Sweet Yuca Fritters (Buñuelos de Yuca) Recipe

Directions

Sweet Yuca Fritters (Buñuelos de Yuca)

This recipes courtesy of Chef David Sterling, Executive Chef and Founder of Los Dos Cooking School in Merida, Mexico.

These delectable fritters are sold in little plastic bags - six to the order - throughout the market in the quaint colonial city of Valladolid in eastern Yucatan. They are somehow always still warm. Ask the vendor to open the bag and squeeze some local honey onto the fritters for you. Some cooks prepare a cinnamon scented sugar syrup to pour over the buñuelos, but with the abundance of excellent honey in Yucatan, I prefer to keep it simple. Eumelia Villanueva Viuda de Castillo from Valladolid shared this easy recipe with me. Any flavor of honey is good, but I suggest the Yucatan Dzidzilche Organic Honey. Its light, floral fragrance is a wonderful compliment to the subtle flavor of the yuca
A note about yuca: Yucca, with two "c"s refers to the decorative plant found in many desert environments. Yuca and Yucca are not related. Yuca is a tuber that was cultivated for millennia by the Maya and others of the Yucatan region. You can sometimes find Yuca in your local grocery store, or at Latin markets.

The dough for the Buñuelos can be made a day in advance; Form it into balls and refrigerate until ready to serve. Buñuelos should be eaten immediately after frying, while still warm.

ingredients
2 pounds yuca - peeled and sliced into thick rounds
1 egg plus 1 yolk
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Rice bran oil for frying
Dzidzilche Organic Honey for serving

directions
1. Place the yuca in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer until tender - about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

2. Transfer yuca slices to a food processor. Add the egg, yolk and salt, and process until the mixture turns into a stiff dough - about 2 minutes. Remove the dough from the processor and form into twenty (20) 1-1/2 oz balls. Place balls on a tray covered with wax paper as you continue to form the balls.

3. Pour 3 inches of rice bran oil into a deep skillet or saucepan. Heat until a thermometer reads 350-degrees. Working a few at a time, fry the bunuelos until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel to drain.

4. To serve, pour generous amounts of honey over the buñuelos. In Valladolid, people at them with their fingers, but you may wish to use a fork or spoon.

serves 10