One of the most classic winter recipes in Chile is sopaipillas pasadas (sopaipillas in syrup), a slightly sweet fried pumpkin bread. On rainy days, it’s almost mandatory to prepare this sweet and comforting dish, perfect for when you come home numb from the cold.
What is chancaca?
Chancaca is a typical ingredient in Chilean desserts. It’s basically a syrup made from sugarcane juice, which is then crushed, molded, and dried. This same product, or a very similar one, can be found throughout Latin America and Asia under differents names: panela, piloncillo, atado de dulce, pepas dulces, raspadura, empanizado, or panocha.
So now, even if you’re not in Chile, you can prepare delicious sopaipillas pasadas for those rainy days.
If you like Chilean sopaipillas, you must also try the picarones, a pumpkin-fried donut.
Chilean Sopaipillas
Sopaipillas are a classic of Chilean cuisine, slightly sweet fried pumpkin pastries that can be eaten sweet, with a sweet syrup, or savory with pebre (a Chilean salsa).
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked pumpkin peeled and mashed (puree)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons shortening, margarine or butter
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoons baking podwer
- mild-flavored oil for frying
To prepare the chancaca syrup:
- 1 block of chancaca approximately 7 oz
- 1 cinnamon stick
- orange peel
- 1 clove
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar optional
Instructions
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In a bowl, combine the pumpkin, flour, shortening,baking powder and salt; mix without kneading. Add more flour if the dough is too wet and doesn't easily separate from the bowl.
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On a flat surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch, cut out circles of the desired size, and prick them with a fork to prevent them from puffing up while frying.
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Heat a pan with oil, and when it’s very hot, carefully fry the sopaipillas on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and enjoy!
To prepare the chancaca syrup:
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In a medium saucepan, combine one cup of cold water, the chancaca (brown sugar), cinnamon, cloves, and orange peel. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until it begins to boil.
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In half a cup of cold water, dissolve the cornstarch and sugar. Add this mixture to the saucepan with the chancaca, stirring to prevent lumps from forming, until it boils again.
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Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and it’s ready to dip your sopaipillas in.
