Nuegados de Yuca con Miel de Panela
Nuégados de Yuca con Miel de Panela·(nweh-gah-dos deh yoo-kah kon myell deh pah-neh-lah)
Antojitos: Weeknight Hacks and Street Food Fixes
If you grew up in a Salvadoran household, four o'clock means one thing: la hora del café, and nothing pairs better with afternoon coffee than a plate of nuégados. Ignore the internet hacks telling you to boil the yuca first—if you want the honest, deeply satisfying crunch and chewy center that grandma would approve of, the root must be ground raw. Back home, this meant an exhausting trip to the communal mill, but here, your food processor does the heavy lifting. Paired with accessible supermarket cheeses to mimic our salty queso duro blando, this recipe captures the uncompromising taste of the homeland without killing your weeknight.
Before you start
Break the panela with a mallet.
To save simmering time, place the solid block of panela inside a sturdy zip-top bag and smack it with a meat mallet or rolling pin to break it into manageable pieces before cooking.
Ingredients
- panela or piloncillo8 oz
- water1 cup
- cinnamon sticks2 large
- whole cloves3 small
- whole allspice berries3 small
- fresh or thawed frozen yuca1 lb
- parmesan and mozzarella cheese blend1/2 cup
- egg1 large
- baking powder1 tsp
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- sour cream or milk1 tbsp
- vegetable oil2 cup
Method
- 01
Simmer the spiced panela syrup.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the broken panela, water, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until the sugar dissolves into a light syrup slightly thinner than maple syrup.
- 02
Process the raw yuca into fine granules.
Place the cubed yuca into a high-powered food processor and pulse several times until the dense root is broken down. Do not use cooked yuca, or you will irrevocably lose the fritter's signature chew.
- 03
Form the dough paste.
Add the cheese blend, egg, baking powder, and salt to the processor, running it continuously for 1 to 2 minutes until a thick, cohesive, and slightly sticky paste forms. If the machine struggles, add the sour cream or milk a splash at a time just to get things moving.
- 04
Fry the fritters over medium heat.
Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a deep skillet to 350°F—if the oil is too hot, the outside will burn before the raw starch gelatinizes inside. Using wet hands or a spoon, scoop golf-ball-sized portions of dough, gently flatten them into thick discs, and fry for 4 to 5 minutes per side until deeply golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.
- 05
Drain briefly and drench in the warm syrup.
Transfer the fried nuégados to a wire rack or paper-towel-lined plate for just a minute to shed excess oil. Move them to a serving platter and generously drizzle the infused miel de panela over the top, serving immediately alongside hot coffee.
Notes
Use frozen yuca to save time.
Commercial frozen yuca is pre-peeled and cored, making it a perfect weeknight shortcut. Just ensure it is completely thawed and patted very dry before processing.
Replicating queso duro blando.
Salvadoran hard cheese can be tough to find in an American suburb. A 50/50 blend of Parmesan for salinity and Mozzarella or Monterey Jack for texture is an excellent, reliable substitute.