This recipe uses fried wontons as tortilla chips. The beef is spiced with ginger and lemongrass, while the cheese sauce is topped with Thai chiles. The tomato salsa is seasoned with sweet chile sauce and rice wine vinegar.
The Expatriate cocktail bar in Portland, Oregon, was where the nachos were created by Naomi Pomeroy, her partner Kyle Linden Webster. He makes the drinks, and she prepares the bar snacks. These are salty, spicy, and crunchy. You won’t stop eating them after you have had a few. Then, before you know, the pan is empty.
Ingredients
Here are the chips:
- 1 12-ounce package wonton wrappers
- 4 coffee neutral-flavoured oils (such as peanut or canola) for frying
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns
The meat:
- 1 pound (80-20) ground beef
- 2 stalks lemongrass, outer layers peeled, the bottom third finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 1/2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons Szechuan spicy pot sauce
- 2-3 Thai chiles, minced
- 1 tsp sea salt
Here’s the salsa recipe:
- 2 plum tomatoes, finely diced
- 1/2 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chile sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 Thai chile, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Crema:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the chile-cheese:
- 4 ounces Velveeta cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3-5 Thai chiles
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup packed mint leaves
Steps
Serves 4-8.
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan on medium heat until it reaches 350°F.
- Cut the wonton wrappers into triangles while you wait.
- Combine the salt, Szechuan peppers, cumin, and coriander in a small bowl.
- Use paper towels to line a baking sheet.
- Once the oil has gotten hot, add the wonton wrappers in batches to the oil. If they are sticking together, you can pull them apart and fry them for about 2 minutes. The heat should be adjusted to ensure even oil temperature. Wrappers that are too hot will turn brown too fast.
- Transfer the chips onto the prepared sheet pan using a spoon or spider.
- Continue with the remaining wrappers. The oil should return to room temperature between batches.
- After all the wrappers are fried, season the dish with the salt mixture.
- Place the beef in a large skillet on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the beef to the pan and stir until it becomes a little pink. This should take about five minutes.
- Transfer the beef to a bowl using a slotted spoon
- Allow to cool, and then pour off the remaining fat.
- Stir fry the garlic, ginger, and lemongrass until fragrant.
- Stir in the hoisin sauce and hot pot sauce, and Thai chiles. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Cook the beef in the pot for 2 more minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Season the dish to your liking with salt. Then, set aside while you prepare all the other ingredients.
- In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion and Thai chile. Mix well and let cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Combine the mayonnaise and sour cream with lime juice, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Keep in the refrigerator until ready for use.
- Combine the Velveeta and sour cream in a double boiler on medium heat or a slow cooker. Stirring constantly, cook the cheese until it is melted. Keep warm on low heat.
- Strain the salsa through a fine-mesh strainer once you are ready to assemble your nachos. Keep the solids intact and dispose of the liquid. This will keep the salsa from becoming soggy.
- Turn the oven on to 225°F. Then, gently warm the beef over low heat. Put the chips in the oven for 5-10 minutes to heat them. Then, transfer half the warm chips to a plate.
- Top with half the beef, half the crema (dolloped haphazardly), half the chile cheese (drizzled over all of the chips), and half the salsa.
- Layer another layer of chips, and then repeat the process with the rest of the beef, chile cheese, salsa, and crema.
- Serve immediately with the mint and cilantro leaves.