{"id":39553,"date":"2023-10-21T16:36:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-21T16:36:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/?p=39553"},"modified":"2025-08-25T15:05:51","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T15:05:51","slug":"gorditas-with-queso-beans-like-the-ones-at-chicagos-la-chiquita","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/familiakitchen.com\/es\/gorditas-with-queso-beans-like-the-ones-at-chicagos-la-chiquita\/","title":{"rendered":"Gorditas con queso y frijoles, como las de La Chiquita de Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Gorditas are chubby tortillas made from masa harina and stuffed with your choice of favorite Mexican filling. For Vivi Abeja<\/a>, one of our favorite Mexican cooks, that choice always has and always will be queso and frijoles \u2014 beans and cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like the queso and frijoles gorditas she grew up eating in Chicago\u2019s Little Village neighborhood where she still lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGorditas are special to me and my family,\u201d Vivi told Familia Kitchen. \u201cMy grandparents lived in La Villita, a couple blocks from La Chiquita<\/a>, a famous grocery store in our neighborhood that has a restaurant attached to it. My grandparents ate many times there: After church, after an afternoon of running errands, and with family and friends. They loved all the food from the restaurant, but their favorite were these gorditas de queso y frijoles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dThey were always a treat and I can\u2019t help but think about my grandparents every time I have those gorditas,\u201d says Vivi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vivi and her grandmother, Elisa Abeja<\/a>, were extremely close. Her Abuelita was a defining influence in her life and in the kitchen, and one of the reasons Vivi decided to make cooking her life\u2019s work and passion. This past spring, at the age of 92, Vivi\u2019s beloved grandmother passed away, joining Vivi\u2019s grandfather. \u201dShe is with los angelitos in heaven,\u201d says Vivi of her Michoacan-born grandmother who put faith, family and feeding people she loved at the center of her life.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Vivi
Vivi and her beloved Abuelita Elisa Abeja, who took young Vivi regularly to Chicago\u2019s La Chiquita for these queso y frijoles gorditas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In her Abuelita\u2019s honor, Vivi decided to perfect this gorditas recipe so that she could make them for family and friends and keep the memory of her childhood days at La Chiquita close to her heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201dThe difference between a gordita and pupusa is how you cook them. With pupusas<\/strong>, you put the filling in the raw masa, and both masa and filling are cooked together on the hot comal. With gorditas<\/strong>, first you cook the raw masa with no filling, and once it\u2019s toasted and nice and golden, you slice it open, and add whatever filling you want. Then, you cook the gordita again to heat the filing.\u201d<\/p>\n\u2014Vivi Abeja, one of our favorite Familia Kitchen Mexican cocineras<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How did she find her way to the final version of this recipe that tastes exactly like the deliciosas gorditas of her childhood?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI learned to make gorditas from watching many people cook them around me: My grandmother, my tias and family friends,\u201d Vivi explains. \u201dIt\u2019s been a journey to master the masa, but I think I finally got it down. The water ratio may change \u2014 like needing to add a little more water if the Maseca [masa harina] is very dry. But the thing that stays the same is the use of warm<\/em> water, not cold water. The warm water helps with the hydration of the masa and brings out the best consistency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might be wondering, as thousands of viewers did when Vivi posted this recipe to her Instagram this week: How are gorditas different then pu<\/a>pusa<\/a>s<\/a>?<\/strong> Both are made with masa harina and filled with delicious rellenos like beans and cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they are different, says Vivi. \u201dThe difference is how you cook them. With pupusas, you put the filling in the raw masa, and both masa and filling are cooked together on the hot comal. With gorditas, first you cook the raw masa with no filling, and once it\u2019s toasted and nice and golden, you slice it open, and add whatever filling you want. Then, you cook the gordita again to heat the filing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other way pupusas and gorditas differ is with their topping, adds Vivi. Pupusas are served with a slaw-like garnish called curtido<\/a>, which is a slightly fermented mix of shredded cabbage, carrots, chopped onion, water, vinegar, and oregano. Think kimchi lite. On the other hand, gorditas are served with Mexican salsa, either green or red \u2014 up to you! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks for clearing that up, Vivi. One last gorditas question. What is the secret to getting gorditas crispy-cheesy on the outside, like the ones you remember eating with your grandparents at La Chiquita?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201dI sprinkle some cheese on the comal and placing my gordita over it, so I can have cooked cheese on the inside and outside of my gordita,\u201d says Vivi. \u201dIt gives it this delicious salty flavor and crunchy texture that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took her a few months, but now that Vivi\u2019s nailed the recipe this favorite childhood treat, how often does she plan to make gorditas \u2014 and for who? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow that I\u2019m happy with the results I\u2019ve been making them more often for my family. I recently made a gordita de frijoles y queso, some with tinga, and another with shredded chicken in chipotle sauce. This is the ultimate comida de pobre because you can add anything you have in your fridge, and it\u2019s a delicious and filling meal. It\u2019s comida de pobre but feels like a treat so I\u2019ll be making these weekly, perhaps at the end of the week when it\u2019s time to clean my fridge and I can use whatever I have on hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mexican comida de pobre is a term her grandmother coined for what she called \u201dpoor-people food,\u201d traditional Mexican dishes made with the least amount of simple and accessible ingredients. Think beans, onion, corn, chiles. The point was to affordably feed a traditional, soul-satisfying meal to a big group, like their family. To try more of Abuelita Elisa\u2019s and Vivi\u2019s comida de pobre favorite dishes, check out their recipes, including: Abuelita\u2019s homemade frijoles<\/a>, Michoacan-style red echiladas with queso fresco and onion<\/a>; breakfast burrito with sausage and egg<\/a>; and this crazy-good creamy poblano pasta bake<\/a> \u2014 what her family calls \u201cgreen spaghetti\u201d that\u2019s topped with a salsa Vivi describes, using all caps, as “LIQUID GOLD!\u201d

Bottom line, says Vivi: Please try these gorditas at home. You will love them, she promises. \u201dGive this recipe a try, and once you get the hang of it, you\u2019ll be making these by the dozen!\u201d Vivi says. \u201dThese are a perfect end-of-the-week meal because you can add whatever you have in your fridge and give your leftovers some life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to Try Gorditas, Vivi\u2019s homage to La Chiquita and her Grandparents?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Gorditas with Beans & Queso, Like the Ones at Chicago\u2019s La Chiquita<\/h2>\n\n
\n \t\t \t\t\tRecipe by Vivi Abeja<\/span>\n \t\t\n
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