AI-generated image
Mandocas
Corn and plantain ring fritters
Mandocas zulianas: ring-shaped fritters of corn dough, ripe plantain, panela and cheese
Maracaibo breakfasts often start with mandocas, chewy loops of corn dough sweetened with mashed ripe plantain and dark panela, fried until almost mahogany and eaten with butter, salty white cheese and a cup of coffee. They are sold hot from bakeries and street carts all over Zulia. Venezuelan white cheeses are usually made with animal rennet; feta-style or other vegetarian salty cheeses work. The mistake most people make is frying too hot: the panela darkens and turns bitter before the dough cooks through. Chef's tip: the riper the plantain, with black skin, the softer and sweeter the mandocas.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 very ripe plantainabout 300 g, black-skinned
- 2 ⅞ oz panelagrated, or dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup waterwarm
- 3 ½ oz hard salty white cheesefinely grated; vegetarian if needed
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 cups vegetable oilfor frying
To serve
- 1 ⅜ oz butter (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Cut the ends off 1 very ripe plantain, cut it into 3 pieces in its skin and boil for 15 minutes, until very soft. Peel and mash smoothly.
15 minStep 2: Stir 2 ⅞ oz panela into ¾ cup water until dissolved.
2 minStep 3: Mix 9 oz pre-cooked white cornmeal (harina de maíz precocida), 3 ½ oz hard salty white cheese and ¼ tsp salt in a bowl, add the mashed plantain and the panela water and knead for 2 minutes into a soft, smooth dough that doesn't stick. Add a spoonful of water if it cracks.
5 minStep 4: Roll walnut-sized pieces into ropes about 1.5 cm thick and 18 cm long, then bring the ends together in a teardrop loop and pinch them firmly.
15 minStep 5: Heat 3 cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 3–4 mandocas at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep golden-brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
20 minStep 6: Serve hot, with 1 ⅜ oz butter.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 420 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mandocas take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 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.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi
BsissaRoasted barley flour with olive oil
A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.
Tunisian