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Cachapas
Venezuelan sweet fresh-corn pancakes folded with soft cheese
Cachapas are the roadside breakfast of Venezuela; along the highways of Aragua and Carabobo, stands called cachaperas grill them on big iron plates from early morning. They are thick, slightly lumpy pancakes made from fresh blended sweetcorn, sweet and savoury at once, folded over a slab of soft, stretchy white cheese (queso de mano) that melts with the heat. Mozzarella works well outside Venezuela. Chef's tip: keep a few whole kernels in the batter; the little bursts of corn are part of a real cachapa.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb sweetcorn kernelsfresh or frozen and thawed
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 oz buttermelted, plus extra to serve
- 9 oz fresh mozzarella or queso de manothickly sliced
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Blend 1 ⅛ lb sweetcorn kernels with ¼ cup milk until mostly smooth but with some texture left, 30 seconds.
Step 2: Pour into a bowl and stir in 2 ⅛ oz precooked yellow cornmeal (masarepa), 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and half the ½ oz butter. The batter should be thick but pourable, like thick pancake batter; rest 5 minutes and add a spoon of water if it becomes stiff.
Step 3: Heat a non-stick frying pan or griddle over a medium heat and brush with a little of the remaining ½ oz butter. Pour in a ladle of batter and spread into a 15 cm round about 1 cm thick.
2 minStep 4: Cook until bubbles appear, the edges look dry and the underside is golden brown, 3–4 minutes. Flip carefully with a wide spatula and cook 2–3 minutes more. The common mistake is flipping too early: the soft batter breaks.
6 minStep 5: Lay slices of 9 oz fresh mozzarella or queso de mano on half the hot cachapa and fold over. Keep warm while you cook the rest (makes 4). Serve with extra butter.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cachapas take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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 milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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