Buñuelos Colombianos — Cheese Dough Fritters

Ingredients

• 3 cups finely grated queso costeño or firm salty white cheese
• ½ cup cassava starch (almidón de yuca)
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp milk, if needed
• 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Method

1. Mix the grated cheese, cassava starch, cornstarch, sugar, and baking powder, then work in the egg with your hands until it forms a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Add milk only if it refuses to come together.
2. Roll into smooth balls the size of a walnut, pressing out every crack and seam by rolling firmly between your palms. Cracks split open in the oil.
3. Heat the oil to just 300°F (150°C) — low, and this is the entire secret. Hot oil browns the outside before the inside has time to expand and hollow out.
4. Slide in the balls and let them sit until they float and turn themselves, about 6 minutes. Do not push them around; they rotate on their own when ready.
5. Fry another 4–5 minutes until evenly deep gold and light in the hand. Drain on a rack and eat warm with hot chocolate.