Destination
Rio de Janeiro
The story
Bolinho de estudante ("student's little cake") is a Northeastern Brazilian sweet made from tapioca flour, shredded coconut, coconut milk and condensed milk, formed into balls and fried until golden, then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Warm, chewy in the middle, crisp at the edge, cheap enough to be a student's afternoon snack (hence the name) and good enough that adults never really stop eating them.
Method
In a large bowl, combine the tapioca flour, coconut, coconut milk, condensed milk and salt. Mix with a spoon until it comes together into a soft, slightly sticky dough. If it's too wet to shape, add a little more tapioca flour a tablespoon at a time.
Cover and rest 20 minutes. The tapioca flour hydrates and the dough firms up so it shapes cleanly.
In a shallow bowl, combine the caster sugar and cinnamon.
Wet your hands (the dough is sticky). Pinch off pieces about the size of a walnut and roll into balls. Arrange on a lined tray.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 170°C (340°F). Fry the balls in batches of 5 or 6 for 3 to 4 minutes, turning gently, until deep golden all over. Don't crowd the pot.
Lift out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly on kitchen paper, then roll immediately in the cinnamon sugar while still hot so the sugar clings.
Best eaten warm within an hour of frying, alongside strong coffee.
Tips
- Tapioca flour, not tapioca starch. In Brazil these are two different products: polvilho doce (sweet tapioca flour) is what you want, granular and cream-coloured. Tapioca starch (amido) is finer and behaves differently.
- Fresh coconut gives the best texture, but unsweetened desiccated coconut soaked in the coconut milk for 10 minutes is a fine substitute. Sweetened coconut throws the sugar balance off.
- Wet hands are essential. The dough is sticky on purpose. A small bowl of water on the bench and a quick dip between each ball is standard.
- Fry gently, not scorching. 170°C is right. Too hot and the outside colours before the inside cooks through; too cool and they absorb oil.
- Coat while hot. The sugar has to hit the greasy exterior immediately or it won't stick. Roll one batch while the next one fries.
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