Hello everyone!

As some of you know, Dominican Heat is the English edition and younger sister of our Spanish written page El Fogoncito.

When I started translating our recipes I had been furiously writing recipes in Spanish for almost a year, which means I had a huge task in front of me if I wanted to translate recipe by recipe. (I would only do it that way, being a professional interpreter has taught me to despise and disrespect automatic translators)

In the end, I settled for procrastination and did not. The idea was to slowly pick up and eventually get at least the most important ones translated.

As I was working today in the English edition of “Diccionario Culinario Dominicano” (In which I’m putting a lot if work to make it available as soon as possible) I realized I had not published, in English that is, the recipe for yanikekes (Johnny cakes or yaniqueques), and I intend to mend that.

Dominican Republic had a heavy immigration from the smaller Caribbean islands during several historical periods. Those islands had heavy English influence which is how a lot of English traditional recipes, customs, last names and words made it into Dominican Spanish. Most of this immigration happened in the Southwestern region and it is from there that this recipe comes.

Many years ago, a “cocolo” friend (we call them cocolos and no, they are not offended but are actually quite proud. They are pure Dominicans) shared his mom’s recipe. I had shared  it a long time ago in El Fogoncito and today I share with you.

It’s a very traditional dish in our beaches, where they’re almost the mandatory side dish with fried or stewed beach fish.

Ingredients

1.       1 lb. wheat flour
2.       1 tsp. baking powder
3.       1 tbsp. butter
4.       1 egg yolk
5.       1 can evaporated milk
6.       Salt

Yanikekes (or “Journey cakes”)

Directions

Sieve the flour with the baking powder, mix with the butter, the yolk, the milk and the salt. Prepare the dough. (simple mold until manageable) Cut in pieces, make small balls with your hands, expand and allow to rest for half an hour. Then fry. It should render 12-15 units.

Notes

This is the original recipe and the disks are smaller and chubbier. The recipe you find in beaches is much cheaper and generally will only have salt, water and flour. (no milk, egg yolk or butter) It is also much larger.

A big hug from the warm Caribbean!

Arturo

You may also share with us @

receta de journey cakes, journey cakes recipe, dominican journey cakes recipe