Garnaches are a popular street food in Belize made by frying a corn tortilla and topping it with refried beans, onions, cabbage, and cheese. This recipe is so easy to make and even easier to love!
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It almost goes without saying at this point that I believe the best way to get to know a culture is through food, but I also think there is no food more authentic to a country or region than what is sold on the street from vendors.
The ingredients are simple, fresh, local and always served up hot and quick. I don’t know what it is about street food, but there’s something that makes eating from a vendor cart make the food taste infinitely more magical.
Eating with your hands while you’re walking down brand new streets, seeing beautiful sights you’ve dreamt of experiencing? Life doesn’t get any more perfect than that. Imagine one of these Honduran Baleadas in your hands, warm and delicious as you explore the city or enjoying some fresh Sfiha as you discover the Middle East.
So today, I willbe featuring a Belizean street food specialty on the blog… Garnaches!
Belize’s neighboring, Spanish-speaking countries (Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras) influence most of the street food in the country. Besides garnaches, other popular foods are tacos, panades (fried corn patties with fish and beans), and salbutes (hot, fried tacos).
What are Garnaches?
A garnache is a flat, fried corn tortilla topped with refried beans, cheese, onions, and cabbage. This recipe for Garnaches is purely vegetarian (and vegan!) and doesn’t include any meat.
It would, however, be very easy (though not traditional) to shred some chicken or pork and top your Garnaches with your protein of choice.
If you’re looking for an easy and authentic recipe from Belize, this is your go-to.
You could make life complicated… You could make your own tortillas instead of buying them. You could make your own refried beans instead of dishing out from the can. I’m all for homemade food!
But I think that the beauty of this recipe has something to do with its ease. So buy the tortillas, pop open the can (or make Belizean refried beans if you want), and enjoy these garnaches!
Recipe Origins
Like most street food in Belize, garnaches actually came from somewhere else. It is believed to have originated in Oaxaca, Mexico. There, a lightly-spiced, hearty masa dough is fried to form the shell and topped with meat, cheese, onions and other toppings.
Exactly what kind of toppings are served depends on where you are purchasing garnaches. Every state in Mexico has their own version, and the recipe has changed as it came to Belize and Guatemala.
In Belize, beans are very popular, so it makes sense that beans have replaced meat in garnaches. They also typically use corn tortillas for the shell, rather than the thick masa dough.
Why Make This Recipe
- Easy: I cannot overstate how simple this recipe is and yet how flavorful! That’s the best kind of recipe.
- Fast: Perfect for street food or a quick dinner or lunch on the go! This can come together in under 15 minutes if you’re really in need of a quick snack.
- Taste of Belize: If you have always wanted to experience Belize you can get your first taste through this quick and affordable meal.
What Do I Need To Make This Recipe?
Ingredients
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Onion: White onion is preferable to yellow or sweet onions in this case because the flavor is a bit stronger.
- Green Cabbage: You can either cut this into small pieces or use a vegetable peeler to shred it into strips. Either works!
- Tortillas: Make sure to use corn tortillas. You can also buy already-fried tostadas if you can find them and want to cut out another step.
- Refried Beans: I prefer to use canned to make it easy but you could make your own if you wish.
- Edam Dutch Cheese: Gouda is a good substitute
Tools:
- Frying Pan: For frying tortillas
How to Make This Recipe
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Step 1: Prepare your toppings
In a small bowl, add the diced onion and green cabbage. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper and then pour the white vinegar over the vegetables. Mix to combine and set aside.
Step 2: Fry the Tortillas
In a cast iron skillet, pour about ½ inch worth of vegetable oil. Heat over medium high heat until the vegetable oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the oil is heated, add one corn tortilla. Fry for about 1 minute until browned on one side, then flip and fry until browned on the other side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and repeat until all of the tortillas are fried.
Step 3: Top the Tortillas
Once the tortillas are fried, warm the refried beans.
Spread about ¼ cup of refried beans on each tortilla. Add your desired amount of onions and cabbage to the tortilla and spread. Then add some grated dutch cheese to the top of the garnache.
Repeat until all garnaches are prepared. Eat and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- This recipe is incredibly quick and easy when you use pre-made tortillas and beans but feel free to make your own!
- In Belize this dish is often topped with a spicy salsa. You can make your own at home.
- I got crafty and made mini garnaches using small, round tortilla chips. This is definitely not customary, but it was a fun game-day appetizer! Try it out.
- Some recipes call for adding tomato sauce or ketchup to the top of your garnaches. I kept it simple here, but you can certainly do that if desired!
FAQs
Edam cheese is a semi-hard cheese from the Netherlands. If you cannot find any at your local grocery store, you can substitute gouda, cheddar, gruyere, or even parmesan.
Garnaches do not save well once prepared. The beans will make the shell soggy if left on. You could try saving the ingredients separately, but even the fried tortillas on their own will become stale. The good news is this recipe is easy enough to put together any time in just ten minutes!
When researching food from other cultures to feature on the blog, I always try to learn from cooks from the country I am cooking. For this recipe, I watched the videos of The Bare Pantry Club, Cooking with Shirani, and reading the Jamieson Diaries.
Did you enjoy this Garnaches Recipe from Belize? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes I picked out just for you:
- Homemade Pico de Gallo Recipe
- Pan con Pollo Salvadoreño from El Salvador
- Homemade Guacamole Recipe
- Red Beans and Coconut Rice from Belize
Garnaches
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- ½ white onion, diced very finely
- ¾ cup green cabbage, diced very finely
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- Vegetable oil , for frying
- 4 corn tortillas, 5 ½ inches in diameter
- 1 16 oz Traditional Refried Beans
- 1 cup Edam Dutch Cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add ½ diced onion and ¾ cup green cabbage. Sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and then pour ¼ cup white vinegar over the vegetables. Mix to combine and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet, pour about ½ inch worth of vegetable oil. Heat over medium high heat until the vegetable oil reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Once the oil is heated, add one corn tortilla. Fry for about 1 minute until browned on one side, then flip and fry until browned on the other side. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate and repeat until all of the tortillas are fried.
- Once the tortillas are fried, warm 16 oz refried beans.
- Spread about ¼ cup of refried beans on each tortilla. Add your desired amount of onions and cabbage to the tortilla and spread. Then add some grated dutch cheese to the top of the garnache.
- Repeat until all garnaches are prepared. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
- Onion: White onion is preferable to yellow or sweet onions in this case because the flavor is a bit stronger.
- Green Cabbage: You can either cut this into small pieces or use a vegetable peeler to shred it into strips. Either works!
- Tortillas: Make sure to use corn tortillas. You can also buy already-fried tostadas if you can find them and want to cut out another step.
- Refried Beans: I prefer to use canned to make it easy but you could make your own if you wish.
- Edam Dutch Cheese: Gouda is a good substitute
- This recipe is incredibly quick and easy when you use pre-made tortillas and beans but feel free to make your own!
- In Belize this dish is often topped with a spicy salsa. You can make your own at home.
- I got crafty and made mini garnaches using small, round tortilla chips. This is definitely not customary, but it was a fun game-day appetizer! Try it out.
- Some recipes call for adding tomato sauce or ketchup to the top of your garnaches. I kept it simple here, but you can certainly do that if desired!
Nutrition
Natasha says
This is not an authentic garnaches recipe. Please remove this blog as it will be very confusing to people who are looking for authentic recipes.
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Natasha, I would love to improve the recipe and make sure it represents Garnaches correctly! What changes do you recommend to make this more authentic?
Blaze says
This recipe is actually correct if you are trying to make TOSTADAS. Garnaches has four simple ingredients. 1) Refried Beans 2) Dutch (Red Ball) Cheese 3) Fried Corn Tortillas 4) Habanero/Onion Sauces.
Acceptable additions – Lime and Salted Fresh Cut Cabbage
Lee says
These look delicious but in Belize, garnaches are topped with refried beans and dutch cheese.
The Foreign Fork says
Thank you Lee! I am spending the next year reworking all of my early recipes where my research wasn’t as great…. I will be editing this sometime soon, and am appreciative of your insight! Thank you!