Brazilian Savory Cookies aka “Biscoito Frito Salgado”

Biscoito Frito da vovó!!

This is My grandma’s recipe just taught to me by my mom earlier today over Easter weekend in New Jersey! Yes I’m Brazilian, but raised in Jersey and it feels like home especially when special things such as these happen!

I’m not one for eating fried food at all, and if so, quite seldomly for occasions such as these. Was wonderful to spend all morning with my mom learning this, and she agreed I should share the recipe with you all! Anyone else love or grew up with these?

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Brazilian Fried Savory Cookies aka “Biscoito Frito Salgado”

WHAT

1 heaping cup coarse corn flour (farinha de milho)

1/2 cup Water

2 cups tapioca starch (may use 1 cup povinho doce +1 cup of povinho azedo – aka “regular manioc starch and acidic manioc starch”)

1 tbsp salt (to taste)

1/3 cup oil and 1/3 cup (together)

1 egg

I will be posting #stepbystep pictures #ontheblog so you will not mess this up.

HOW

In a bowl, Overflowing cup of corn flour with 1/2 cup water slowly with wooden spoon until it is “hydrated” or softened but not wet. My mom calls this the humidifying process.

Add 1/3 cup oil and 1/3 cup water in a sauce pan and bring to a quick boil. This is called “escaldar” the dough which kind of “pre-cooks” the dough. As I stand next to my mother asking her these things I realize how quickly it is to translate these words. Once it boils, we’d to dough and mix with wooden spoon.

The texture reminds me of scrambled eggs. Add manioc starches to the mix and incorporate well. Add salt and mix.

Once it cools enough knead with hands and crack the egg in. Make sure the mixture becomes homogenous. If too soggy or wet, add a little more manioc starch. If not “salty enough” add more salt. My mother’s words.

Take a tablespoon of dough and roll it thing, connecting the tips into a circle.

She then prepared a small sauce pan, not a frying pan with 1 cup of canola oil. She said the pan has to have “walls”to contain the heat, but I suspect a frying pan would be fine. Heat it at medium to high heat. Drop to circle shaped “cookie” and fry until golden Brown.