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Tawa tawa
Tawa tawa: La Paz's puffy fried dough diamonds with cane syrup
Around All Saints and Carnival, tawa tawa piles up on stalls across La Paz and El Alto: little diamonds of enriched dough that puff into hollow pillows in hot oil and are drowned in dark cane syrup or honey. They are eaten warm with a cup of api or cinnamon tea in the cold highland air. The commonest error is rolling the dough too thick, which gives chewy, doughy middles instead of airy pockets. Chef's tip: keep the oil steady at 175 °C and spoon hot oil over the top of each piece as it fries; that is what makes them balloon.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 ⅜ oz buttermelted
- 1 eggbeaten
- ½ cup warm milk
To fry and finish
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor deep-frying
- ½ cup cane syrup or runny honeywarmed
- 2 tbsp icing sugar (optional)for dusting
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Add 1 ⅜ oz butter, 1 egg and ½ cup warm milk and stir into a soft dough.
5 minStep 2: Knead on a lightly floured surface for 3 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky. Cover and rest for 10 minutes so it rolls without springing back.
13 minStep 3: Roll the dough out to 3 mm thick and cut into diamonds about 6 cm long.
5 minStep 4: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a scrap of dough rises sizzling in 3 seconds. Fry 4 or 5 diamonds at a time, spooning oil over the tops, until puffed and golden on both sides, about 2 minutes.
12 minStep 5: Drain on kitchen paper. Pile onto a plate, pour over ½ cup cane syrup or runny honey and dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar if you like. Eat warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tawa tawa take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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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