Learn to Cook Dobladas with Guicha!
Dobladas by Guicha
(Gluten Free & Vegan Option)
These savory Guatemalan appetizers are one of the most well-loved foods for visitors to the San Lucas Mission’s Women’s Center.
“Dobladas” means folded; it’s hard to believe these mouth-watering hand-helds are simply prepared vegetables folded in “masa” flour. Fortunately, you can find all the ingredients to make this recipe in the US.
Don’t be afraid to get creative! There’s many ways to make dobladas. For example, you can add other veggies into the folded masa if you like.
Do you have questions or want to let us know how it went? Guicha & Karina, who run the Women’s Center, are here to help! Contact them at <centrodemujeresmslt@gmail.com>. Please cc <contact@sanlucasmission.org> so that we can also learn how your experience went and help with translation if needed.
To get inspired, watch this video of Guicha preparing dobladas at the Women’s Center.
Time to make: 45-60 minutes
Serves: 5
Ingredients:
Roughly 2 cups of masa corn flour (you can order this on Amazon)
Roughly 30 green beans, ends snipped off
6 carrots, peeled
1 white onion, divided
6 roma tomatoes
1-2 bay leaves
2-3 clove garlic, divided
Canola or vegetable oil
3-4 stems fresh thyme
Cabbage, parsley and/or cotija cheese for topping (all optional)
Salt
Pepper
First, prepare the filling:
1. Roughly chop onion, carrots, and green beans, and put them in a food processor to chop them more finely.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan, and saute a clove of minced garlic for one minute or so.
3. Then, add the contents of the food processor to the pan.
4. Add in a bit of salt and pepper, 3-4 stems of thyme, and 1-2 bay leaves as you let cook while stirring occasionally for approximately 10-20 minutes or until vegetables have softened.
Make the sauce:
5. While you’re cooking the doblada filling, prepare the sauce by adding 6 tomatoes, 1-2 garlic cloves, and a dash of salt to a pot filled with water. Boil for a couple of minutes.
6. Then, drain the tomatoes and garlic, add them to a high-speed blender to liquify.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and saute 3 thin slices of onion for 2-3 minutes. Then add the liquified sauce to the pan.
8. Cook as it thickens, stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes, adding salt as needed.
Next, prepare the masa:
9. Prepare tortilla dough according to the instructions on the package.
10. Roll into balls — roughly the size of a golf ball — and flatten with your hand into a thin tortilla. (If you have a tortilla press or similar device, that will work even better.) You may need between 7-12 balls depending on exactly how much filling you have.
Then, assemble the dobladas:
11. Remove the thyme and bay leaves from your pan of veggie filling mixture. Add a spoonful of veggie filling into the middle of the tortilla and fold over, sealing the edge with your fingers. Repeat until you run out of filling.
Fry the dobladas:
12. Fill a large saucepan quarter full with oil and heat on medium.
13. Add several dobalas to the pan, after a couple of minutes or once they have turned golden brown on the bottom, flip them and cook the other side. Repeat until all dobladas have been fried on both sides.
14. Top them with sauce, cabbage, parsley, and cotija cheese (or omit cheese if making vegan).
Enjoy!