Buñuelos de Yuca (Cassava Fritters)
Recipe for buñuelos de yuca, these sweet cassava fritters are made with yuca (cassava), flour, sugar, and anise. They are fried and served drizzled with almíbar de papelón, a spiced brown sugar syrup.
Servings 12 large buñuelos or 16 smaller ones
Ingredients
- 1 kg of fresh yuca or cassava or 750 grams of frozen peeled yuca
- 4 liters of water
- 450 grams of all-purpose flour sifted
- 100 grams of sugar ½ cup
- 1 teaspoon of anise essence
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 250 ml of oil for frying 1 cup
For the papelon syrup or brown sugar syrup (panela or piloncillo):
- 200 grams of papelon or panela also known as piloncillo, chancaca, raspadura - can also use brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups of water 375 ml
- ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves you can also add 1 cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the four liters of water to a boil. While the water is boiling, wash the yuca under running water, and peel it with a sharp knife. Cut the yuca into pieces of no more than 10 cm long. Put the yucas in the boiling water and let them cook for at least an hour.
- Remove the yucas from the stove when they are cooked and soft. You will know that the yucas are ready because they will start to crack and open.
- *If you can`t find fresh yuca, use frozen yuca. You will need about 750 grams of frozen peeled yuca. Boil it as indicated above.
- While the yuca is cooking, prepare the papelón or piloncillo syrup.
- In a pot over medium heat, place the cup and a half of water, the papelón or piloncillo, and the clove powder. Cook for about 20 minutes over medium heat, until the papelón is completely melted, and the volume of the mixture has decreased by half. Turn off the stove and save the syrup for later to serve with the yuca fritters.
- When you prick the yucas and they are soft, turn off the stove. Then, drain the excess water and let the yucas cool for a few minutes. Cut the yucas into pieces, remove the central vein that is very hard, and discard. Then, use a potato masher to mash all the yuca until you have a smooth puree.
- On top of the mashed yuca pure, add the sifted all-purpose flour, sugar, anise essence and a pinch of salt. Knead until you obtain a soft, moldable dough.
- Divide the dough into about 12 to 16 equal portions, and form spheres or balls.
- Pour the oil into a medium-sized pot, over medium heat. When it is very hot, carefully place the fritters in the oil, two at a time. Cook them until they are golden brown on all sides.
- Remove the fritters from the pot, and place them on a plate lined with absorbent paper.
- Serve the cassava fritters drizzled with the papelón brown sugar syrup, and enjoy!
