Mandoca

Ingredients

Dough

• 300 gpre-cooked white maize flour, harina P.A.N.
• 2very ripe plantains
• 150 gpapelón or panela, grated
• 150 gqueso blanco duro, grated
• 1 tspaniseed
• 1 tspsalt
• warm water, as needed

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• butter
• more grated white cheese
• black coffee

Directions

1. Boil the peeled plantains for 15 minutes until completely soft, then mash them smooth while hot. Dissolve the grated papelón in a little hot water to make a thick dark syrup, and let it cool.
2. Mix the mashed plantain, the papelón syrup, the grated cheese, the aniseed and the salt. Add the flour to the wet mixture rather than the other way round, so you can stop at the right consistency.
3. Let the dough rest 5 minutes, because pre-cooked maize flour keeps absorbing liquid after mixing. Judge the dough immediately and you will over-flour it, and the mandocas come out dry.
4. Take a ball about the size of an egg, roll it into a rope about 15 cm long, and join the ends into a ring or a teardrop. Smooth any cracks with a wet finger before frying, because cracks open up in the oil.
5. Heat the oil to 170°C (340°F).
6. Fry the rings a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes a side until deep golden brown. The papelón and the plantain sugars brown fast, and a mandoca goes from golden to burnt quickly.
7. Drain on a rack and eat them hot. They are a Zulia breakfast, sold hot from roadside stands around Maracaibo from very early in the morning.

Technique

• Queso blanco duro is salty and firm; a mild fresh cheese does not give the same contrast.
• They are best within minutes of frying and go heavy as they cool.
• Panela, piloncillo and rapadura are all acceptable stand-ins for papelón.

Substitutions

• Dark muscovado sugar in place of papelón.
• Feta or a firm salty white cheese in place of queso duro.

Variations

• Made without cheese, as a plain sweet ring.
• With grated coconut in the dough.
• Shaped as balls rather than rings.

History

A Zulia breakfast sold hot from roadside stands around Maracaibo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mandoca?

Mandoca is a street food from Venezuela: fried ring of maize and ripe plantain dough with papelón and cheese. A Zulia breakfast sold hot from roadside stands around Maracaibo.

How long does Mandoca take to make?

Mandoca takes 25 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 12. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mandoca?

Yes, within limits. Dark muscovado sugar in place of papelón. Feta or a firm salty white cheese in place of queso duro.

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

Mix the mashed plantain, the papelón syrup, the grated cheese, the aniseed and the salt. Add the flour to the wet mixture rather than the other way round, so you can stop at the right consistency.