Ingredients
Dough
- 1 kgcassava, peeled and grated
- 400 gqueso seco or firm salty cheese, grated
- 2eggs
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 2 tablespoonsplain flour, if needed
Syrup
- 400 gpanela or raspadura, chopped
- or 400 g dark brown sugar
- 500 mlwater
- 3cinnamon sticks
- 4cloves
- the peel of 1 lime
To fry
- oil, for deep frying
To serve
- the warm syrup, poured over
- extra grated cheese, optional
Directions
- Peel away the whole pink layer under the bark. Never taste the raw grated root at any point. Peel the cassava thickly with a knife. A vegetable peeler is not strong enough for it. Cut it into lengths and stand each one up. Slice the skin off downwards in strips.
- Use the fine side of a box grater. Put it in a cloth over a bowl. Twist the cloth and squeeze the liquid out. Squeeze as hard as you possibly can. Wet dough gives fritters that fall apart. Discard the squeezed liquid entirely. Put the squeezed cassava in a bowl.
- Add the grated cheese and mix it through. Beat the eggs and add them to it. Add the salt and combine everything. Knead it briefly with your hands. It should hold together when you squeeze it. Add a little flour if it is too loose. Making the syrup is done before frying. Chop the panela into small pieces. Panela comes in hard blocks and needs breaking up.
- Put it in a pan with the water. Add the cinnamon, cloves and lime peel. Heat it gently until the panela dissolves. Stir it occasionally to help it along. Then let it simmer for fifteen minutes.
- Keep it warm on the lowest heat. Shaping them takes only a minute. Roll the dough into small balls. Aim for balls about the size of a walnut. Press each one gently to flatten it slightly. Set them out on a tray as you go. Frying them needs steady moderate heat.
- Pour oil into a deep pan to seven centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 170C for frying. A piece of dough should sizzle steadily.
- Fry them for about five minutes. Turn them over as they take colour. They should be deep golden all over. Break one open from the first batch. The inside should be cooked and not doughy. Lift them out onto kitchen paper. Serving them is done warm in the syrup.
- Pile the hot fritters into a shallow dish. Pour the warm panela syrup over them. Let them sit for five minutes to soak it up. Serve them with plenty of syrup in each bowl. They are best warm on the day they are made.
Technique
- Panela is unrefined whole cane sugar sold in hard blocks and is called raspadura in parts of Central America.
- Queso seco is a dry salty cheese that grates rather than melts, which is why it holds up inside a fried fritter.
Substitutions
- Cotija, a dry feta or halloumi all stand in for queso seco.
- Dark brown sugar replaces panela in the syrup with a slightly different flavour.
Variations
- Some cooks add a little sugar to the dough itself.
- A version served with the syrup on the side is made for those who want less sweetness.
- Similar cassava and cheese fritters are fried across Central America.
History
Fried cassava and cheese balls in panela syrup, eaten at Christmas and patron-saint fiestas.
Frequently asked questions
What is Buñuelos de yuca?
Buñuelos de yuca is a dessert from Nicaragua: yuca-cheese fritters drenched in cinnamon syrup. Fried cassava and cheese balls in panela syrup, eaten at Christmas and patron-saint fiestas.
How long does Buñuelos de yuca take to make?
Buñuelos de yuca takes 40 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 30 fritters. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Buñuelos de yuca?
Yes, within limits. Cotija, a dry feta or halloumi all stand in for queso seco. Dark brown sugar replaces panela in the syrup with a slightly different flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Buñuelos de yuca?
Peel away the whole pink layer under the bark. Never taste the raw grated root at any point. Peel the cassava thickly with a knife. A vegetable peeler is not strong enough for it. Cut it into lengths and stand each one up. Slice the skin off downwards in strips.
