Peruvian Squash Doughnuts (Picarones)
Picarones Say it: pee-kah-ROH-nehs
Picarones are Peru's beloved street-corner doughnuts: rings of yeast dough made with cooked squash and sweet potato, scented with anise, fried until puffy and crisp, and served hot with dark chancaca syrup. They are sold from bubbling cauldrons across Lima and are a fixture of October sweets and Sunday mornings. The vegetable purée gives a tender, faintly sweet crumb, while the syrup, simmered with cinnamon, clove and orange peel, adds a warm, molasses-like finish.
Peruvian Squash Doughnuts (Picarones)
Picarones
Pronounced pee-kah-ROH-nehs
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr 15 min
- Level
- Medium
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Dough
Chancaca syrup
Method
Bring the 8 cups (2 L) water to a boil in a large pot, add the squash and sweet potato, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until a knife slides in with no resistance. Drain thoroughly, mash or pass through a ricer until completely smooth, then spread the purée on a plate and let it cool to lukewarm.
Stir the yeast and sugar into the 1 cup (240 ml) warm water and leave for 8 to 10 minutes, until a thick foam cap forms on the surface.
Put the cooled purée in a large bowl, add the yeast mixture, anise seeds and salt, and beat together. Add 2 cups (250 g) of the flour and mix to a loose batter, then work in the remaining flour a little at a time until you have a soft, sticky dough that just pulls away from the bowl.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8 to 10 minutes, dusting with only as much flour as needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic but still slightly tacky. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1½ to 2 hours, until doubled and full of air bubbles.
While the dough rises, make the syrup. simmer the chancaca, 1½ cups (360 ml) water, cinnamon, cloves and orange peel over low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until it coats the back of a spoon. Strain and keep warm.
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pot to 350°F (175°C). With oiled hands, pinch off pieces of dough the size of a golf ball, poke a hole through the center with a finger and stretch each into a ring about 3 in (8 cm) across.
Fry the rings three or four at a time for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden, puffed and crisp at the edges, turning once with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels and keep warm while you fry the rest.
Serve the picarones hot, either dipped briefly in the warm chancaca syrup or with syrup poured generously over the top.
Regional variants
Some Limeño cooks add a fig leaf to the syrup for a subtle green aroma, and in the Andes the dough is sometimes made with squash alone, giving a denser ring.
Cook's notes
- Keep your hands oiled while shaping; the dough is deliberately sticky and extra flour will make the rings dense.
- Test the oil with a small piece of dough: it should sizzle at once and rise to the surface without browning instantly.
- Cool the mashed vegetables fully to lukewarm before mixing, or the heat will kill the yeast.
Serve with
Warm chancaca syrup for dipping and a cup of hot coffee or emoliente.
Make ahead and storage
The syrup keeps in the fridge for up to a week and reheats gently; the dough is best fried the same day it rises, and leftover picarones refresh in a hot oven.
