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Cachanga
Cachanga: thin Andean fried bread, dusted with sugar and eaten with coffee
PeruvianOn cold mornings at markets in Puno, Juliaca and Arequipa, women stretch rounds of dough over their knuckles and drop them into big pans of hot oil, and cachangas come out puffed, blistered and golden, to be dusted with sugar and eaten with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or api. The bread is thin, chewy in the middle and crisp at the edges, a cousin of the sopaipilla. Some cooks leave them plain and eat them with cheese. The commonest problem is oil that isn't hot enough: the dough soaks up fat and turns heavy instead of puffing. Keep it at 180 °C and fry one at a time. The dough uses butter and milk, so it is vegetarian but not vegan; swap both for oil and water if needed. Chef's tip: rest the dough for 20 minutes before rolling so it stretches thin without springing back.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
To fry and finish
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar in a bowl. Add 1 oz butter and most of 1 cup warm milk and stir into a shaggy dough, adding the rest of the milk if dry spots remain.
Step 2: Knead on a floured surface for 5 minutes, until smooth and soft. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 3: Divide into 8 balls and roll each into a thin round about 18 cm across, roughly 3 mm thick. Prick each round 3 or 4 times with a fork.
Step 4: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a wide, deep frying pan to 350°F, about 2 cm deep. Fry one round at a time, spooning oil over the top, until puffed and golden, about 1 minute per side.
12 minStep 5: Drain on paper towels and dust generously with 3 tbsp icing sugar while hot. Serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cachanga take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 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.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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