History
The puffy taco emerged on San Antonio's West Side in the mid-20th century. Ray Lopez opened Ray's Drive Inn in 1956 and trademarked the Original Puffy Taco, while his brother Henry opened Henry's Puffy Tacos on West Woodlawn, and the two family operations have traded claims to the dish ever since. The puffy taco is now so identified with the city that the local minor-league baseball team's mascot is a running puffy taco.
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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1.5 cups warm water
- Half teaspoon salt
- Neutral oil for deep frying
- 500g seasoned picadillo (ground beef with potato) or refried beans
- Shredded lettuce, diced tomato, shredded cheese to top
Method
- Mix the masa harina, salt, and warm water into a soft dough; rest 10 minutes.
- Divide into 8 balls and press each flat between plastic into a thin round.
- Heat oil to 190C. Slide a masa round in and, as it puffs, use a spatula to fold it into a taco shape, holding the fold until it sets.
- Fry until golden and crisp, then drain on paper.
- Fill the crisp shells with hot picadillo or beans and top with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Eat immediately.
Tip from the editors. Fry one test round first to dial in the oil temperature; too cool and the shell will not puff, too hot and it browns before it sets.
Where to eat puffy taco
Puffy taco in San Antonio
Ray's Drive Inn ★ 4.7
Ray's Drive Inn on the West Side serves the original puffy taco for a few dollars, a cheap West Side institution where the deep-fried masa shell.
TryOriginal puffy taco, a few dollars
TipA couple of puffy tacos make a cheap, filling lunch. Cash and card both work at the drive-in counter.
Henry's Puffy Tacos ★ 4.4
Henry's Puffy Tacos on West Woodlawn plates puffy tacos with rice and beans for a modest price, the Lopez family's cheap, filling counter for the West Side.
TryPuffy taco plate under fifteen dollars
TipA puffy taco plate with rice and beans is a cheap, filling meal. The shells come hot; eat them straight away.
Nicha's Comida Mexicana ★ 4.0
Nicha's Comida Mexicana is a 1977 tex-mex family room that locals guard, with puffy tacos and enchiladas that rarely make the tourist lists.
Why locals goA 1977 Tex-Mex family room that locals guard, with puffy tacos and enchiladas that rarely make the tourist lists.
TipThe puffy tacos and the enchiladas are the orders. A neighbourhood Tex-Mex spot that has fed regulars since 1977.
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