When I started mucking about in my 'test' kitchen to create this recipe, I was looking to develop an egg-free as well as gluten-free (and corn/maize-free) tortilla which would crisp up in the oven and translate into a tostada successfully. Previously, I have used ingredients such as eggs, coconut flour, ground flaxseeds and even cauliflower to make soft tortillas quite successfully. But this time, rather than create another egg heavy recipe, I decided to experiment with tapioca flour and ground almonds. You can opt to use whole raw almonds or the skinless blanched almonds according to your preference. Of course, the whole almonds will give the tostadas a more 'rustic' appearance. I prefer to grind my own nuts rather than purchase ready-ground for freshness and also better nutrition. Once you grind up a whole nut, grain or seed for that matter, you expose the fragile unsaturated fats to the air which which will eventually cause the fats to turn rancid. For this reason I also keep any leftover ground nuts in the fridge.
Traditionally a tostada is bowl-shaped or flat bread made from corn or wheat which has been deep fried or toasted. I hope you enjoy my grain-free version!
Mini muffin size tostada shells that I filled with my vegetable-packed taco mince and topped with guacamole and a fresh tomato salsa for a combined birthday celebration for my dad’s 70th & my sister’s 40th in June 2018. One of many fingerfood style dishes we served up that night!
what you'll need:
50g virgin coconut oil, liquefied + extra
200g tapioca flour/starch (or arrowroot will work too)
150g whole or blanched almonds, finely ground
3/4 tsp Himalayan salt
filtered water
how to make it:
To a large jug add tapioca flour, ground almonds and salt. Mix to combine. Add water and oil to the dry ingredients and whisk until a smooth batter is formed.
For large tostada pies or cups using a Texas muffin pan to as your mould, drop 1/4 cup of the batter into a medium-hot frying pan and cook for a few minutes each side. Allow to cool. NOTE: For mini muffin or standard muffin size using less mixture.
To create tostada pies or cups, press each soft and pliable tostada into greased holes of your chosen size muffin pan. You could also use ramekins or small oven-proof bowls. Another option is to use kitchen scissors to cut each tostada round into triangles for a chip version you can use to scoop your filling! Brush tostada cups or triangles with extra coconut oil and cook for about 10 minutes in a 180C oven to crisp up. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.
Serve filled and topped with your favourite Mexican ingredients! You’ll find my delicious and nutritious taco beef filling here.
