Picarones are an ancient and delightful sweet treat typical in Chile and Peru, somewhat similar to sopaipillas. They contain yeast, which gives the dough a much airier texture.
This old recipe is based on Spanish fritters or Spanish buñuelos, a recipe that, in turn, has a strong Moorish influence.
The Chilean picarones:
The Chilean version of picarones (see the recipe below) is made with cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, flour, milk, active dry yeast, and sugar. I always like to add a pinch of salt to dough made with flour.
Tips for Preparing Picarones recipe:
The key to shaping picarones with their characteristic ring shape involves a “trick”. Before shaping the dough by hand (watch the video below), dip your hand in ice-cold water. The colder your hand is, the better, as this prevents the dough from sticking too much. Make sure to thoroughly dry your hand before handling the dough. If you accidentally splash water into the hot oil, it might splatter and burn you.
While the picarones dough is fermenting in a warm place, prepare the chancaca sauce in a large pot (so you can put the picarones inside), which is very similar to the syrup used for “sopaipillas pasadas” and adds a wonderful touch to picarones. If you enjoy fried sweets but don’t have sweet potatoes, you can make “calzones rotos”.
Storage and Shelf Life:
Fried dough is best when freshly made and still warm to maintain its crispiness. However, you can fry them and store them for a day or so. If you prefer them warm, like I do, you can reheat them in an oven at 180°C (about 350°F) for about 10 minutes. Warm the chancaca sauce and pour it over the picarones. To heat the sauce, simply bring it to a boil in a pot over high heat. If it’s too thick, you can add a little water. It’s best to store the chancaca sauce in a glass container in the refrigerator, as it might stain other materials.
I’ve seen that in some restaurants, they prepare the mixture and store it in the refrigerator, without frying it, for 2 or 3 days, with plastic wrap touching the dough to prevent it from rising further. Logic tells me that it should work, but I’ve never been able to try it because every time I make these picarones, they’re eagerly consumed until the dough is gone.
Picarones recipe
Picarones are an ancient and delightful sweet treat typical in Chile and Peru, somewhat similar to sopaipillas. They contain yeast, which gives the dough a much airier texture.
Ingredients
- For the Sweet Potato Dough:
- 1 cup of cooked and mashed sweet potato or pumpkin
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour no baking powder
- A pinch of fine salt
- 1/2 cup of warm whole milk you should be able to touch it without burning
- 1 tablespoon of dry yeast
- 1/4 cup of granulated white sugar
- For the Chancaca Syrup:
- 1 chancaca block unrefined cane of dark brown sugar
- 1 cup of water
- lemon or orange peel
- A piece of cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water
- Cooking oil for frying
Instructions
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For the pumpkin puree:
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To prepare the pumpkin purée, chop and peel the fresh pumpkin or sweet potato. Place it in a pot with enough water to cover and cook over medium heat until the sweet potato pieces are soft.
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Drain the sweet potato pieces and strain them through a sieve to obtain a puree.
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For the Picarones:
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In a small bowl, mix the milk with sugar and a little flour. Add the yeast and let it rest to activate the yeast.
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Meanwhile, mix the remaining flour with the sweet potato purée and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon. You’ll get a very sticky dough.
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In a large bowl cover the dough with a cloth and let it ferment for 2 hours in a warm spot, or until it doubles in size. You can let the dough at room temperature, but in a warm place, it will rise quickly.
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Heat a good amount of oil.
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As seen in the video, dip your hand in a bowl of ice water. The important thing is to have a cold hand, so the dough doesn’t stick. Dry your hand and carefully take a small handful of dough without squeezing it. Gently insert a finger in the middle to form the dough rings and carefully place it in the hot oil. Insert the back of a wooden spoon (about the thickness of a finger) into the hole of the picarón and move it gently (as seen in the video) to prevent the hole from closing and leaving part of the dough uncooked. Turn the picarón in the oil until it’s golden brown on both sides.
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Drain the picarones on paper towels.
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For the Chancaca Syrup:
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In a small pot, combine the water, chancaca, citrus zest, and cinnamon. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until the chancaca is dissolved.
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Add the dissolved cornstarch and continue cooking and stirring until it boils and turns into a thick syrup. Cook for 3 minutes.
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Serve the picarones with a little hot chancaca syrup and enjoy!
