Christmas Colombian Bunuelos How-2 Guide

December 19th, 2006 · 7 Comments

(Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with hot chocolate
Â© 2005-2006 Nika All rights reserved)Â Last year I did a quickie post on Colombian bunuelos but I did not do the How-2 Guide or give a recipe. I will do that now.

Colombian Bunuelos

Ingredients:

2 C white fresh farmers cheese, finely ground or crumbled with fork
2 C Colombian “Bunuelina” mix
2 eggs
milk to moisten
canola oil for deep frying

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except oil) in a bowl.

(What the mix should look like before making into balls
Â© 2005-2006 Nika All rights reserved)Â Make balls a little smaller than the size of a golf ball, DO NOT COMPRESS the dough.

(Roll dough into loose balls, not hard packed ones
Â© 2005-2006 Nika All rights reserved)Â DO NOT DROP THESE DOUGH BALLS INTO HOT OIL.

Heat the oil to very warm (you can stick your finger in it but not very long). Gently drop the balls into the oil and then turn up the heat. The balls will linger at the bottom of the pot until the oil heats up. They will turn themselves as they come up “for air.” Fry until light brown. Remove to a drained surface to cool.

(Start in cool oil to avoid explosions
Â© 2005-2006 Nika All rights reserved)Â For the next batch let the oil cool down (doesnt have to be as cool as when you first started) such that a test dough ball will drop to the bottom and then rise slowly to the top. Once the oil has cooled enough to do this, add your next batch. Always use a splatter shield.If you drop them into hot oil they will explode and could seriously hurt you.

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food, Colombia, Colombian, bunuelo, christmas, navidad, latin, latino, hispanic, dessert, sweet, sugar, cheese, fried.

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7 comments for this entry ↓

1 Nicole // Dec 23, 2006 at 7:26 pm

I would love to try these! Actually, I would love sit down with these, you, and a cup of coffee and pick your brain about food photography
2 nika // Dec 29, 2006 at 5:59 pm

Nicole: that would be a lot of fun! You would have to be ready to shout over the three year old (who doesnt know about inside voices yet it seems) and not mind my having to take breaks to feed the baby I live in chaos! Ok, on second thought, lets meet at a starbucks far from kids, if only for an hour That would be nice
3 Felisha // Dec 4, 2007 at 12:55 pm

I’m going to give these a try. I can’t tell you how many recipes (even the ones in the colombian cookbooks–in english and spanish) have failed me, and I am a fairly decent cook.
4 Nika // Dec 4, 2007 at 12:57 pm

I wish you all the luck… try to follow these directions closely, especially re: the oil temperature and dont forge to use an oil splatter guard! Let me know how it goes.
5 Mitch // Jan 19, 2008 at 5:41 pm

Is it necessary to use Bunuelina flour? Or will any kind of flour work?
6 Nika // Jan 19, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Mitch - this is not wheat flour . it is made of corn starch.

This is the scratch recipe:

3 cups of farmer’s white cheese processed to a mealy texture
1 cup of sifted cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
Â½ tsp baking powder
2 beaten eggs
Milk or water

Mix the cornstarch, sugar and baking powder. Add the cheese and mix well keeping it fluffy, not doughy. Add the eggs and mix together, keeping it light. Now add enough milk or water to slowly start forming a dough. Do NOT press together tightly. Start making balls the size of large walnuts. You may need more milk or water for them to hold together. Do NOT make tightly pressed balls. Heat oil to a warm-hot temperature. Test by dropping in a tiny ball of dough. If it stays on the bottom, too cold. If it rises to the top, too hot. When the tiny ball rises slowly to the top, it’s ready. Put enough balls in the fryer to layer the bottom. They should rise slowly to the top, and after a few minutes, they should start turning themselves over. At this point, you can slowly turn up the heat a little until they are a golden brown. Before adding the next batch, let the oil cool down a little. Warning! Do NOT have small children anywhere near the stove. The buÃ±uelos have been known to explode and cause severe burns. I have a scar on my arm to prove it! I always use a mesh cover over the frying buÃ±uelos.
7 Rebecca // Dec 10, 2008 at 2:20 pm

Hi,

I tried to cook Bunelos for my Colombian best friend last year - they were a disaster. Now I have found your recipe and want to try it this year. What happens if I cannot find the exact cheese that you show - are there other cheeses I can use instead?

Nikas Culinaria

eat with your eyes