Carimañola

Ingredients

Yuca dough

• 1.2 kgyuca (cassava), peeled, woody core removed, cut in chunks
• 2 tspsalt
• water, to cover
• 1egg, beaten (optional, for a firmer dough)

Guiso filling

• 400 gminced beef
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1onion, finely chopped
• ½green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 2tomatoes, chopped, or 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbspculantro (recao) or coriander leaf, chopped
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspachiote (annatto) paste or ½ tsp ground annatto
• 1 tspsalt
• ½ tspblack pepper
• 1 tbspwhite vinegar

To fry and serve

• 1.5 litresvegetable oil, for deep frying
• ají chombo hot sauce
• 1lime, in wedges

Directions

1. Boil the yuca in well-salted water for 25–30 minutes until a knife goes through with no resistance and the pieces are beginning to fall apart at the edges. Under-boiled yuca will not mash and the fritters will crack open in the oil.
2. Drain thoroughly, pick out any remaining woody fibres from the centres, and mash the yuca while it is still hot – a potato ricer or the fine plate of a meat grinder gives the smoothest result.
3. Knead the hot mash for 3–4 minutes until it comes together into a smooth, slightly sticky dough that holds a shape. Add the beaten egg if it feels crumbly. Cool to warm.
4. For the filling, heat the oil and cook the onion, pepper and garlic over medium heat 6 minutes until softened.
5. Add the beef and fry hard, breaking it up, 8 minutes until browned and the water has cooked away.
6. Stir in the tomato, achiote, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and vinegar and cook 10 minutes more until dark, glossy and dry – a wet filling will burst the fritter. Stir in the culantro and cool completely.
7. Take a golf-ball of dough, flatten it in a wet palm to a 10 cm oval, put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre, and close the dough around it.
8. Roll and pinch it into the classic torpedo shape, tapered at both ends, sealing any cracks with wet fingers. Cracks are where oil gets in.
9. Heat the frying oil to 175°C (350°F) and fry the carimañolas in batches of three or four, turning, for 5–6 minutes until deep golden with a blistered, crackly shell.
10. Drain on a rack, not paper, and serve hot with ají chombo and lime. In Panama they are breakfast food, eaten with a cup of coffee.

Technique

• The yuca must be mashed hot. As it cools the starch sets and the dough turns grainy and refuses to bind, and no amount of kneading will fix it.
• Remove the tough central fibre from every piece of yuca before boiling – it is inedible and shows up as a string in the finished fritter.
• Frying at 175°C (350°F) is the sweet spot. Cooler oil soaks in and gives a greasy fritter; hotter oil browns the outside before the shell sets and the carimañola splits.

Substitutions

• Frozen yuca chunks, widely sold, work perfectly and save the peeling – boil them straight from frozen for about 30 minutes.
• The filling can be made with shredded braised beef, cheese, or a mixture of white cheese and onion for a meat-free version.

Variations

• Carimanola de queso, filled with fresh white cheese, common at Panamanian breakfast stalls.
• Colombian carimanolas from the Caribbean coast, usually a little larger and often filled with suero-cured cheese.
• Enyucado-style versions where a little sugar goes into the dough, giving a sweet-savoury contrast.

History

A Caribbean coast breakfast and street snack shared with Panama, built on the cassava cooking of the region.

Frequently asked questions

What is Carimañola?

Carimañola is a street food from Colombia: torpedo-shaped fried cassava dough stuffed with seasoned beef or fresh cheese. A Caribbean coast breakfast and street snack shared with Panama, built on the cassava cooking of the region.

How long does Carimañola take to make?

Carimañola takes 40 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 fritters (4 servings). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Carimañola?

Yes, within limits. Frozen yuca chunks, widely sold, work perfectly and save the peeling – boil them straight from frozen for about 30 minutes. The filling can be made with shredded braised beef, cheese, or a mixture of white cheese and onion for a meat-free version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Carimañola?

The yuca must be mashed hot. As it cools the starch sets and the dough turns grainy and refuses to bind, and no amount of kneading will fix it.