Now that I have that 80’s classic by Miami Sound Machine in your head, you’re probably doing a little shimmy. But keep those feet moving over to your kitchen and start making these delicious chimichangas and you’ll find yourself doing a little happy food dance once you take your first bite. What is a chimichanga? Some may say it’s just a deep-fried burrito. Me? I call them an envelope full of love.
What is not to love? I’ve stuffed these bad boys with quickly flavored grilled pork, marinated in Mexican adobada, buttery cilantro rice, and top that with some pinto beans and cheese. Then fold the tortillas up and dip them into oil and lightly fry them. The result is a crisped exterior with soft flavorful ingredients on the inside. These are so good you don’t need any sauce for them. If you like, though, just dip them into a little sour cream and you have yourself an extremely tasty treat.
Pork Adobada Chimichangas
Marinade
2 dried guajillo chilis
2 boneless pork chops, butterflied
1 chipotle chili in adobo
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼ cup lime juice
Cilantro Rice
1 tbsp butter
½ cup rice
1 cup chicken stock
Fistful of cilantro leaves + 1 tbsp minced
Scallion, sliced thinly
Other
Oil for frying
Can of pinto beans, drained
Mexican shredded cheese blend
4 10-inch flour tortillas
Flour
Sour cream
Place the dried guajillo chilis in a bowl of hot water for about 10 minutes, until softened. Drain, seed, and roughly chop.
Meanwhile, poke your pork cutlets all over with a fork. Season with some kosher salt.
Combine the remaining marinade ingredients, with the rehydrated guajillos, in a blender with a couple of tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Pour the marinade into a container and place the pork in the marinade, tossing to thoroughly cover. Set aside, for 30 minutes, at room temperature.
Meanwhile, preheat a grill (if using, see next paragraph) on high for 15 minutes, and prepare the rice by melting the butter in a pot. Toast the rice, for a minute or two, in the melted butter. Process the stock and fistful of parsley in a blender, then pour over the rice. Stir and season with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Then, mix in the minced cilantro and scallion. Cover and set aside until ready to prepare the chimichangas.
Once the grill is ready, grill the cutlets for about 2 minutes per side. Alternatively, cook these in a skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Remove the pork from the grill/stove and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Then mince the pork and reserve.
Preheat a deep fryer, or oil in a dutch oven, to 335 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tbsp flour with 2 tbsp water, reserve. Place the drained beans in a bowl and lightly mash.
While the oil comes to temperature, prepare your chimichangas by spooning some rice into the middle of the tortilla, top with some beans, 2 handfuls of minced pork and top with cheese. Fold the bottom half up and, using a pastry brush, lightly apply some of the flour paste and fold the top down and seal. Then apply some more flour paste to the edges and fold them in toward the middle to seal. Flip the chimichanga over and give a gentle press to seal all of the folds. Set aside and repeat with the remaining tortillas. See my Chimichangitas recipe for folding technique.
When all have been prepared, place 1 or 2 into your frying vessel (do not overcrowd), seam side down, and fry for 2-3 minutes. Flip and fry another 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove from the oil, with a slotted spoon, and place on a rack-lined baking sheet. Place in a warm oven while you fry up the remaining chimichangas.
Serve with sour cream for dipping.
______________________________ Copyright 2022, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.