Hurrah for Huaraches

By Maya Dollarhide

            If you are lucky enough to spend time in Mexico City’s amazing outdoor markets, chances are you’ll find two kinds of huaraches for sale—one you wear, the other you eat. The second is gaining popularity among U.S. chefs, who are utilizing its oblong, typically masa-based shell to creatively showcase a restaurant’s flavors and favorite ingredients. 

            “Huaraches in Mexico are a great street food dish; abundant and easy to eat,” shares Pablo Salas, the celebrated Mexican chef at Lona Cocina & Tequilera in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a decidedly upscale yet relaxed staple of the popular beach town. 

            Simply put, a huarache is a shoe-shaped shell of masa or ground corn topped with refried or black beans, meats and/or vegetables, and crumbly Mexican cheese, sour cream, and salsa. The name comes from the masa’s shape, which resembles that of the popular sandals of the same name.

            “The dishes origin dates back to the end of the 19th century in Mexico City and was created and is inspired by another historic Mexican dish known as a tlacoyo, an oval-shaped, pre-Hispanic Mexican dish made of masa that is stuffed with ground beans, cheese, chicharron and other ingredients,” shares Gerardo Rivera, corporate chef for Posadas, Mexico’s leading hotel company.  “Unlike tlacoyos, the meats [or other ingredients] for huaraches go on top of the masa instead of inside, and it has a longer shape.”

            But similar to the tlacoyo, the secret to making a perfect huarache lies in the preparation of the dough. “I recommend using nixtamalized corn, whose rich moisture makes the dough’s outside lightly toasted and moist and soft on the inside,” shares Rivera.

            Salas believes the three most important ingredients in a huarache are the corn from which the huarache base is made, a really good, heavy sour cream, and a great chile de arbol salsa.

            “It is a very flexible dish. Start out with the huarache base, then add refried black beans, chopped lettuce, ground salty cheese, sour cream, and a really spicy salsa, and then you can add any topping you like,” adds Salas, who serves a popular Huarache de Carne at Lona. “I like the version from my hometown in which the huarache base is not masa but a crunchy and thin layer, almost cracker texture, of coarse ground corn and not corn flour masa/dough.”

Getting the Hang of Huaraches

            In San Antonio’s hip downtown, Executive Chef Richard Sanchez of Ácenar recently added huaraches to his well-lauded menu of Latin-inspired dishes. Inspired after trying chicharrones huaraches from a local food truck, he went in search of huaraches in his city to research the potential of adding them to Ácenar’s menu.

            “Refried beans and black beans were a staple in both restaurants that I ate them in, and squash blossom was one that caught my eye, as well,” Sanchez recalls.

            Sanchez and his colleagues decided to offer huaraches as an appetizer to showcase Ácenar’s own house flavors, choosing huitlacoche, chicken tinga (the chef’s favorite, which is made with tomato-braised chicken), and picadillo. 

            Sanchez tops the picadillo and chicken huaraches with refried beans, and the huitlacoche is strictly vegetarian: sautéed in mushrooms, poblanos, bell peppers and corn. All three are finished with cilantro lime slaw, sliced avocados and queso fresco. “We are getting really good reviews of them from our guests,” says the chef, who was relieved customers embraced the appetizer because he initially was a bit worried about how to produce the huaraches to order.

            “When creating the huaraches, I was a bit apprehensive about pick-up time and making sure proper techniques were met,” he says, adding that chefs should be aware there is a two-step process required to make them—at least in his kitchen. “During early service the masa for the base is made by our tortilleras. Then, as service starts and orders come in, [the masa is] rolled into 1.5-ounce balls and pressed flat. They are cooked on the griddle, then they are passed to the main line where they are flash-fried to get the crispy and soft inside texture.” Chefs should have a plan to ensure the huaraches come fresh off the griddle, and then be ready to immediately top them with the customer’s choice of ingredients and serve them hot, he advises.

Flexibility + Flavors

            No matter how a chef serves up huaraches, the myriad possibilities for building flavors with a restaurant’s signature fillings, plus the ease of layering them on the shell, means huaraches are a welcome addition to most any menu.

            Sanchez says the first time he ate a huarache, he was impressed by all the flavors and components that need to come together to make a good one.

            “I think this dish is so popular in Mexico, and will become more and more popular in the U.S., because it is fairly easy to make once you get the techniques corrected,” he says. “The toppings you can use in this dish are endless, and that is why I feel that it will become more prevalent on [American] menus. For me, this dish has provided the opportunity to teach our staff and guests about new flavors and ingredients. Huaraches make a great showcase for them.”

            Sanchez recently added carnitas huaraches to his line-up, and reports guests are enjoying them. “The flexibility of the toppings and the ability to get creative with this dish really inspires me. Huaraches are simple to make and very satisfying,” he says.

Maya Dollarhide is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to el Restaurante.

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