Mandocas (Venezuelan Plantain and Cornmeal Rings)
Sweet and salty fried rings of ripe plantain, cornmeal, papelón and cheese, a breakfast classic from Maracaibo.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Mandocas are the breakfast fritters of Maracaibo and the state of Zulia in western Venezuela: rings of dough made with very ripe plantain, precooked cornmeal, papelón and salty white cheese, fried until deep golden. They are sweet and salty at the same time, crisp outside and soft inside, and they are served hot with fresh cheese and butter or nata on the side.
In the Thermomix® TM7™, the plantain cooks in the simmering basket while the papelón melts into the water below. That sweet water then goes back into the bowl with the plantain, cornmeal and grated cheese, and the dough is kneaded in a minute. You shape the rings by hand and fry them in a pot on the stove.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Mandocas (Venezuelan Plantain and Cornmeal Rings)
Makes: 16 mandocas
- Prep30 min
- Cook35 min
- Total1 h 15 min
- Serves8
Ingredients
For the dough
To fry and serve
Instructions
- Place the cheese in the dry mixing bowl and chop 10 sec/speed 8. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- Place the water and papelón in the mixing bowl. Insert the simmering basket, put the plantain chunks in it and cook 15 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 2, until the plantain is very soft and the papelón has dissolved.
- Remove the simmering basket with the help of the spatula and set the plantain aside. Pour the sweet water into a jug and let it cool for 10 minutes, until warm.
- Return the plantain to the mixing bowl and mash 10 sec/speed 4. Add the cornmeal, grated cheese, anise seeds, salt and 200 g of the warm sweet water, then knead 1 min/dough mode.
- Touch the dough: it should be soft and smooth and hold its shape without sticking. If it cracks, add more sweet water, 1 tbsp at a time, and knead 10 sec/dough mode. Let it rest 5 minutes.
- With lightly oiled hands, divide the dough into 16 pieces (about 50 g each). Roll each into a rope about 15 cm (6 in) long and press the ends together to close the ring.
- In a heavy pot or deep skillet on the stove, heat 4 cm (1 1/2 in) of oil to 175°C (350°F). Fry the mandocas 3 or 4 at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden. The papelón makes them brown quickly, so keep an eye on the heat.
- Drain on paper towels and serve hot with fresh cheese and butter or nata.
Tips
- Choose a plantain that is very ripe, with mostly black skin: it gives mandocas their sweetness and color. A yellow plantain makes a drier, less sweet dough.
- Shape the rings up to 2 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge on a tray lined with parchment paper, then fry them just before serving.
- Leftover mandocas reheat well in an air fryer or a 180°C (350°F) oven for 5 to 8 minutes, until crisp again.
