Tortas Fritas (Argentine & Vegan)

I went on a 10-day hike once in Patagonia, one of the most beautiful regions not only in Argentina but, in my opinion, in the world. Throughout the whole trip, we never met a single other human being, except for a small family that lived in a little house on the shore of the Nahuel Huapi lake. We stayed there, camped out on the beach, for two days, and while we were there the family made us ridiculous amounts (literally hundreds and hundreds) of these tortas fritas. We ate them with their home made jam or dulce de leche when we could be bothered to, but they were so tasty that even on their own they were delicious. This is my version of them, which I’m afraid pales in comparison to how good those ones were. They’re still quite tasty however, they’re easy to make, and you can eat them with pretty much anything. 

Ingredients (makes tons – at least 50)

• 250g self raising flour
• 250g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3 tsp salt
• 4 tsp sugar
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 200ml water
• vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Preparation (40 minutes)

Fill a large pan with vegetable oil, about 1.5 inches deep. Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil and try to mix it an as much as possible, then add the water, and, using your hands, mix everything into a dough. It should be quite solid and not very sticky at all – you should be able to make pieces into little balls without any trouble. Add a little more water or flour if it seems too dry or wet. Once the oil has warmed up enough for deep frying, start shaping the dough into small discs. First make a little ball, about 1.5cm in diameter, then flatten them out as much as you possibly can. The thinner they are the quicker they’ll cook and the better they’ll taste. Place the disc into the pan, and repeat, until the pan is full. When you see the edges start to turn golden brown, flip them over, the other side should be completely golden brown. When both sides are a nice golden brown, remove them and place on a plate with paper towels to absorbe the excess oil. When you’ve fried all of the dough, let the tortas fritas sit for a couple of minutes, before placing them on another plate. Serve them with some jam or dulce de leche, or just a sprinkling of powdered sugar. What’s your favorite thing to eat them with? Let me know in the comments section below!