Enchiladas Potosinas (Red Chile Masa Enchiladas from San Luis Potosí)
Small tortillas made from masa dyed red with ancho chile, folded around a cheesy tomatillo and chile filling, rested overnight, then fried crisp and served with crema, onion and guacamole.
In most enchiladas the chile is in the sauce. In San Luis Potosí it is in the dough. Spanish Wikipedia says enchiladas potosinas come from Soledad de Graciano Sánchez, next to the state capital, and that chile is added to the corn dough for their red color; they are small, filled with cheese and spicy sauce and served with beans, avocado and cream. They are folded like a quesadilla, not rolled, and fried at the last minute.
The local origin story is a happy accident. Uno TV (June 27, 2025), citing the local chronicler Amado Juan Sánchez Cabrera, says Cristina Jalomo took her corn dough to a mill just after dried chiles for mole had been ground there; her masa came out red, and instead of throwing it away she filled it with cheese and onion and sold the results to her neighbors. The same article says they were sold in the main plaza by 1923 and that her daughter Victoria set the name "enchiladas potosinas" in 1960, but also mentions beliefs that the dish dates to 1856 or became popular in 1919. The dates are DISPUTED; the mill story is Folklore.
Why it works the kitchen science
Chile in the dough
The ancho purée colors and flavors the tortilla itself, so the enchilada needs no sauce poured over it and fries up crisp instead of soggy.
A filling thickened with masa
A spoonful of the red dough and two dry cheeses make the filling a thick paste that stays inside the fold when the enchiladas are fried.
Step by step
- Step 1
Cover the anchos with boiling water and soak 20 minutes. Blend them with about 1/4 cup of the soaking water until smooth and strain. Knead the purée and salt into the masa (if using masa harina, mix it with the water first) until the color is even and the dough feels like soft clay. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
- Step 2
For the filling, put the tomato, tomatillos, serranos and guajillos in a saucepan with 1 cup water, cover and simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes, until soft. Blend smooth.
- Step 3
Heat 2 tbsp lard in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the purée, a walnut-size ball (about 1 tbsp) of the red dough whisked in to thicken it, and salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring, 8 to 10 minutes, until thick as a paste. Off the heat, stir in both cheeses and let cool.
- Step 4
Heat a lightly greased comal or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Roll the dough into 18 balls and press each into a 4-inch tortilla between two sheets of plastic.
- Step 5
Cook a tortilla about 45 seconds, until it releases, flip it and cook 30 seconds. Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling over the top, fold it in half, press the edges to seal and cook 15 seconds more. Stack the finished enchiladas in a towel-lined basket, covered, so they steam.
- Step 6
Cool them, cover and refrigerate overnight (México Desconocido makes them at least a day ahead).
- Step 7
To serve, heat 1/2 inch of lard or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F. Fry the enchiladas a few at a time 1 to 2 minutes per side, until crisp and the filling reads 165°F, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with crema, chopped onion and guacamole.
Enchiladas Potosinas (Red Chile Masa Enchiladas from San Luis Potosí)
Serves 6 · about 18 small enchiladas · 1 hr 40 min total
Red chile dough
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 lb fresh masa for tortillas, or 2 cups masa harina mixed with about 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Filling
- 1 large ripe tomato
- 8 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
- 5 serrano chiles, or to taste
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 2 tbsp lard (or vegetable oil)
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 1/2 oz Chihuahua cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
- 3 1/2 oz queso añejo, grated (about 3/4 cup)
To fry and serve
- Lard or vegetable oil, for a 1/2-inch layer in the skillet
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema
- 1/2 cup chopped white onion
- Guacamole made from 1 ripe avocado
Method
- Cover the anchos with boiling water and soak 20 minutes. Blend them with about 1/4 cup of the soaking water until smooth and strain. Knead the purée and salt into the masa (if using masa harina, mix it with the water first) until the color is even and the dough feels like soft clay. Cover and rest 15 minutes.
- For the filling, put the tomato, tomatillos, serranos and guajillos in a saucepan with 1 cup water, cover and simmer over medium heat about 10 minutes, until soft. Blend smooth.
- Heat 2 tbsp lard in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion 3 to 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the purée, a walnut-size ball (about 1 tbsp) of the red dough whisked in to thicken it, and salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring, 8 to 10 minutes, until thick as a paste. Off the heat, stir in both cheeses and let cool.
- Heat a lightly greased comal or cast-iron griddle over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Roll the dough into 18 balls and press each into a 4-inch tortilla between two sheets of plastic.
- Cook a tortilla about 45 seconds, until it releases, flip it and cook 30 seconds. Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling over the top, fold it in half, press the edges to seal and cook 15 seconds more. Stack the finished enchiladas in a towel-lined basket, covered, so they steam.
- Cool them, cover and refrigerate overnight (México Desconocido makes them at least a day ahead).
- To serve, heat 1/2 inch of lard or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat to 350°F. Fry the enchiladas a few at a time 1 to 2 minutes per side, until crisp and the filling reads 165°F, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with crema, chopped onion and guacamole.
Adapted from Laura B. de Caraza Campos, "Receta de enchiladas potosinas", México Desconocido (serves 6). Its proportions are ours to follow: 2 ancho chiles in 1/2 kilo of masa; a filling of 1 tomato, 8 tomatillos, 5 serranos and 2 guajillos, fried with onion in lard, thickened with a little of the red masa and finished with 100 g each of Chihuahua and añejo cheese; tortillas spread with filling on the uncooked side, folded and sealed, rested "at least from one day to the next", then fried in lard. México Desconocido gives no times or temperatures: the 20 minute chile soak follows Uno TV's recipe, and every other time, the 350°F frying oil, the masa harina option and the 165°F check are ours. mexicodesconocido.com.mx. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Uno TV's version uses guajillo or cascabel chiles in the dough, with an ancho added for color.
- Keep the dough covered with a damp towel while you work; masa dries out fast.
- If the edges won't seal, dab them with a little water.
- Uno TV serves them with chopped lettuce, cream, extra cheese and salsa.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- They were born from a mill mistake. Folklore: told by a local chronicler, via Uno TV; no record we read confirms it.
- When they began. Disputed: Uno TV gives 1856, 1919, a 1923 plaza and a 1960 name in the same article.
- They come from Soledad de Graciano Sánchez. Documented as Spanish Wikipedia's account.
- They are really quesadillas. Folklore: they are folded like one, but Spanish Wikipedia lists them among enchiladas because the chile is in the masa.
- Make them a day ahead. Documented: México Desconocido.
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