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Muéganos de Huamantla
Fried dough in piloncillo syrup
Tlaxcala's sticky clusters of fried dough in piloncillo syrup
Huamantla, in Tlaxcala, is known for its August fair, when the streets are carpeted with coloured sawdust and flowers, and for muéganos: little cubes of fried dough glued together with dark piloncillo syrup into a sticky cluster, often pressed onto a round wafer. Visitors buy them in stacks from sweet shops around the main square. The dough is crisp and light, the syrup spiced with cinnamon and clove. Chef's tip: cut the dough into small, even cubes so they all fry golden at the same time.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 oz buttersoft
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
- 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil for frying
For the syrup
- ½ cup water
- 2 cloves
Optional
- 8 round edible wafers (obleas) (optional)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. Add 1 oz butter, 2 eggs and ¼ cup milk and knead for 5 minutes into a smooth, firm dough. Rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Roll the dough to 1 cm thick and cut into 1 cm cubes.
Step 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups vegetable oil for frying to 350°F. Fry the cubes in batches for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until puffed and evenly golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 4: Simmer 9 oz piloncillo or dark brown sugar, ½ cup water, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 cloves for 8–10 minutes, until thick and syrupy and a drop in cold water forms a soft ball. Remove the spices.
10 minStep 5: Tip the fried cubes into the syrup and stir to coat. Common mistake: syrup that is too thin; the clusters slide apart. It should coat the cubes in a sticky glaze.
Step 6: Spoon into clusters on oiled baking paper or on 8 round edible wafers (obleas), pressing gently. Leave 30 minutes to set. Keep in a tin for up to a week.
30 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does muéganos de Huamantla take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
- 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 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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