Chipa
Paraguayan anise-scented cheese bread rings made with cassava starch and cornmeal
In Paraguay you hear 'chipa, chipa!' called by vendors with big baskets on buses and street corners, and every family bakes it for Holy Week, when chipa is the food of Good Friday. Cassava starch, a little cornmeal, butter, eggs and a lot of hard cheese are kneaded into a dough scented with aniseed, shaped into rings or small rolls and baked in a hot oven, traditionally a domed clay tatakua. It's chewy, crisp outside and best warm with cocido (toasted yerba tea). Chef's tip: the dough should feel soft and slightly greasy; add milk a spoon at a time, as too much makes the chipa spread flat.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.
Step 2: Beat 3 ½ oz butter with 2 eggs, 1 tsp aniseed and ½ tsp salt until creamy. Mix in 9 oz hard cheese (Paraguayan queso or Parmesan-style and mature cheddar).
Step 3: Add 14 oz cassava (tapioca) starch and 1 ¾ oz fine cornmeal and work it with your hand, adding ¼ cup milk a spoon at a time, until it comes together into a soft, smooth dough that doesn't crack when you bend it. Knead for 3 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Roll pieces into ropes 1.5 cm thick and 12 cm long and join the ends into rings, or roll into small horseshoes or balls. Space them on the trays. Common mistake: a dry, crumbly dough; it cracks while shaping and bakes hard, so add milk until it's pliable.
Step 5: Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden-brown on the bottom and pale gold on top, with a few cracks. Eat warm.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chipa take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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