Tequeños (Venezuelan cheese sticks in crisp pastry)
Sticks of salty cheese wrapped in thin dough and fried until crisp, with a cooling garlic and lime yoghurt dip.
- Time1 hr 15
- LevelMedium
- Costabout £1.50 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Rub the butter into the flour, sugar and salt with your fingertips until it looks like fine crumbs. Beat the egg with the cold water, add it, and bring everything together. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
30 min - 2
Stir the yoghurt, garlic, lime juice and coriander together for the dip and chill until needed.
- 3
Roll the dough out to about 2 mm thick. Cut into 16 strips, each about 3 cm wide and 25 cm long. Pat the halloumi sticks dry.
- 4
Wrap a strip around each halloumi stick in a tight spiral, overlapping slightly so no cheese shows. Seal the ends with a dab of water and pinch shut. Chill the wrapped sticks for 15 minutes.
15 min - 5
Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan until a scrap of dough sizzles and floats, about 175°C. Fry 4 or 5 tequeños at a time for 3 to 4 minutes, turning, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
- 6
Serve hot, while the cheese is soft, with the dip. Halloumi is salty, so there is no need for more salt.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.
