Brazilian Cheese Puffs (aka ‘Pão de Queijo’)

This recipe is so simple and so delicious!

Pão de Queijo is a popular savoury Brazilian snack and breakfast food.

Its origins comes from African slaves who would soak and peel cassava root to make a rough flour called – ‘polvilho’.

It is unlikely that you will find polvilho anywhere else but in South America. However, there is a great substitute: tapioca flour is available at most supermarkets.

The following recipe is simple, fast, and delicious.

You will need:

• A Blender or Food Processor
• 2 Muffin baking tins (recipe should yield 24 cheese puffs)
• Non-stick cooking spray

Ingredients:

Note: This recipe uses standard metric cups of 250 ml.

• 2 cups of tapioca flour (sometimes called tapioca starch)
• 1 cup milk
• ⅔ cup oil (non-scented oil like canola or sunflower)
• 2 eggs (standard size)
• ½ a tablespoon of salt
• 2 cups grated cheese
  (a blend of cheddar and parmesan is very good - 1 ½ cheddar and ½ parmesan is idea!). You may also use leftover cheese such as mozzarella, Swiss, or gruyere.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 220C (420F)
• Spray muffin tins with cooking spray
• Place all ingredients in a blender except the cheese.
• Blend until smooth (30 seconds)
• Add the cheese and pulse two or three times
• Pour batter into non-stick baking tins (if using mini-muffin baking tins use a spoon)
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden
• Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before removing puffs.
• Serve warm with a cup of tea or ‘Guaraná’, a Brazilian soda more popular than Coke in Brazil! Brazilian ‘Guaraná’ is sometimes found in speciality shops.

They will be crisp on the outside and soft and tender on the inside!