Day 3.

Today I made a delicious pastry called a Tawa Tawa, which is from the country of Bolivia. To tell the truth... I didn't the know the exact location of Bolivia... I knew it was in South America, but I thought maybe it was above Brazil. Since it is touching Brazil, though, my guess wasn't too bad!

Here is where it actually is.

Fun fact: Beignets, which are a classic pastry from New Orleans, are very very similar to the tawa tawas! :)


These were a huge hit with my family... My mom says this is possibly one of the best things she's ever had. And the fact that these were soooo fast and easy to make, ensures that I will definitely be making these again! (Not to mention that all the ingredients are things that you probably already have in your kitchen!) The whole process from start to finish only took as long as tonights' episodes of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune!


Ingredients:

*2 cups of flour

*2tsp. baking powder

* 1tsp. salt

*1tbsp. butter (melted)

*2 eggs

*1/2 cup milk

*Oil for frying. Note: Do NOT use olive oil. Olive oil is really bad for you when heated up to super high temperatures. Not to mention it will affect the flavor of your Tawa tawas! I think that I used some gross wesson oil, or something. But if you could get ahold of some coconut oil that would be the best! Coconut oil is one of the most ok oils to heat up to high temps, not to mention it would give the Tawa tawas a really nice and subtle coconut-y flavor! :)

*Powdered sugar

*Honey


This recipe makes about 50-60 one inch pastries.

*Starting with the flour, add all the ingredients in the order that they are listed. (Up through the milk.) Thoroughly mix after each addition.

*Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until your dough is smooth. (About 4 minutes.)


This is what your dough should look like when it is done being kneaded.

*Let your dough rest for about 10 minutes.

*Split dough in half.

*Roll out dough till it is about 18 inches by 12 inches. If it is not rolling super well, you can try stretching it with your hands. (Like they do at the pizza places!) Try to make it into as much of a rectangle as possible.


*Cut into one inch strips. (Longways) Now cut diagonally. They should be diamond shapes.

This is how it should look.

*Heat up your oil to about medium high. (Your oil should be about an inch+ deep in the pan.) Watch your oil to make sure that it doesn't burn. If it does burn, throw it out! I left my oil on the burner without anything in it for a little bit too long and I had to toss it. It probably isn't a bad idea to get rid of the oil that you used for the first batch when you are about to start your second.


*Once your oil is hot, drop in a piece of your tawa tawa batter to test out the oil. If it puffs up really quicky then it is ready! If your oil is ready, then you can drop in as many tawa tawas as can fit into your pan. (Don't worry if they are touching!)

Here is what they should look like.

Note: These are SO much fun to watch puff up! It is crazy! 

*You'll know when to turn over the tawa tawa... it'll start to get a light golden-brown.  It should only take about 20 or 30 seconds on each side. (Maybe a tiny bit longer...) Watch it to make sure that it doesn't get too brown! It'll cook a little bit more after you take it out of the pan.

*Put the finished tawa tawas onto a paper towel so that any extra oil can drain off. 

*When all your tawa tawas are cooked and drained, spread them out on a plate or something. Use a sifter to sprinkle some powdered sugar evenly across the tops. Drizzle with honey. NOW EAT IT!!!! :) (Warning: these are highly addictive, and probably won't last very long.) 

Finished product:

Thanks for reading! :)