These bollitos de yuca (cheese-stuffed yuca balls) are crispy outside, soft and cheesy inside. A sure hit with your guests.
Why we ❤️ it
These fried yuca balls are one of those no-frills snacks that we love with a passion and prepare with ingredients that can be found anywhere in our country, even the most remote campo.
Bollitos de yuca brings me memories of our trips to Santiago when I was a kid. There was zero chance we'd make that trip and not stop by at one of our favorite spots for some cassava balls.
Going around the country I discovered that this wasn't just a Santiago thing, but that you're likely to find them anywhere in the country.
Cheese-stuffed fried bassava balls.
Bollitos vs. chulitos
No Dominican dish is complete without a dash of linguistic confusion. This is one I've found later in life, but, apparently, some people call chulitos bollitos. I am not sure if it's a regional thing or just confusion in some people's minds, but just so you know: Bollos de Yuca are made with boiled yuca, whereas chulitos are made with raw grated yuca. And these fried yuca balls are typically filled with cheese, but chulitos are traditionally stuffed with meat.
How do you know these?
Baked bollitos de yuca
I have been asked many times if it is possible to bake these instead of frying them. The answer is, it didn't work for me... but, I have just the recipe for you, try our baked yuca balls instead.
About our recipe
There aren't that many ways to make these yuca balls. The basics should be the same but, of course, I've put my own touch on this one (like adding parsley to the dough).
If you add a special touch to your bollitos, I'd love to hear it, please share in the comments!
Video
Recipe
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[Recipe + Video] Bollitos de Yuca
Ingredients
- 1 pound cassava, (yuca)
- 2 tablespoons butter , (salted)
- 1 teaspoon curly parsley, , finely chopped
- ¼ cup milk , (whole or skim)
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
- ½ pound cheddar, , cubed [0.24 kg]
- 1 egg, (medium)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups Oil for frying
Instructions
Boil yuca: Peel and boil the cassava until it is tender, adding a tablespoon of salt to the water.Take out of the water and puree.
Mash yuca: Add the butter, parsley and milk and mix well.Season with salt to taste and let cool down to room temperature.
Make balls: Put two tablespoonfuls of the mixture in the palm of your hand. Flatten it, put a cheese cube in the center. and roll around it into a ball.Repeat with the remaining yuca mash.
Coat balls: Whisk the egg. Dip the balls into the egg, then into the flour. Coat it with flour and shake off the excess.Chill uncovered for 2-4 hours (you can keep them frozen in a lidded container for a couple of days).- Fry balls: Fry in medium-hot oil (350 ºF [175ºC) over until they are golden brown.Place on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Serve: Preferably serve immediately while still warm.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
Published Nov 5, 2012, revised
