We have been buying unmarked plastic bags of these things for years from the local Chinese (Chiney) shop.  We coined them “Fried Yum Yums” because we had no idea what they were called.  Even if you are not familiar with the dried product, you may have seen street vendors selling this fried snack in plastic bags in Punta Gorda.

They look like dried pasta, either brown or white and come in all shapes and sizes including wagon wheels and twists.  They are made from wheat flour, cornstarch and baking soda.

I can not find any documentation on the difference in ingredients between the two different colours.  However, I think that the white variety has a “potato taste” compared to the “maize taste” of the brown kind.

They are deep-fried in oil and puff up when cooked.

Traditionally, this is actually a Mexican snack food called Duros.  Apparently they are sold in plastic bags with salsa/ lime salt or hot sauce.  We like to eat ours as an accompaniment to a bean stew and  use the wagon wheels to scoop up the beans.  Also, they make great mini baskets for hors d’oeuvre…just a little bit of imagination is needed to make a bite-size yum yum!!