Panamanian Almojábanos

almojabano served on a plate with cheese

5 from 2 votes

Panamanian Almojábanos

Delicious Panamanian almojábano made of corn and cheese is easy to make with only 4 ingredients. Serve them with coffee and more fresh cheese. You must try them; you will love it!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Panamanian

Servings: people (5 each)

Calories: 317kcal

Author: Nadja Belgrave

Equipment

A large mixing bowl
A frying pan
A spoon

Ingredients

2 ½ cups pre-cooked yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
5 ounces fresh white cheese (queso prensado)
Oil for frying aprox ½ cup

Instructions

In the large bowl, add water and salt. Mix until you dilute the salt. Then add the cornmeal and knead until you have a smooth dough. Make sure there is no dry space left from the cornmeal.
Now add the crumbled white cheese. You could also shred it to incorporate it and mix everything until you have a homogeneous and smooth dough.
Then proceed to shape it. Take a portion of the dough, roll it into a ball and then roll it out like a stick. With your fingers, you make the "S" shapes with the tips moving them one to one side and the other. It will yield around 45 small almojábanos. You can make them thicker as well.
Now, to cook, in a pan, add oil and let it heat over medium heat. Once it is hot, you can lower the heat a little to keep it warm.
Add several at once, but have space between them so that the oil does not get cold. Fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Do this in batches until you finish.
Remove them from the oil and drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Notes

Substitutions:

Corn flour: If you’re in Panama and manage to get the ground corn dough, it would only be a matter of replacing it. You can use about 2 cups.
White Cheese: You can use some fresh cheese. You could use mozzarella cheese or even feta cheese. With the mozzarella cheese, you may see it oozing out because it is meltier. But It will taste great.

Can the recipe be reduced?

This recipe makes a ton! You can cut in half without inconvenience, and you follow the same steps.

Can you cook in the air fryer (air fryer)?

Yes, you can add some oil (spray) to avoid the dough to dry out. Air fry at 350º F for 5 minutes flip and then 390ºF for 5 more minutes. Do this in batches.

Nutrition