~431 cal · 6g protein · 57g carbs · 20g fat (estimated, per serving)
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Fried dough discs dusted with sugar
🇦🇷 Mendoza
In Argentina, grey rainy days call for tortas fritas — an unwritten national custom. The dough is nothing but flour, fat, and salted water, rolled, slit in the middle, and fried until golden. Eaten warm with sugar and passed around with a shared gourd of mate, they are the taste of a slow, cozy morning.
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🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 6 —
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3 cups all-purpose flour
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1 cup warm salted water
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2 tsp baking powder
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3 tbsp melted fat or oil
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4 cups neutral oil, for frying
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1/4 cup sugar, for dusting
Instructions
1
Mix the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt, then work in the melted fat and warm water to a soft dough.
2
Knead briefly until smooth, cover, and rest 15 minutes so the dough relaxes.
3
Roll out to about a quarter-inch, cut into discs, and slit each one in the center with a knife.
4
Fry in hot oil until golden and puffed, about 1 minute a side; drain and toss in sugar while warm.
Argentine rainy-day home tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Mendoza. High-desert wine country with a fierce empanada pride.
🗺️
Argentina. Asado smoke, Malbec, and Italian grandmothers on the Pampas.
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South America. Andes, Amazon, and Atlantic all on one plate.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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