12. Recipe: Chipas

Chipas are not just small cheese balls, but a true culinary experience! The ancient preparation technique from Latin America holds great significance in Argentine culture and tradition. With their ingredient list of cassava starch, eggs, and lots of cheese, they are incredibly popular and found everywhere in Argentina.

These baked cheese balls are prepared with tapioca flour or cassava starch, which is also known as fécula de mandioca or fécula de tapioca and is sold in health food stores or Hispanic markets. It has a very light texture that pleases the eye and the palate. Although traditional chipas consist only of cheese, there are also variants with ham or other sausage fillings. Usually, Parmesan or hard cheese is used, and the result is a delicious, round, and very fluffy ball.

The sellers in Argentina sell them for 100 to 150 Pesos and in a few cases also for 200 Pesos.

The preparation is simple and the time required is only 45 minutes. With ingredients like butter, milk, baking powder, salt, eggs, semi-hard and hard cheese, and cassava starch/tapioca flour, you can quickly prepare the delicious chipas.

The secret to making the chipas nice and fluffy is the use of warm milk, as confirmed by Doña Lourdes Coronel from Yuty. Storing them in a warm container, as advised by Mabel Rojas from Asunción, also helps keep them soft at all times.

The chipas are ideal as breakfast, snack, or side dish and are often served with crème fraîche or other spreads.

Let yourself be seduced by the passion and creativity of Argentine cuisine and enjoy these delicious chipas!

 

Summary of the recipe:

Ingredients:

• Butter 50 g
• Milk 10 tablespoons
• Baking powder 1 teaspoon
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Owner 2
• Semi-hard cheese 200 g
• Hard cheese 100 g
• Cassava starch/ tapioca flour 250 g (alternatively also potato or corn starch/ potato or corn flour)

Time required:

45 min

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Add tapioca flour/cassava starch, baking powder, and salt to a bowl and mix well.
3. Add cheese and butter. Add eggs and mix until a dough forms.
4. Add 8 teaspoons of milk and mix well. The dough should be compact and slightly moist. If it is still too dry and crumbly, add 1-2 more teaspoons.
5. Form into balls with a diameter of 1.5 cm and place them a few centimeters apart on a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake for 15-18 minutes until the chips are golden brown.