From sweet to also savoury, the churros now undergo a delicious transformation

For Cinco De Mayo, chefs share how they have given this golden fried dough a quirky yet tasty twist

Crispy on the outside, soft and chewy on the insides, churros are what deep-fried food dreams are made of. A typical fair food, they are having their moment in the sun with Mike Faist's Art and Josh O'Connor's Patrick churro scene, which is charged with sexual tension, from Challengers is being regaled as memorable. This well-travelled Spanish fried dough may confuse food historians about their origins, however, they are now universally accepted as a Mexican dessert as the Spanish brought them over during the 1950s Inquisition. This is apt for the Mexican celebration of Cinco De Mayo (May 5).

Mawa Gulab Jamun Churro from The Bombay Sweet Shop

Churros come in varying shapes and sizes, stuffed or with a dip on the side. To make this sweet treat, you first make a choux pastry, by cooking maida in a buttery, vanilla-flavoured water. The paste is then transported into a pipping bag and long logs of the dough are deep-fried. While sauces like Dulce de leche, milk or dark chocolate, fruit compote or ice cream can be served with the churros that have been rolled in a cinnamon-sugar mix.

The Monstruo Churro at Lyla in Mumbai

A delightful sweet treat

Chef Beena Noronha, who helms Lyla, BKC, serves up a giant churro at her Mexican-Californian-inspired restaurant. The Monstruo Churro is paired with a dark chocolate sauce, hazelnut cream and salted caramel ice cream. She says, “The churro is crispy on the outside and doughy and gooey inside. It's our signature dish and the perfect way to end a meal.”

The churro ice cream sandwich is a popular dessert at DisneyLand (Instagram)

Another popular dessert combination is the churro ice cream sandwich. A scoop or two of ice cream sandwiched between two warm circular churros creates a satisfying contrast of textures. The warm and crunchy exterior of the churro complements the cold and smooth ice cream inside.

Mawa Gulab Jamun served at The Bombay Sweet Shop in Mumbai

At Bombay Sweet Shop, the familiar flavours of gulab jamun are dished out with a unique twist - in a churro. “With our latest creation, the Gulab Jamun Churro, we've reimagined the beloved Indian dessert into a dessert you never knew could exist. Made with mawa, our eggless dough is fried until golden and lightly soaked in saffron sugar syrup just like traditional gulab jamuns. To add a contemporary twist, we top it off with a pinch of sea salt,” shares Chief Mithaiwala Girish Nayak. It is served with It’s perfect with a side of pistachio-white chocolate sauce, vanilla cream sauce or Malabar pepper-dark chocolate sauce.

A savoury connotation

While we may know it to be a dessert, the churro originated in ancient China as a savoury fried snack called a youtiao. It’s said that the Portuguese traders, in order to make it their own, covered it in sugar instead of salt. It became a popular snack for Spanish shepherds, who then named it churro, after the horns of the churra sheep they tended to. So, it is no surprise that chefs are inspired to make this golden fried dough, savoury.

Dal bhati churma by Chef Natasha Gandhi Grover

MasterChef India season 6 contestant, Chef Natasha Gandhi Grover experimented with a dal baati churma-inspired churro. “The MasterChef part of my brain keeps thinking of and finding ways to innovate a traditional recipe. For churros, dal baati churma ticked all the boxes. It’s crispy, loaded with ghee and is an amazing sweet and savoury combo,” she shares, explaining how she baked the churro which is made of a dal baati dough. The churma soil is also made with the same baked churro. “I made the dal and pureed it. The churros are served with the dal as a dipping sauce along with a smoked ghee quenelle,” she adds.

The Aji Lima churros at Lyla in Mumbai

At Lyla, Chef Noronha dishes up an Aji Lima churros that “offers a fusion of tangy, spicy, and savoury flavours”. The churros are seasoned with chilli powder, lime zest and a touch of salt to provide a zesty and mildly spicy kick. She says, “This flavour combo complements the richness of the fried dough. With the addition of spices and seasonings, it creates a complex and unique taste compared to traditional sweet churros.” This appetiser, with its tantalising blend of spicy and citrus,y makes for a memorable snack.