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Muchines de yuca
Muchines de yuca: Guayaquil's cheese-filled cassava dumplings, fried and dusted with sugar
Guayaquileños buy muchines from street carts and bakeries in the afternoon, often with a cup of coffee or a cold fruit juice: golden balls of mashed cassava, crisp outside and soft and chewy within, hiding a pocket of melted cheese and rolled while hot in a little sugar. The salty-sweet mix is the point. Use sweet cassava (yuca) only, fresh or frozen, and always cook it fully; never eat it raw. The usual mistake is letting the cassava cool before mashing, which makes a crumbly dough that splits in the oil. Traditional queso fresco is often set with animal rennet; choose a cheese labelled vegetarian if that matters to you. Chef's tip: pull out the woody fibre down the centre of each boiled piece before mashing, or the dough will be stringy.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 2 ¼ lb sweet cassava (yuca)fresh or frozen, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 oz buttersoftened
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 tsp salt
For the filling and frying
- 5 ½ oz queso fresco or mozzarellacut into 12 small cubes; vegetarian cheese if preferred
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor frying
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil 2 ¼ lb sweet cassava (yuca) in plenty of water for 20–25 minutes, until it is completely soft and starting to split. Drain well.
25 minStep 2: While still hot, pull out and discard the woody central fibres, then mash the cassava until smooth.
5 minStep 4: With oiled hands, flatten a golf-ball-sized piece in your palm, put a cube of 5 ½ oz queso fresco or mozzarella in the middle and close the dough around it, rolling into a smooth ball with no cracks. Repeat to make 12.
Step 5: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 4 muchines at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning, until deep golden and crisp.
12 minStep 6: Drain briefly on kitchen paper, then roll in 2 tbsp caster sugar mixed with ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Serve warm, while the cheese is still molten.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 13 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does muchines de yuca take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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 egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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