Homemade Chalupa Shells

 

Are those leftovers from my favorite Mexican restaurant?  No way.  That is Nate's birthday meal request -- a homemade "combination platter" with beef chalupas. 

A chalupa is a flour-based taco shell that originated from recipes for Indian fry bread.  It ends up being more bread-like than crispy...and it is delicious.  Although I'd never made chalupas before, I had the benefit of some great advice from Macheesmo and Frances, a lady I work with who makes homemade tortillas every day for her family.  Between the two of them, I think we nailed it.

HOMEMADE CHALUPA SHELLS (Makes 6 - 8)
Printable version of this recipe

INGREDIENTS
2-1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1-1/2 T Crisco or butter
1 c. milk
Oil for frying

Recommended:  a deep-fry thermometer, a pancake turner, a good pair of tongs, and a splatter screen

DIRECTIONS

Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a large food processor bowl.  Pulse a few times to combine.  Cut butter/Crisco into small pieces and pulse with flour until small crumbs form.  With the food processor running, add milk in a steady stream so that a ball begins to form.   It will be sticky.   Turn the ball out onto a flour-covered surface and knead a time or two.  Cut the dough into 6 - 8 pieces.  The original recipe claimed that this was enough dough for 6 shells, but I think you could get 8 out of it.  Form balls of the dough and set aside.

Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches into a sturdy pot and heat.   Macheesmo recommends 350 degrees, but I only got mine to about 275, and that seemed to be fine.  Use a deep fry thermometer to monitor your temperature.  I also made a tiny disc of dough and popped that into the oil to test it before committing a larger shell.

It's wise to think about where the chalupas will go when done before you start frying.  I laid several layers of paper towels on my counter, right next to my stove, and placed a baking rack over the paper towels.  This allowed any excess oil to drip off of the fried chalupas with a miniminum of mess.

To make the chalupas, roll a dough ball out into a 6-inch circle.  The shells will form better if the dough is a little thinner in the center than at the edges.  Make sure there is plenty of flour on your surface so the chalupa will slide off easily.

Now here is the tricky part:  get that chalupa into the hot oil.  The temptation will be to kind of throw it in like a frisbee.  RESIST.  I found that if I picked up the chalupa off of the counter with a wide pancake spatula, I could slide it off the spatula gently into the oil so it didn't splatter.   (Note:  flour the pancake spatula as needed so the chalupa will slide off easily.)  There will be some immediate frying action that may cause oil to bubble up like Old Faithful, so be ready to move away or with a splatter screen as necessary.

The chalupa will first sink to the bottom of the pot and then will rise back up as the baking powder does its work.  Large bubbles will form in the chalupa, which I tamped down with my tongs.  At the 30-second mark, I turned the chalupa.  Use your discretion here; what you're looking for is a lightly-browned shell.

Decision time:  do you want a flat shell or one that is folded in half?  If you want a flat, tostada-like shell, then simply flip the chalupa, cook the other side, and use your tongs to lift it out.  If you want a shell that is folded in half, all you need do is use your tongs to pick up one edge of the chalupa and fold it over the other half.  Use the tongs to submerge the bottom half in the oil so that it cooks.  This will take a very short time.  Then use the tongs to turn and submerge the other half so it cooks.  When done, remove the shell from the oil and hold it over the pot for a few seconds so it can drip.  Remove to a rack for final cooling.  It should hold its shape quite well.

Fill with your favorite toppings and serve.  Our preferences?  Seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, and a spicy guacamole.  Delicious!