Ingredients
Batter
- 8 earsfresh sweetcorn, about 800 g of kernels
- 100 mlmilk
- 2 tbspsugar
- 1 tspsalt
- 3 tbspmasarepa, only if needed
To cook
- butter
To serve
- 400 gqueso de mano, or fresh mozzarella
- butter
Directions
- Cut the kernels off the cobs, then scrape the bare cobs with the back of the knife to collect the milky liquid, which carries most of the sweetness.
- Blend the kernels with the milk, sugar and salt into a coarse batter. Leave it textured on purpose: blended completely smooth it makes a rubbery pancake, and you want visible flecks of corn through it.
- If the batter is very loose, stir in masarepa a spoonful at a time until it just holds its shape on the spoon. Fresh corn varies enormously in starch, so judge this by consistency rather than by the measurement.
- Rest the batter for 15 minutes so the starch hydrates and thickens it slightly.
- Heat a heavy pan or a griddle over a medium heat and butter it well.
- Pour on about a ladleful and spread it to roughly 15 cm across and 5 mm thick.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the underside is golden with dark freckles and the top has set firmly enough to lift, then flip it and give it 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Keep the heat moderate throughout. Corn this sweet scorches long before the middle of the pancake has set.
- Lay a thick slab of queso de mano across one half, add a knob of butter, fold the cachapa over it and press gently so the cheese starts to melt.
- Serve immediately, while the cheese is still soft and stretching.
Technique
- This is a fresh corn pancake, not a masa one. Masarepa alone will not make a cachapa, and it is only ever there to correct a loose batter.
- Sweet and savoury at once is the point, not a compromise. The sugar in the batter and the salt in the cheese are meant to meet.
- Queso de mano is soft, mild and slightly squeaky, closer to fresh mozzarella than to anything aged.
Substitutions
- Frozen sweetcorn, thawed and drained thoroughly, with an extra spoonful of masarepa.
- Fresh mozzarella, or a mild halloumi if you want it saltier.
Variations
- With a slice of ham folded in alongside the cheese.
- Spread with nata, the thick Venezuelan cream.
- Cachapa de hoja, wrapped in a corn leaf and boiled rather than griddled.
History
Sweet fresh-corn pancake of the Venezuelan plains, folded around soft queso de mano and sold at highland roadside stands.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cachapa?
Cachapa is a street food from Venezuela: sweet fresh-corn pancake folded over soft queso de mano. Sweet fresh-corn pancake of the Venezuelan plains, folded around soft queso de mano and sold at highland roadside stands.
How long does Cachapa take to make?
Cachapa takes 20 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 cachapas. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Cachapa?
Yes, within limits. Frozen sweetcorn, thawed and drained thoroughly, with an extra spoonful of masarepa. Fresh mozzarella, or a mild halloumi if you want it saltier.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cachapa?
If the batter is very loose, stir in masarepa a spoonful at a time until it just holds its shape on the spoon. Fresh corn varies enormously in starch, so judge this by consistency rather than by the measurement.
