How to make enchiladas like in a restaurant (dipping, onion, baked)

[JayInCA]

Originally Posted by SATX56

I make my own sauce and chili. No tomatoes in mine and I'm quite sure none are used by the restaurants here. Using hot oil in a skillet dip each corn tortilla for just a second or two on each side and stack with paper towels in between. Cooking them in oil makes them oily of course.... Paper towels help remove most of it. Let them cool a little while then fill with cheese and roll. ( I don't dip them in sauce/chili) it just makes the process even messier. It's really not necessary. Place the rolled tortillas in a casserole dish with a shallow layer of chili/sauce in the pan. I then cover with the chili/sauce and more shredded cheese over all the enchiladas. Raw diced onion on top for us adults and not in the kids batch.

I don't keep a recipe for the sauce. I sauteed onion and peppers (if any) and brown flour in oil and then add water and garlic, chili powder and cumin. Sometimes I add a bullion cube chicken or beef. I make this sauce for cooking the enchiladas in then a chili separate for adding to it. Mine are generally well liked and I make about 36 at a time.

Thanks for sharing that! It sounds like the way my grandma makes them.

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by JayInCA

Thanks for sharing that! It sounds like the way my grandma makes them.

You're welcome! There was a thread where it appeared that enchiladas were served generally as a casserole and not rolled individually. Just wanted to show it's not done that way here in Texas. I realize all these type foods will vary across the country. No tomato or flour tortillas involved either. I'm sure the restaurants do cook down their own mix of chiles for theirs. I have too on occasion it's just time consuming.

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by Luvvarkansas

That guy in the video only did them for 2 seconds on each side. So which is it?

MY BAD!!!!! Typo - two seconds each side!!!!!!!

[Dirt Grinder]

We have a couple of Mexican restaurants here that serve enchiladas covered with a red sauce that tastes like marinara. I really don't care for tomatoes in enchilada sauce.

When we make them at home, we bake a dozen together in a pan instead of individually preparing and saucing them.

[gguerra]

Apparently some people here have a hang-up about using tomatoes in enchilada sauce. If you google "Enchiladas Mexicanas" most of the recipes (in Spanish) call for dried chili or powder AND tomatoes, also called Jitomate in Spanish. If you google "Tex Mex Enchiladas" you will find a few recipes that call for tomato, most do not. If the recipe does not call for tomato usually it will call for a good amount of flour. You need a way to thicken the sauce and tomato provides that. Usually, the amount of tomato that a recipe calls for does not overpower the chili taste whether it is powder or dried. There are no rules in cooking or even an "authentic" way to make Enchiladas, even when looking at recipes from Mexico. After all it is a Mexican dish. For red enchiladas, I personally do it sometimes with and sometimes without tomatoes. I also make Entomatadas (all tomato), Enmoladas (mole) and Enchiladas Suizas (Tomatillo), all delicious if done right.

This kind of reminds me of the big debate I've read about making Chili (the stew) on other threads. Some use tomato, some are steadfastly against it, claiming that it is not "Texas" chili. I am from Texas and DO use tomatoes BUT I use a lot of spices including chili powder. I just like it that way. Just my 2 cents

[maggie2101]

I use tomato paste, water, oregano, vinegar, diced onion, and I don't recall what else because I lost the recipe when we moved. I don't care for chili on enchiladas. I do like green chile sauce on them.

[gentlearts]

You can do it.
The secret is to sauté the CORN tortillas in oil very briefly.... Flip and flip to soften, and drain on paper towels. Now, dip them into the enchilada sauce before filling and rolling. Don't over fill. Your filling depends upon what you like.
Line them up into a baking dish. Now, just pour over the sauce you dipped the tortillas in, and top with cheese and bake.

My basic recipe is 1# ground beef or chicken, 3 cans enchilada sauce, 2 cups grated cheese. top with whatever you like...avocado, onions, jalapenos... you get it.

[DontH8Me]

Lot of tension on the tomato in enchilada sauce debate - why not turn a new leaf and try my favorite enchiladas, enchiladas suizas? Tomatillo sauce, chicken, onions, jack cheese, and crema mexicana baked until bubbly, served with fresh sliced avocado...making me hungry just writing about it.

[Luvvarkansas]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

MY BAD!!!!! Typo - two seconds each side!!!!!!!

When I counted and it was literally 2 seconds, I suspected it was a typo, but wanted to make sure.

[Dirt Grinder]

Originally Posted by gguerra

Apparently some people here have a hang-up about using tomatoes in enchilada sauce...

I don't have a "hang-up," I just don't like my enchiladas to taste like lasagna. If you'll read my post, I stated that the sauce "tastes like marinara." If I want Italian food I'll go to an Italian restaurant.