Tequeños With Guacamole – Let The New Years Party Begin

tequeñosIt’s that time of the year again. You suddenly wake up and realize the year is gone. But where? You wonder.

tequeños1-1024x767I personally consider my birthday to be my very own New Years celebration. But nevertheless, despite not buying into most traditions, New Years Eve is a day I like, just as I like any other ending that brings with it new beginnings charged with opportunity. As they say, when one door closes, another opens. When one year ends, a new one enters right then and there, and everything is possible again.

tequeñosFor this year’s celebration, I propose that you try something different (unless you’re Peruvian, and then this won’t be different; just plain delicious). If you’re hosting a party, a small dinner, or attending someone else’s gathering and want to help out a bit, these hors d’oeuvre will make you a popular girl or boy  for the night, and probably even for the next 365 days.

tequeños3-1024x767Tequeños are an absolute classic in Peruvian celebrations. No party is complete without them, and people love them so much that many restaurants have them on their menu too, or even give them as a courtesy instead of the usual bread and butter, or next to it.

I love tequeños mainly because I’m such a cheese person, but also because the combination is fantastic: cheese-filled wonton fingers, with guacamole. Who wouldn’t like this? And the great thing about them is that they’re never the same. Depending on the kind of cheese you stuff them with, the texture and taste changes; sometimes firm, sometimes completely gooey and melting in your mouth.

tequeños4-1024x767The guacamole is also prepared differently by everyone. Some people just mix mashed avocado with mayonnaise (this is very typical); or others, like my mom, put a bit more effort into it and mix the avocado with chopped onion, tomato, lemon, Tabasco, and fresh coriander.

tequeños5-1024x767Nowadays, with the gastronomic boom and the love for everything Peruvian, tequeños are being peruvianized even more, filling them up with lomo saltado, ají de gallina, and other typical Peruvian dishes. Or served with huancaina sauce. I won’t even attempt at doing this today, as the holiday season is stressful enough for everyone, and I don’t want to turn your New Years party into a New Years nightmare in the kitchen. I prefer to share something fast, easy, mess-free, problem-free, and guaranteed to look and taste good even if you don’t do it perfectly or have no cooking experience.

tequeños6-1024x767Tequeños really are extremely easy to make, and so is the guacamole (which as you all probably know, is originally from Mexico). I hope you and your friends enjoy them, and they turn your party into a fun and exciting international soirée, envisioning lots of travelling in the New Year!

Oh, and don’t foget you can still download our free ebook, 6 Christmas treats, and use those wonderful recipes for New Years Eve if you didn’t get the chance to make them for Christmas.

Cheese tequeños with guacamole
Author: 
Recipe type: Hors d'oeuvre
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: Many
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pack wonton dough sheets (you can get this in many supermarkets, or Chinese grocery stores)
  • Cheese (I bought a pack of queso fresco and it was perfect)
  • Oil for deep frying (I used canola)
  • 4 ripe avocados
  • Mayonaise
Instructions
  1. -Cut the cheese in strips about ¾ the length of each wonton sheet.
  2. -Put the cheese on one side of the wonton sheet, and start rolling the sheet around it, leaving a little edge unrolled. To close, wet your finger and pass it along the edge of the wonton sheet, and then finish rolling. Do the same to close the side ends, pressing with your fingers to make sure the dough sticks well.
  3. -You can do these first steps in advance, cover the uncooked tequeños, and leave the frying till the end, right before serving.
  4. -For the guacamole, mash the avocado and mix with mayonnaise, to taste.
  5. -In medium/high heat, bring a lot of oil (1/2 cup or more) to a zizzle and put a few tequeños in the frying pan. Wait until they’re starting to brown on one side, and then turn and do the same on the other side. Place on a dish with paper towel, which will absorb the excess oil.

Comments

  1. I love Tequeños, especially the traditional ones (the ones you showed here). They’re really easy to make and sooo good to eat!!!! And it’s one of the few things you can tell everybody loves.

  2. I’ve never had these but they look delicious!!

  3. yum! sounds delish!

  4. I love anything with melted cheese, so I just know I’d love these tequeños!

  5. I didn’t know about Tequeños, they look delicious!

  6. Sorry but tequenos are not a peruvian dish. Tequenos are a venezuelan dish. Specifically it is from los Teques city, close to the countrie’s capital. The real tequeno it is made with queso llanero (a hard cheese similar to feta cheese), and it is one of the most popular appetizers served at parties in Venezuela.

    Saying that tequenos are from Peru is like saying that cebiche is from Bolivia.

    • Hi fretraer, thanks for the awesome information about tequenos! If you read the post you will see that we don’t say tequenos ARE from Peru. We say tequenos are VERY POPULAR in Peru, which is different. When we say a dish is FROM Peru, we usually give the history behind the dish and say where it’s from. You will find that in this blog we write about the food that is eaten in Peru, which a lot of times is not native of Peru but a fusion from several cuisines, or simply an adaptation of a dish from abroad, but that has completely become part of our culture now. That is the case in all Latin America, where we get influences from all over the world in our cuisines. Again, thanks for the info, we love it when readers add a piece of knowledge to our posts! PS. can’t wait to try tequenos in Venezuela with that special kind of cheese! 😉 Do you serve it with guacamole too?

      • I wanted to point out that Tequeños originated in Venezuela in the city of Los Teques (thus Tequeños) and are somewhat different than the ones illustrated here. I am delighted to see how a regional dish crosses frontiers and becomes transformed into a local favorite where ever it takes hold. I sense that Venezuelans are battered by the ongoing tragedy that’s bringing their country to ruin and so feel compelled to bring attention to anything that can inject a little pride to their bruised esteem. Perhaps you, the author, did not directly state that tequeños aren’t originally from Peru, but seem to imply they are native to Peru when stating “Tequeños are an absolute classic in Peruvian celebrations”. No biggie, just an oversight. Venezuelans often dip their tequeños in guasacaca sauce, which shares some similarity to Mexico’s Guacamole. I invite everyone to do an online search to find out more about Venezuelan tequeño and guasacaca recipes. All this said, as a Venezuelan I’d like to point out how much I appreciate and admire Peru and its famous world class people and cuisine and am thankful for their support in Venezuela’s struggle to return to freedom and democracy. Buen provecho and Bon appetit!

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