Tequeños

Method

1. Mix most of the flour (keep a little back for dusting) with the sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter in small cubes and rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like sand. Beat the egg, add the measured amount and work in the cold water a little at a time until the dough comes together (you may not need it all). Knead on the counter for 6 min until smooth, elastic and no longer sticky.

   Add in this stepAll-purpose flour 126 gSugar 1 tspSalt ½ tspCold butter 18 gEgg (beaten, then measured) ½Cold water 35 ml

2. Wrap the dough and rest it in the fridge for 20 min; relaxed gluten rolls thin without shrinking back. Meanwhile cut the cheese into sticks of 1.5 × 1.5 × 8 cm and pat them dry with kitchen paper.

   Add in this stepFirm white cheese (queso blanco, halloumi or paneer) 150 g

3. Dust the counter with the reserved flour, roll the dough into a long rectangle 2 to 3 mm thick and cut it into long strips 1.5 cm wide.

   Add in this stepAll-purpose flour 14 g

4. Press the end of a strip onto the top of a cheese stick to cover it, wind the strip down in a spiral with each turn slightly overlapping the last, then cover the bottom end and press to seal. Any visible cheese will melt and leak in the oil, so leave no gaps. Lay the tequeños on a tray and chill for 10 min to firm up.

5. Pour oil at least 4 cm deep into a 16 cm pot and heat it over medium-high heat to 175 °C. Without a thermometer, a dry wooden chopstick should give off a steady stream of small bubbles. Dry your hands and tools well: drops of water make hot oil spit.

   Add in this stepOil for frying 800 ml

   medium-high heat

6. Lower the tequeños gently into the oil with a slotted spoon and fry in 2 batch(es), 3 min per batch, turning them, until deep golden all over. Overcrowding cools the oil and makes them greasy. Lift out any that start to leak cheese straight away. Drain on a rack for 2 minutes before serving; the cheese inside is extremely hot.