When You’re Craving a Late-Night Snack, Make Dorilocos

Welcome to It’s That Simple, a column where we talk you through the process of making the dishes and drinks we can make with our eyes closed. This time, Dorilocos.

Not to brag, but I was eating Dorilocos before Dorilocos was a thing. I’m from the state of Michoacán, west of Mexico City, and when I was young, there was a lady who sold snacks from a cart outside my primary school—mangos topped with chile and lime, raw carrots, bags of chips. You could customize anything, and I did. “Can I have a mango, but with peanuts on top? What about cheese?” Same with the chips. We’d ask her to top them with salsas, lime, jicama—whatever she had that looked good.

Eventually this organic culinary experimentation—which I would wager was happening in elementary schools across Mexico—became known as Dorilocos, and now, if you go to Mexico City, you’ll find Dorilocos stands everywhere. You can choose from a variety of chips—Doritos, of course, but also Churrumais or spicy Rancheritos—and a seemingly infinite variety of toppings like queso fresco, corn, and gummy bears. (That’s a step too far for me.) The vendor will slice open the bag of chips, layer on your toppings with plenty of salsa and lime, and hand it to you to eat right out of the bag. There will be a fork, but this is definitely messy finger food.

How to make your own Dorilocos at home:

Start with a personal-size bag of the chip of your choice. I recommend nacho cheese Doritos if you’re a first-timer. Instead of opening the bag like you normally would, cut it across the front, from top to bottom. Add a handful of crispy Japanese peanuts, then salsa—in my case, a combo of Valentina and chamoy, a sweet-sour sauce made from dried fruit and chiles. I like a little freshness and crunch, so I sprinkle on diced cucumber, jicama, and mango. You could also do raw beets or carrots or any type of crunchy veg…it’s basically a salad. While pickled pork rinds (cueritos) are technically optional, for me they’re nonnegotiable, adding great chew and a needed hit of vinegar. Finish the whole thing off with more salsa and lots of lime. Congratulations, your Doritos are now crazy!

I house my Dorilocos quickly, but if you’re a crispy-gone-soggy fan, take your sweet time. My niece squishes everything together so all of the components get mushy and uniform. That’s not right, but I love her anyway. Traditionally, this is a snack eaten during recess or after school, but it is also, as you may have intuited, an excellent stoner or middle-of-the-night drunk food. However you eat it, the key is personalization—set out a Dorilocos buffet, invite some friends over, and see how many variations you can come up with. Don’t forget the gummy bears—someone will want them.