijoladas sits in the Mexican flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 110 min
Simmer cooked black beans with a little onion, garlic, and a chipotle chile.
- 24 min
Blend the beans with their broth into a smooth, pourable sauce.
Watch outBlend the beans until fully smooth and pourable — any grit and the sauce won't nap the tortilla evenly.
- 32 min
Strain the sauce back into a wide pan and keep it warm.
- 45 min
Quickly pass each corn tortilla through hot oil to soften it.
Watch outPass the tortilla through hot oil for just a few seconds — enough to soften and waterproof it so it won't dissolve, not so long it crisps up.
- 54 min
Dip the softened tortilla fully into the warm bean sauce to coat both sides.
Watch outDip so both sides are fully coated but work fast — soaked too long, a softened tortilla falls apart in the sauce.
- 66 min
Fold or roll each tortilla around shredded chicken or cheese and lay on a plate.
- 72 min
Spoon extra bean sauce over the top until fully napped.
- 83 min
Garnish with crema, sliced onion, crumbled queso fresco, and serve warm.
