Pastel de angu

Step 1: Bring 2 ½ cups water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp neutral oil to the boil in a pan over a medium heat. Pour in 9 oz fine yellow cornmeal (fubá) in a stream, stirring hard, and cook for 6–8 minutes, until it is a very thick angu that comes away from the pan.

Step 2: Spread it out on a tray and leave for 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle.

Step 3: Knead in 4 oz sweet cassava starch (polvilho doce) or tapioca flour a handful at a time, until the dough is smooth, no longer sticks to your hands and does not crack when pressed. Add a little more starch if it stays sticky.

Step 4: Mix 9 oz semi-cured Minas cheese, 2 spring onions and ½ tsp dried oregano in a bowl.

Step 5: Roll walnut-sized balls of dough between two sheets of plastic or baking paper into 10 cm rounds about 3 mm thick. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on one half, fold over and press the edges with a fork to seal. You should get about 18.

Step 6: Heat 4 ¼ cups neutral oil for deep-frying in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a scrap of dough sizzles and rises at once. Fry 4–5 pastéis at a time for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until golden and blistered.

Step 7: Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, while the cheese is still melting.