The Venezuelan cachapa is a traditional dish of the gastronomy of this country. It is similar to pancakes (hotcakes) or a very thin cake, the difference is that they are made with very tender corn (Jojoto or Cob) and ground to make a kind of lumpy dough.
They have a sweet flavor and are regularly accompanied with butter and hand cheese, telita cheese or with Guayanes cheese, all these cheeses are very popular in the country and make an excellent contrast with the sweetish flavor of the cachapa. They are traditionally made on a budare or iron plate. If you don’t have any of these utensils, you can use a Teflon skillet.
If in the place where you live it is difficult to find these traditional ingredients for the cachapas, you can substitute the tender corn (jojoto, cob) for frozen corn and the hand cheese for mozzarella cheese. If you get a cheese that is soft or melts easily, you can also use it.
In some areas of Venezuela it is customary to accompany the cachapa with other ingredients. The most common is fried pork or chicharrón (fried pig leather). In the plains areas it is customary to eat the cachapa con carne en vara (beef cooked over fathoms).
Other variations of this dish are often found in restaurants and shops. You can find them stuffed with yellow cheese and ham (cachapa sifrina). They also usually accompany them with chorizo or bacon.
Whatever combination you decide, this is a delicious and very simple dish to make. Next we leave you the Venezuelan cachapas recipe so that you can enjoy this delicious and easy dish
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
• 4 cups of baby corn (12 jojotos approximately)
• 3 teaspoons of salt
• ¾ cup of sugar
• 1 cup of milk
Preparation:
1. The first thing you should do is peel and shell the jojotos or ears of corn until you get 4 cups of corn. Remember that the jojoto must be tender.
2. Then we must process the corn kernels to obtain the base of the mixture. This can be done in the blender or in a kitchen assistant.
3. Pour the mixture into a deep container.
4. Add the salt and sugar, then add the milk little by little until you get a homogeneous and slightly thick mixture.
5. Previously we must heat the budare or the pan over medium heat and grease with a little butter or oil before pouring the mixture. This procedure will prevent the cachapa from sticking.
6. With a large spoon, add a little of the dough to the budare or skillet and spread the mixture to create a circle. The thickness depends on the taste of each person. It is recommended not to make them so thick.
7. You should cook it for 1-3 minutes until the side facing the budare is browned and then turn it over to brown the other half.
8. When you have both sides of the cachapa ready, golden and cooked, it is time to remove them from the heat.
9. To serve them spread a little butter and then add the cheese of your choice.
Important curiosities about Venezuelan cachapas.
• In the eastern part and areas of the Venezuelan plain, cachapas tend to be drier and firmer due to the type of corn used. They are usually sweeter because they add more sugar.
• In order to preserve the mixture of the cachapas and extend its durability, the cob or cob (the semi-cylindrical residue that remains after shelling the jojoto) is usually placed inside the bowl where the mixture is kept.
• As we mentioned earlier, you can fill in whatever you want. But the traditional cachapa is with butter and cheese.
• Currently there are pre-packaged cachapa mixes but they do not match the flavor of baby corn. In some commercial establishments they sell them ready in the frozen section.