Traditional, Authentic Latin-American Tacos

Traditionally, tacos are made by very tightly rolling shredded chicken or other meat and seasonings into a very thin tortilla tube (the Spanish word taco means "roll-up," in the food sense) then, holding them together with toothpicks, deep frying them and topping them with spicy salsa, shredded white cheese and shredded cabbage (yes, cabbage - not lettuce).

Ingredients:

5 - 6 oz. (70.75 - 84.9 g) cooked, shredded meat of your choice (like chicken, pork or beef) or refried beans
3 corn tortillas
1 - 3 Tbs. (15 - 45 ml) hot pepper sauce or salsa
1 tsp. (4.77 g) regular (dark, mild) chili powder
1 - 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
¼ - ½ cup (56.7 - 113.4 g) onion, finely diced
½ tsp. (2.39 g) salt (I use a salt-substitute)
¼ - ½ cup (56.7 - 113.4 g) shredded cabbage (for garnish)
¼ - ½ cup (56.7 - 113.4 g) shredded Queso Blanco (Mexican white cheese - may substitute any shredded, hard cheese)

~ Oil for frying ~

Preparation:

In a 10" (25 cm) skillet, sauté the meat, onion, garlic, chili powder and salt until the meat is browned and the onions are opaque. Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds, or warm them individually in a small skillet on medium-high heat 15 seconds each side. Spoon a third of the meat mixture into each tortilla, and roll them up as tightly as you can get them; pin each together with a toothpick. Bring about 2" (2.5 cm) of oil in the skillet then to medium-high heat; fry the tacos until golden-brown, two or three minutes on each side. Plate the tacos, and top with the salsa, cheese and cabbage. Serve with Spanish rice and/or beans. Recipe makes one serving.