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Buñuelos Colombianos
Serves 20 Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Total 30 min Type Snack Origin Colombian

Buñuelos Colombianos

Colombia's Christmas snack: cheese-and-cornstarch dough balls deep-fried into golden orbs with a slightly crisp shell and a chewy cheesy interior.

Serves 20 Prep 15 minutes Cook 15 minutes Units Rate

Overview

Queso costeño (or feta-style salty cheese) mixes with cornstarch flour (almidón), an egg, a pinch of sugar, and just enough water to form a smooth firm dough. Rolls into walnut-sized balls. Drops into oil at a lower-than-usual temperature (160°C) so the inside cooks through before the outside burns. Fries for 5-6 minutes turning constantly until amber-gold and puffed.

Ingredients

  • 250 g queso costeño
  • 250 g cornstarch flour
  • 50 g cornmeal (fine)
  • 1 egg (large)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt (less if your cheese is very salty)
  • 4-5 tablespoons water (as needed)
  • 1 litre neutral oil (for frying)

Method

Stage 1 - Dough

  1. In a wide bowl, mix the cheese, cornstarch flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt.
  2. Add the egg; mix.
  3. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, kneading, until the dough comes together as a smooth firm ball (not sticky, not crumbly).
  4. Rest 10 minutes.

Stage 2 - Shape

  1. Divide the dough into 20 walnut-sized portions (~25 g each).
  2. Roll each between palms into a smooth ball.

Stage 3 - Fry

  1. Heat the oil to 160°C (lower than typical fry temperature - buñuelos need the inside to cook through before the outside burns).
  2. Drop 5-6 balls in at a time.
  3. Turn constantly with a slotted spoon to ensure even colouring.
  4. Cook 5-7 minutes per batch - they should puff slightly, develop tiny cracks (a sign the inside is steaming through), and turn deep amber-gold.
  5. Lift onto a wire rack.

Stage 4 - Serve

  1. Eat hot, traditionally with natillas (Colombian Christmas custard) or just on their own.

Notes

  • Cornstarch flour (almidón), not corn flour: Colombian buñuelos use almidón de yuca (tapioca starch - sometimes labelled mandioca flour). Plain corn flour (maizena) gives a softer, less crisp result. Latin / Caribbean groceries stock it.
  • LOWER oil temperature than other frying: 160°C is correct. Hot oil burns the surface before the interior cooks.
  • Tiny cracks signal doneness: as the balls fry, small fissures appear on the surface - that's the steam escaping. Without those, the inside is still doughy.
  • Cheese matters: queso costeño is salty and firm. Feta + mature cheddar is the closest substitute outside Colombia.

Storage

  • Best within 30 minutes of frying.
  • Day-old buñuelos lose their crisp; refresh briefly in a 200°C oven 4 minutes.
  • Don't refrigerate - they go rubbery.

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