Buñuelos Colombianos
The first time that I tried buñuelos, was by the hand of a Colombian native, her name was Maria. Maria was married to a family friend. From a different culture than the one she married into.
She had invited a group of people to her house for breakfast and had prepared some traditional Colombian food. In efforts to perhaps show case her culture, and what I assume was recipes that she had done many times before. Unfortunately for Maria, her in-laws couldn't stay out the kitchen that morning, making her quite nervous, so much so, she forgot she had salted the dough and went ahead and added another batch of salt to it.
Needless to say we all grabbed one golden ball and our faces turned all colors, they were inedible, so salty no one could swallow it. We all laughed at the misshaped, but Maria had teary eyes the whole time, sadly she never could come-back from that eventful morning, and I felt her sadness, but remained curious about buñuelos.
I became close to Maria, for the short time she lived in Curacao. I’ve lost contact with her now, and still, all three times that I have made this recipe I’m reminded of her. Her story, and that morning.
Buñuelos are cheese-fritters made out of smooth dough from corn flour.
This recipe yields approx. 20 to 25 small balls
Ingredients:
250 gr. of cheese (any cheese that can easily melt)
1 cup of corn flour
½ cup of cornstarch
½ teaspoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of baking soda
1 egg (whole)
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoon of milk
Vegetable Oil for deep-frying
Instructions:
1. In a bowl combine the dry ingredients: cheese, flour, cornstarch, baking soda, sugar and salt. Mix and then add the wet ingredients: eggs and milk. Mix until well combined.
2. Scoop out two tablespoon of the dough and shape into uniform balls.
3. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium.
4. Frying in batches, fry the buñuelos up to 6 at a time, until they are golden on all sides (about 4 to 5 minutes). Drain excess oil by placing them on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately.
Tips:
1. The oil is at the right temperature when a buñuelo is added to the oil and sinks to the bottom, then rises to the surface within 45 to 60 seconds. Test with the first buñuelo, adjust temperature accordingly, and then proceed with the remaining buñuelos.
2. Make sure to get the oil to just the right temperature so that the buñuelos rise to the top and swell up as they turn in the oil. If they rise too quickly, they won’t cook all the way through — too slowly, they’ll take on too much oil and become heavy.
Enjoy!
