These delicious, crunchy, flaky, deep-fried Yaniqueque wonders are a must-have on a visit to Boca Chica, the popular Dominican beach.
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What is Yaniqueque, and where did it come from?
You know what? there seems to be a lot of theories and quite the disagreement. The most widely accepted theory is that it came from the British West Indies with Cocolo immigrants and that its name is a corruption of the name Johnny Cakes, a dish with which it shares very little in common.
Other equally argued-for theories exist. But I am not a food historian and I am comfortable accepting that the answers to these questions are not quite vital.
To further complicate things, this dish is known as “Arepa” in the North and Northwest, where the more famous “Arepa” is known as “Torta”.
About our recipe
There are also several variations of the same dish throughout the island, This is the Yaniqueque Dominicano as I know it. There may be differences between regions, and even between homes, but they won’t be too far from each other. If you have a different Yaniqueque recipe, I’d love to hear about it.
Buen provecho!
Yaniqueques – Recipe & Video (Fried Crispy Johnny Cake Tortillas)
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 cup of water
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil (soy, corn or canola) for the dough
- 2 cups of vegetable oil (soy, corn or canola) (for frying)
- 1 cup of flour for working the dough and sprinkling on the counter.
- 1/2 teaspoon of coarse sea salt for sprinkling.
Instructions
- Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Pour in water and the oil for the dough and mix in. Work the dough on a lightly floured surface until everything is well mixed, don’t knead the dough (add some flour if it is too sticky or water if it is too dry).
- Let dough rest for 10 min covered in plastic film.
- Extend with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface until it is very thin, nearly translucent. The thinner it is, the crispier it will be. If the dough is sticking, dust with flour as it becomes necessary.
- Cut into the dough circles two 1-inch [2.5 cm] slits with a knife. If the circles are a bit misshapen when you lift them, don’t worry, that’s how they look when you buy from street vendors.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat (350 ºF [175 ºF]). Fry the circles of dough, turning them halfway until they turn golden brown on both sides, rest on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Sprinkle with sea salt to taste and serve.
I tried making this today twice. I followed directions to the t snd it didn’t come out right. The dough was very dry. The amount of oil and water in the instructions doesn’t seem to be enough for the flour to mix properly. What can I add additionally to mix the dough properly?
The recipe explains that you might have to add small amounts of water or flour depending on the consistency of the dough. It is impossible to give an exact amount because there are too many variations to account for. Good luck!
Dear Aunt Clara,
I would like to sincerely thank you for making all of these wonderful traditional recipes available and for representing our culture(sense of humor & hospitality) so graciously. As a Dominican and a chef, I am grateful. Keep up the great work. It would be my pleasure to meet in person someday over yaniquques and hot chocolate.
Warmly,
A Fan
I’m a avid fishermen. I plan to make have these with fried fish Dominican stule even though I’m African American. I enjoy the Dominican culinary experience. I welcome all recipes for seafood especially fish since the local fish caught here in RI is scup also known as porgy.
The name Yaniqueques, comes from journey cakes brought to the Dominican Republic by migrants from the British West Indies who went to DR to work the sugar mill. The enunciation of journey with a Brish accent sounded like yani to the Dominican’s ear.
Dear Clara, you say it has very little in common with Johnny Cakes, but the recipe is exactly the same as the JC in Curaçao. And they are lnown as holjaldres in Panamá.
Very tasty whatever you call them though 🙂
Hi Veerle,
I have found several variations of Johnny Cakes throughout the Caribbean. The Curaçao was not one of them, funny that it is the closest to ours. 🙂