Gordita

Agordita(Spanish pronunciation:[ɡoɾˈðita];lit.'chubby') inMexican cuisineis a dish made withmasaand stuffed withcheese,meat, or other fillings.It is similar to theColombianandVenezuelanarepa. There are two main variations of this dish, one of which is typically fried in a deepwok-shapedcomal, consumed mostly in central and southern Mexico, and another onebakedon a regular comal. The most common and representative variation of this dish is the"gordita de chicharrón", filled withchicharron(a spiced stew ofpork rind) which is widely consumed throughout Mexico.Gorditasare often eaten as a lunch dish and accompanied by several types of sauce.
Agorditais typically prepared as a thicktortilla. The dough is most commonly made ofnixtamalizedcorn flour, as also used for tortillas, but can also be ofwheat flour, particularly in northern Mexico close to the United States border. An old variant of corngorditasusesmasaquebrada(broken dough) where the cornmeal is coarsely ground, leaving bits of broken grain.
In the deep-fried version, once themasahas been prepared, it is separated in small portions, then each one is filled with meat, and shaped like an oblong disc. The pastry is immersed in boiling oil until golden and crispy on the outside. After cooking, thegorditais allowed to stand to drain excess oil, then a small slit is cut into one side to allow vapor and excessive heat to release, and lime juice andsalsaare poured inside, which gives thegorditaits characteristic flavor. In some regions of Mexico, the slit is also used to stuff additional ingredients, mostly dressings such as fresh cheese,nopalsalad, tomatoes,guacamole, potatoes, beans orrajas(sautéedstrips of chile). By tradition,gorditasare filled withchicharron, but there are local variations which substitute it bychickenstew, shredded beef,carne al pastor, eggs withchorizosausage,carnitasorpicadillo.
The baked version is prepared almost identically to the preparation of a common tortilla, except it is thicker. When themasais prepared,chicharrónis mixed directly in the dough, instead of being added later. Shaped like a flat circle, then it is placed in a comal until cooked, in most cases not adding additional oil. When slit and filled, thisgorditalooks like a sandwich made with tortillas instead of bread. This variation is known asGordita de migas.
In central Mexico,gorditascommonly range from being relatively small, but bulky (about the size of a child's fist), to about the diameter of a "regular" tortilla. In northern Mexico they tend to be larger and flatter.
In most casesgorditasare shallow-fried with vegetable oil in a deep comal, but they can also be deep-fried, making the outside crisper.
InDurangoand other states of Northern Mexico,gorditasare commonly made fromwheat flourand look like smallpitabreads. The dough (masa) is identical to that of a wheat flour tortilla. It is cooked on a comal with a hot piece of metal placed on top that resembles a clothes iron. Thegorditafills with steam, and a small slit is cut into one side where it can be filled withguisados.
The fast food restaurant chainTaco Belloffers a wheat flourgorditathat has limited similarity togorditasas served in Mexico, and is more akin to apita breadtaco.
In eastern and central Mexicogorditas de nata(cream gorditas) are consumed often as a breakfast dish or snack. It is a sweet cake similar to a tiny but extremely thick pancake made with milk cream orclotted cream, callednatain Mexico, cinnamon, sugar, and white wheat flour. They are namedgorditatoo, due to their appearance, similar to the original friedgordita, but their taste is sweet, not salty. Other than their appearance, this snack is not related to the original one. The same flour preparation used to preparegorditas de natais also used to cook a flat cookie variation, which by extension it is also calledgordita, but in contrast, it is thin and crispy, not thick. To differentiate them, these flat cookies are called "sugargorditas" instead.