How to make a Taco – Part 1

Tired of Mexican restaurants, but still need you tacos? You can make them yourself and here's how (in several parts).

In order to make a taco, you need a taco shell, which is nothing more than a fried corn tortilla shaped like a "U". There are three options for taco shells:

• First, you can buy them pre-made in a grocery store, at least in Texas you can. I’m not sure if you can buy taco shells in Minnesota or New Jersey
• If you can’t find tortilla shells, you probably can’t find fresh corn tortillas, which is the second option for taco shells.
• Okay, can’t find fresh tortillas, then you’ll have to make your taco shells from scratch.

Here’s how to make your own tortillas.




Corn tortillas can be simple enough or very difficult. If you can find course ground Masa Harina (corn flour), you can make them the easy way. If Masa is not available, you will have to resort to the more difficult method, which due to it’s complexity will be covered in a later posting.

This is all you need:
2 cups corn flour
1 1/3 cups warm water
A pinch of salt
A teaspoon or so of lard is optional

Mix the flour, water, and salt together, forming a soft dough. Knead it a few minutes and let it rest under a damp towel for about an hour so the water is completely absorbed. Have a Pacifico while you're waiting.

Pinch off a bit dough the size of a pelota or a little larger than a golf ball.


Get your tortilla press….on second thought, if you have your own tortilla press, you wouldn’t be reading this. Get a heavy flat object (bottom of a cast iron pan) and press the ball of dough into a very flat circle. It should be about one-sixteenth of an inch thick and seven to eight inches in diameter.

Heat up a griddle or cast iron skillet, which is also known as a comal. If you call your cast iron skillet a comal, again you wouldn’t be reading this. Carefully place a couple tortillas on the dry hot skillet. Cook for about 30 seconds or until a few bits of corn burn. Flip over an cook the other side the same.

While you’re cooking up the rest, you can keep the cooked tortillas under a warm damp towel.

Next step (Part 2), frying the tortillas!