Cachapas

Made from a batter of pureed fresh corn and masa harina (corn flour), cachapas are a sort of pancake from Colombia and Venezuela. We enrich the batter with egg yolks, then stuff the cooked cachapas with mozzarella, queso fresco, cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeños. Slideshow: More Corn Recipes 

Cachapas
Photo: Abby Hocking
Total Time:
1 hrs
Yield:
6

Ingredients

  • 5 cups fresh corn kernels (from 8 ears)

  • 1/2 cup masa harina

  • 2 large egg yolks

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 3/4 cup coarsely grated mozzarella

  • 3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco

  • 1 small jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced

  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

  • Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

  1. In a food processor, pulse the corn until a thick, coarse puree forms. Add the masa, egg yolks, salt, sugar, black pepper and cayenne and pulse until well combined. Scrape the cachapa batter into a bowl.

  2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Scoop 3 slightly heaping ½-cup mounds of batter into the skillet and spread them into 4- to 5-inch rounds. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the tops are set and the edges are beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Carefully flip the cachapas, cover and cook until browned on both sides and a skewer inserted in the middle of each one comes out clean, about 6 minutes. (Reduce the heat to moderately low if the cachapas brown too quickly.)

  3. Sprinkle each cachapa with 2 tablespoons of the mozzarella and 1 tablespoon of the queso fresco, cover and cook until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Top each cachapa with a few jalapeño slices and 1 tablespoon of cilantro, then carefully fold them in half and transfer to a platter. Keep warm. Wipe out the skillet and repeat to make 3 more cachapas.

  4. Sprinkle the cachapas with the remaining 6 tablespoons of queso fresco and 2 tablespoons of cilantro and serve with lime wedges.

Notes

Masa harina is a soft flour made from finely ground dried corn kernels. It can be found in the ethnic food aisle of most grocery stores.

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