Bar Amá’s Puffy Tacos

SERVES: Makes 10 tacos PREP: 15 minutes TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

Bar Amá’s Puffy Tacos

SERVES: Makes 10 tacos PREP: 15 minutes TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

A San Antonio staple of fluffy, crispy, taco shells that you can fill with anything and they will taste incredible.

This recipe comes from Josef Centeno, chef-owner of Bar Amá in downtown Los Angeles and author of Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen. These puffy, deep-fried tacos will change everything you thought you knew about your favorite tacos.

You can find what everyone calls “puffy tacos”—tacos made with souffléed masa cooked in hot oil—all over San Antonio. They’re probably the city’s most iconic taco, with deep-fried shells that are as light as air. I grew up with the Lopez family’s version, served at Ray’s Drive Inn, which to me is the originator with the best shells—the crispiest without being greasy. We make our own version at Bar Amá—puffed tacos that fry up quickly and can be filled with anything—picadillo, chorizo, beans and rice, fried potatoes, or just avocado. The fluffy, crispy shells make everything taste delicious.

One filling option here is picadillo, a Tex-Mex standby made with ground beef, potatoes, onion, tomatoes, and spices. My tía Mona cooked this all the time and liked to serve it in tacos with chopped tomatoes, or on top of enchiladas. You can also serve it simply with rice or use it in taquitos, chalupas, or queso. When served along with eggs in a flour tortilla, it makes a great breakfast taco.

Note: At Bar Amá, we buy fresh masa (from nixtamal) for tortillas. It’s key: The freshest masa is lighter and helps the puffed tacos keep their shape. Puffed tacos made with prepackaged masa or masa harina don’t work, so don’t bother. Use fresh masa—available at many specialty Mexican markets or tortillerias—within twenty-four hours so that it is soft and pliable. (Keep in mind it might take practice to properly form taco shells while deep frying.)

Reprinted from Amá: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen by Josef Centeno and Betty Hallock with permission from Chronicle Books, 2019. Photographs © Ren Fuller.

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INGREDIENTS DIRECTIONS

For the Puffy Tacos:

+ Vegetable oil (such as avocado or grapeseed) or peanut oil for frying
14 ounces fresh masa
2 avocados, sliced
½ head iceberg lettuce, cut into thin slices
¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups Tía Mona’s picadillo (recipe follows), or protein or vegetable of your choice
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons finely diced onion

For Tía Mona’s Picadillo:

1 teaspoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ medium yellow onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, grated with a rasp-style grater or thinly sliced
¼ jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
½ russet potato, peeled and cut into a ¼-inch dice
1 pound ground beef
1 ripe tomato, grated on the largest holes of a box grater, or 2 teaspoons tomato paste and ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chile powder
¼ cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Make Tía Mona’s picadillo (Makes 3 Cups):

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for a few seconds. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, 2–3 minutes.
Add the diced potatoes and stir to combine. Add the ground beef, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to medium, add the tomato and salt, and cook, stirring and breaking up the beef, until the beef is browned and the potatoes are cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the smoked paprika and spice mix until fully incorporated. Add the green onions and cilantro and remove from the heat. Use immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. (Thaw and reheat in a skillet over medium heat before serving.)

Make the Puffy Tacos:

Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.
Pour enough oil into a deep, heavy-bottom pot to come halfway up the sides. Heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375°F (190°C).
Roll the masa into 1.4 ounce (40 gram) balls. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep them from getting dry. Working one at a time, put a ball of masa between two pieces of plastic and place in a tortilla press. Press the dough into a 5-inch (12 centimeter) circle about 1/16 -inch (2 millimeters) thick. As you press each round, transfer immediately to the hot oil. You have to work quickly because the masa is fragile.
Carefully lower the tortilla into the hot oil. It will sink a bit then start to float. Use a skimmer to press it down into the oil for a second, then baste the top with oil until it starts to puff with large bubbles, 10–15 seconds. Flip the tortilla. Use the side edge of your skimmer to lightly press an indentation down the center, roughly forming the shape of a tortilla shell, tapping the center a few times and pressing the tortilla into the oil until entirely puffed and pale golden, 20–30 seconds. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining rounds of dough; this is a press-fry-press-fry production.
Let the puffed tortillas cool for a minute or two, and then fill each with Tía Mona’s picadillo (or protein or vegetable of your choice), a few slices of avocado, a pinch each of lettuce and cheese, a little chopped tomato, and onion. Serve immediately with your favorite hot sauce.