Asaditos (Bolivian Beef and Cassava Burgers)

Asaditos are hamburgers that you can find in the streets of eastern Bolivia throughout the day.

(This recipe was first written for Curious Cuisiniere)

Welcome to another August post, where I share with you street food recipes from Bolivia, my native country.

Last Friday, chef Valentina shared with us an article about Bolivian gastronomy and the different produce the country offers. If you haven't read it yet, come and check it out here.

These asaditos or beef patties bring childhood memories.

My parents would get me some asaditos on our long trip to the big city. The bus would stop in different small towns, and the street vendors would hand you through the window whatever snack you bought. I can't remember how many times I dropped it 😬😅

Asaditos Camba

Camba is a person from the eastern part of Bolivia. As these asaditos are made and eaten in eastern Bolivia, they are called asaditos camba or cruceños (from the city of Santa Cruz).

Asaditos are similar to hamburgers. They are made with ground beef and are shaped like a patty, although less thick than hamburgers, which make them kind of crispy.

The ingredient other than what is usually seen in a hamburger is grated cassava or manioc.

Cassava is a fibrous root with a lot of starch, widely used in South American cooking.

Cassava skin is thick and brown in color, but its flesh is white. From its flesh or pulp, you get flour, starch (used for chipa), and tapioca pearls.

How to make asadito camba or cruceño:

You will be surprised how fast and easy it is to make.

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix everything well (I mix it with my hands) and then form the hamburgers.

I usually make them small and serve as an appetizer.

Generally, asaditos are deep-fried, I like to cook them with less oil, using enough just to cover a portion of the asaditos, and then turning them to finish cooking them.

Asaditos are then served with more yuca or cassava! 😬

Cassava can be boiled (like potatoes) until soft. Drained and served with the asaditos.

Make sure you have some llajua ready to go! Llajua is a Bolivian hot sauce. Each bite has to have some llajua 😉 (here is the recipe).

I hope you enjoyed this Bolivian recipe. Next Friday I'll be back with a quinoa recipe from chef Valentina.

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