This is my grandmother’s recipe for Tortas de Carne, which she would make us for an afternoon snack or for breakfast. They are basically ground meat patties mixed with spices, then coated in a batter and fried. You might find these meat fritters in Colombian bakeries around the world.
These fritters are absolutely delicious! I like to serve them with a small arepa, ají, and lime on the side.
Buen provecho!
Ingredients
Patties:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 cup onion, grated
2 scallions, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
Batter:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon achiote or color
Oil for frying
Directions:
1. To make the patties: In a bowl, combine the beef, pork, onion, scallions, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Using your hands, mix well.
2. Divide the mixture into equal portions and form each into a thin patty, about 1/4 inch thick. Place on a plate and set aside.
3. To make the batter: Place all the batter ingredient in a medium bowl and mix with fork until the mixture is smooth. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
4. Pour oil to a depth of about 1 inch into a large, heavy frying pan, and heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers.
5. Dip the meat patties one by one into the batter and place them in the fry pan.
6. Cook each fritter on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side.
7.Remove the fritters to a wire rack set in a half sheet pan and place in the oven to keep them warm until ready to serve.
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Love these – so flavorful inside, they are perfectly fried!
woow encontre tu blog de casualidad, y esta muy lindo(: me encato todo!! ya estare probando alguna de esas torta colombianas que vi por ahi!
Saludos desde Argentina!
Agus
This sounds great! But you simply must try some Himalayan pink salt. . The flavor is so much better than regular salt! Thanks for sharing this recipe—I can’t wait to try it!
This looks yummy! I love this kind of finger food, so easy to eat in front of the tv:D
These look magnificent, Erica. I know we would love them!
How wonderful and they look so good Erica
Mmm those meat fritters look so delicious!
Mmmm…these sound so good. I love seeing grandma’s recipe making a comeback!
Erica, these meat fritters look awesome, since I am a big meat eater…they are perfect for me.
Hope you have a wonderful week ahead
MMMMMMM,….Those patties look so tasty & lovely too!
I love the cilantro & cumin in here!
Oh my I LOVE these Erica. Battered meat cakes – DELICIOUS!
yumm, that looks delicious!
Hola Erica,
Que rica receta esta. se que a mi hijo le van a encantar. Muchas gracias por compartir. Las recetas de nuestras abuelas son un tesoro.
Un abrazo,
Mely
Thank you so much Erica for this wonderful and simple recipe! I cooked this for dinner and everyone loved it. I did not have cilantro, so I used parsley instead. Delicious flavor, it also tasted great with either ketchup or hot sauce.