Nuegados de Yuca are a deep-fried dough made with cassava and cheese, popular in El Salvador. Finely ground cassava, shredded cheese and eggs are some of the ingredients used to make the dough which is divided into smaller pieces, shaped then deep fried. After the dough is fried it is drizzled with panela honey.
Panela honey isn’t real honey. It is made from cane sugar. Most commonly made and consumed in Latin America, Panela is made from juicing sugar canes and heating the juice until the liquid evaporates leaving behind blocks of pure sugar. Panela honey refers to the syrup made when the blocks of sugar are dissolved in water.
Variations of this dish exist in other Latin American countries, known as Bunuelos. Colombian Bunuelos are perfectly round and slightly sweet but does not have a sweet topping whereas Mexican Bunuelos don’t contain cheese but have a sweet topping. Nuegados can also be made with corn.
El Salvadoran Nuegados are usually eaten with chilate which is a popular afternoon drink.
Origin & Cultural Significance
Though Nuegados are not unique to El Salvador. What makes nuegados El Salvadoran is the use of panela honey.
El Salvadoran Nuegados de Yuca Recipe
Ingredients
Nuegados
- Cassava, finely ground – 1 lb
- Eggs, beaten - 2
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Cheese, grated – 3 oz.
- Salt – ¼ tsp
- Oil for frying
Panela Honey
- Panela sugar pieces- ½ lb
- Water – 1 cup
- Cinnamon sticks – 2
- Cloves, whole – 3
Instructions
Panela Honey
- Pour the panela pieces into a large saucepan.
- Add the water and spices.
- Simmer over medium heat until the panela is completely dissolved.
- Mix and boil over low heat, stirring frequently for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture thickens enough to leave the spoon covered with a light layer. Set aside.
Nuégados
- Mix all the ingredients to form a soft dough.
- Shape the nuégados into small thick tortillas.
- Heat a large pot with oil and deep-fry the nuégados until they are golden brown.
- Serve the nuégados drizzled with panela honey.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 229Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 307mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Photo credit: Garrett Ziegler