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Bolinho de estudante
Tapioca and coconut fried fingers
Bolinho de estudante: crisp fried fingers of tapioca and coconut rolled in cinnamon sugar
Baianas de acarajé sell these next to their black-eyed pea fritters, and the name, 'student's cake', comes from how cheap and filling they are for schoolchildren in Salvador. A dough of granulated tapioca soaked in hot milk and coconut milk with grated coconut is shaped into short fingers, fried until the outside shatters, and rolled while still warm in cinnamon sugar. Inside they stay chewy and moist, a little like a coconut doughnut. Eat them with afternoon coffee, or make a tray for a festa junina. A common error is frying before the tapioca has fully absorbed the liquid, which makes the fingers burst open in the oil; give the dough its full 30-minute rest. Chef's tip: keep a bowl of water by you and wet your hands while shaping, so the sticky dough rolls into smooth fingers that fry evenly.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 9 oz granulated tapiocathe coarse flakes sold for mingau, not tapioca flour
- 3 ½ oz grated coconutfresh, or unsweetened desiccated
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ cup coconut milk
For frying and coating
- 4 ¼ cups neutral oil for deep-frying
- 3 ½ oz sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz granulated tapioca, 3 ½ oz grated coconut, 2 ⅞ oz sugar and 1 pinch salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: Heat 1 cup whole milk and ¾ cup coconut milk in a pan over a medium heat until steaming but not boiling, about 4 minutes.
4 minStep 3: Pour the hot liquid over the tapioca mixture and stir well. Cover and leave for 30 minutes, until the grains have soaked up all the liquid and the mass holds together when squeezed.
30 minStep 4: With wet hands, roll heaped tablespoons of dough into fingers about 7 cm long and 2 cm thick, pressing firmly so there are no cracks. You should get about 24.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups neutral oil for deep-frying in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a small piece of dough sizzles at once and rises. Fry the fingers 5–6 at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over.
15 minStep 6: Mix 3 ½ oz sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon on a plate. Drain the bolinhos briefly on kitchen paper, then roll them in the cinnamon sugar while still warm so it sticks. Serve warm or at room temperature the same day.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bolinho de estudante take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 20 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 sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
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