Picarones are a Peruvian doughnut-like fried dessert that are light and crispy. Their primary ingredients are squash and sweet potato.
Typically picarones are served along with a sweet syrupy sauce known as chancaca used for dipping or drizzling on top of the picarones.
Try the picarones recipe below to make your own traditional Peruvian dessert.
See all other from Peruvian Recipes | Recetas Peruanas
Ingredients List:
- 1/2 Pound Canned Pumpkin (Calabaza)
- 6 Ounces Sweet Potato
- 1/2 Cup Warm Reserved Potato Water
- 1 Packet Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 TSP Salt
- 1/2 TSP Sugar
- 1 1/3 Cup Flour
- Vegetable Oil for Frying
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 300°F
Boil sweet potato until they are tender, drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Peel and mash. Press mashed sweet potatoes through a sieve. Mix sweet potato with pumpkin in a bowl.
Add sugar and yeast to the warm potato water and let sit for 15 minutes. Add yeast mixture to the sweet potato and pumpkin mixture.
Mix well. Cover bowl with damp towel and place in 300°F oven for one minute. Turn off oven and let bowl rest in the oven for 45 minutes so dough roughly doubles in size. When dough has risen, heat vegetable oil to 350°F.
Pull off pieces of dough and form 2 inch balls. Poke a hole in the balls with your thumb to form rings.
Drop rings into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and drain. Serve Picarones with Miel de Chancaca (Sugar Syrup).