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Bocadillo veleño
Guava and panela paste
Bocadillo veleño: firm guava and panela paste from Vélez, wrapped in leaves and eaten with cheese
Vélez, a hill town in Santander, has given its name to Colombia's favourite sweet. Bocadillo veleño is guava pulp cooked down with panela and sugar until it sets into a firm, sliceable paste, deep red and fruity with a caramel edge, then cut into bars and wrapped in dried bijao leaves. It is the snack of bus journeys and school lunchboxes, and with a slice of fresh white cheese it becomes the classic pairing Colombians call a matrimonio. Plan for overnight setting. Stopping the cooking too early is the familiar mistake: the paste looks thick in the pan but stays soft and weeps once cool, so cook until it pulls away from the pan and a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a clear track. Long sleeves are a good idea; it splutters. Bijao leaves are hard to find abroad; banana leaves or baking paper work. Chef's tip: use pink-fleshed guavas for colour, and add the lime early so the pectin sets firm.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
- 3 ⅓ lb ripe pink-fleshed guavaswashed, ends trimmed, quartered
- 1 cup water
- 14 oz sugar
- 7 oz panelagrated; or dark muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp sunflower oilfor the tin
- 16 bijao or banana leavescut into 12 x 15 cm pieces; or baking paper
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 3 ⅓ lb ripe pink-fleshed guavas and 1 cup water in a large pot, cover and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes, until very soft.
15 minStep 2: Blend to a purée, then push through a sieve with a ladle to remove all the seeds. You should have about 1.2 litres of thick pulp.
Step 3: Return the pulp to a clean, wide, heavy pan with 14 oz sugar, 7 oz panela and 2 tbsp lime juice. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
Step 4: Cook at a lively simmer for 60–90 minutes, stirring often with a long wooden spoon and more constantly as it thickens. It is ready when it is dark red, pulls away from the sides and a spoon drawn across the bottom leaves a clear track for a few seconds.
80 minStep 5: Brush a 20 x 20 cm tin with 1 tsp sunflower oil and line with baking paper. Pour in the paste and smooth the top.
Step 6: Leave uncovered at room temperature for 12 hours or overnight, until firm enough to slice cleanly.
Step 7: Turn out, cut into 16 bars and wrap each in a piece of 16 bijao or banana leaves. Store in an airtight box in a cool place for up to a month.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bocadillo veleño take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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