As I promised a couple of weeks ago, I’ll gradually start posting some of the other Chipa version recipes. This one is the original one I learned. I don’t know that this type has any special name of a particular type of chipa, it’s just sort of what seems to be the “classic”, albeit it’s probably a more modern interpretation than any of the other types.

100 gm butter, 200 ml milk, 250 gm grated cheese, 1 tsp salt, 2 eggs, 500 gm cassava starch (aka manioc, yuca, or tapioca starch).

A note about the cheese. Given the origins, this is usually stated as queso paraguayo, or, simply, Paraguayan cheese. It’s a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese. It’s not one I have easy access to. In general, as I mentioned in the previous post on chipas, I use a mix of grated mozzarella and something salty similar to parmesan, which is what was suggested to me by the person who originally taught me how to make these. But chipas can really be made with pretty much any cheeses. I’ve seen them made with all sorts, from four-cheese blends, to feta, to cheddar, even with blue cheese. They do end up with different textures, and you might have to play around a bit with quantity just because of differences in elasticity, and strength of flavor.

Rub the butter into the starch and salt just like you might for pie dough.

Mix in the grated cheese.

Beat the two eggs and mix in.

Add the milk and beat it together until it’s thick and gooey – kind of like a melted marshmallow texture. Set aside for 10-15 minutes to let the starch hydrate and firm up the dough a bit.

Form into balls, pucks, pancakes… really whatever shape you want, though something vaguely round is traditional. The easiest thing is to use an ice cream scoop. Also less messy. You don’t need to grease the baking sheet.

Bake in a hot oven (220C/420F) for roughly 20 minutes until puffed and golden brown.

Best eaten warm! They will harden up sitting around, so any leftover the next day – a very quick hit in the microwave or toaster oven and they’ll be soft and gooey again.