Textual Chef Textual Chef

Polenta Frita

Crispy on the outside and creamy inside, these fried polenta sticks are a staple Brazilian bar snack. Rich Parmesan and butter add savory depth to every bite.

40 minMediumServes 4280 cal/serving

BrazilianAppetizerStovetopVegetarianGluten-FreeNut-FreeEgg-FreeSoy-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeNightshade-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 cups neutral frying oil

Instructions

  1. 1

    Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp fine sea salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.

  2. 2

    Gradually whisk in 1 cup yellow cornmeal, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes while stirring continuously until thick.

  3. 3

    Remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp unsalted butter and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese until melted and incorporated.

  4. 4

    Pour the mixture into a lined square dish, smooth the top, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour until firm.

  5. 5

    Slice the chilled polenta block into rectangular sticks.

  6. 6

    Heat 2 cups neutral frying oil in a heavy skillet to 350 degrees F, then fry the polenta sticks in batches for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

How hot should the oil be for Polenta Frita?

For Polenta Frita, the frying oil is held at 350 F (about 175 C) in step 6. Hotter scorches the outside before the inside cooks, and cooler turns it greasy.

How do I know the sauce has reduced enough in Polenta Frita?

Step 2 reads: "Gradually whisk in 1 cup yellow cornmeal, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes while stirring continuously until thick." Go by step 2, and note that a wider pan gets there faster. The usual test is that the sauce coats the back of a spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clean line.

Is there a substitute for Parmesan in Polenta Frita?

The entry for Polenta Frita calls for 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated. In its place: Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano, measure for measure. For dairy-free, use nutritional yeast at half the volume.

Can I make Polenta Frita dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in Polenta Frita is 2 tbsp unsalted butter, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated. Swap the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed; the cheese for a plant-based melting cheese (expect a milder flavor). The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

Which part of Polenta Frita can be done ahead?

Everything up to step 4. Step 4 is a built-in pause of 1 hour: "Pour the mixture into a lined square dish, smooth the top, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour until firm." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 5 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Brazilian entries

All Brazilian recipes · All Appetizer recipes · All Cornmeal recipes