Chapana is a traditional Peruvian dessert, mainly from Ica, a city in south central Peru. The name comes from the Quechua word “chapuni” and means to knead. The chapana is made with cassava, brown sugar and cloves, wrapped in banana leaves, also known as bijao. This recipe is steamed, grilled or in a bain-marie and served cold.
Do you wonder how to make Peruvian chapana? In this article we want to teach you how to prepare this delicious dessert from your home. Follow these steps and make some traditional chapanas!
Ingredients to make Peruvian Chapana:
- 1 kilogram of cassava or manioc
- 1 dessert spoon of anise seed
- 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
- ½ orange
- 400 grams of chancaca or panela
- 10 bijao leaves or banana leaves
- 1 kitchen wick
How to make Peruvian Chapana:
- To start with the Peruvian chapana recipe, you must first peel the yucas and very carefully cut them in half.
- You should also remove the root that is in the center and cut it into small pieces.
- Transfer the cut yucas to a blender or food processor. If you don’t have it, you can use a grater.
- Trick: add a splash of water to make blending easier.
- With the help of a grater, remove the skin of the orange.
- We point out that it is important not to grate the white part, otherwise it would make the chapana bitter.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the chancaca or panela and stirconstantly to prevent it from sticking or burning.
- Transfer the cassava mixture to a medium bowl and add orange zest, ground cinnamon and anise.
- Little by little mix the chancaca with the cassava. We point out that all the ingredients must be well incorporated.
- To wrap the Peruvian yuca sweet, you should stretch the bijao leaves on a surfaceand add 1 and a half tablespoons in the center.
- Then, roll the Peruvian chapanas from the bottom to the top. You can see the process in the image.
- Tie the chapana with the help of a wick.
- Take the chapanas to a steamer pot or a pot with a bottom plate upside down with a little water. Cook approximately 30 minutes and place the lid.
- The Ica chapanas are almost here!
- After time, remove the chapanas from the pot very carefully.
- Now you can serve the Peruvian sweet and enjoy it cold.
- Tip: you can reserve the chapanas in the fridge.
