Colombian donuts

El colombian fritter It is an exquisite semi-sweet dessert with an exquisite cheese flavor, delicate and spongy, to which Colombians have managed to incorporate their identity and lead it to be among the most valued gastronomic traditions in Colombia. It is among the family traditions that grandparents try to incorporate into the interests and preferences of new generations.

A snack that is enjoyed from the preparation of the dough until they come out of the oil golden and crispy. It can be served for breakfast accompanied by a good hot chocolate, for dinner on especially cold days or when you take a well-deserved rest after a long day of work. Actually, Colombians enjoy their buñuelos at any time of the year, although they are very representative of the December season.

At Christmas they are tasted from the day of the Little Candles, when with lanterns and colorful lights they inaugurate Christmas, remembering the annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary Most Holy, who would be the excellent mother of God the son. The novenas, the good night and the farewell of the year are also occasions in which the grandmothers display their best recipe to celebrate, while the little ones learn that in their country the fritters are part of their identity.

History of the Colombian Fritter

This exquisite dessert that is an essential part of the Colombian gastronomy It derives from an extensive process where several cultures have participated. There is consensus in accepting that it was the Spanish who brought the fritter to Colombia, who inherited it from the Arabs during the occupation of the Iberian Peninsula that lasted several centuries.

The texture of its dough made from American raw material, together with the frying that came from African customs, are a lively and forceful representation of the manifest miscegenation in Colombian cuisine. Reflection of that mixture that, also in the kitchen, enriches us.

The truth is that the buñuelo has existed for many centuries. When the 1300s passed, the story goes that they were already mentioned in some poems. Its historical journey brought it to Colombia, where the locals value it and give it preference along with other dishes, such as empanada, without which Colombians cannot imagine life.

Colombian Fritters Recipe

Ingredients

The ingredients that are usually used in the elaboration of the Colombian donuts are the following (25 fritters, approximately):

Corn flour, 500 grams.

Corn starch, or cornstarch, 700 grams

Grated semi-hard costeño cheese, 700 grams

Sugar, three tablespoons

Baking powder, one tablespoon

Two eggs

Fluid milk, half a cup or more if required.

salt, a tablespoon

Butter, a tablespoon.

Oil, three tablespoons.

Lemon or orange zest

Preparation of the Colombian Fritters

We start by mixing all the ingredients adding the milk slowly while kneading. It must be avoided that the dough is too soft, its final texture must be consistent, manageable and lump-free. The exact point of the dough is verified by making a ball and placing it on a saucer, it should not be deformed, it should retain its spherical shape. Once the point of the dough is achieved, it is left to rest for fifteen or twenty minutes.

On the other hand, place a frying pan with enough hot oil over medium heat in which the fritters are fried to the desired size, but the usual thing is to make them about two and a half centimeters in diameter. That size favors that they remain golden, crunchy and well cooked inside.

Once they have taken on a golden color, they are removed from the oil and placed on absorbent paper to remove as much oil as possible. They are served accompanied with hot chocolate or coffee with milk.

Tips to make delicious Colombian Fritters

We recommend that you follow these tips that will help you obtain better results when preparing the Colombian donuts:

• Once the exact point of the dough has been achieved, do not store it in the fridge or let it rest for a long time. It would deflate and you won't be able to shape the fritters.
• To fry them, it is convenient to use a deep frying pan so that the fritters float in the oil and do not stick to the bottom. When floating in the oil, the fritters will rotate and this movement will cause them to brown on all sides.
• They should be fried over medium heat so that the oil is not excessively hot and the internal cooking process occurs properly. In this sense, it is important that the fritters are uniform, of the same size. So that the fritters are uniform in size, try to make 70-gram balls.
• To achieve a spherical shape, it is convenient to grease your hands with oil so that the dough does not adhere to them.
• Fry the fritters in parts, four by four. If you put too many on the satin it will make it difficult to move and cook.
• Coat the Colombian donuts with sugar while still hot, otherwise the sugar will not set to its surface.

Did you know….?

• Using excess baking powder during the preparation of the Colombian donuts When they come into contact with the hot oil, they will brown very quickly on the outside without being sufficiently cooked on the inside.
• Using a new pan to fry the fritters can ruin everything. Use a pan that is already "seasoned" and they won't stick to the bottom.
• If the dough has excess sugar or if the fritters are fried in excessively hot oil, they will most likely burst and lose their shape, as well as being raw on the inside, even if they look golden on the outside.
• Experts say that the fritters are ready when they stop rotating in the oil, their color is already golden and their texture is crunchy. That should happen around ten minutes into cooking.

With all the above considerations, we hope that you are left with the necessary information and with the willingness to prepare the famous Colombian donuts. A delicious dessert that you will surely perfect as you practice the recipe several times, until you achieve the desired dough and master the details of the frying process.