Pastelitos Salvadoreños
User Reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Good
-
Prep Time
1 hr
-
Cook Time
mins
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Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
6 people
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Calories
395 kcal
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Course
Appetizer
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Cuisine
Salvadoran
Pastelitos Salvadoreños
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Pastelitos salvadoreños, nicknamed Salvadoran empanadas, are deep-fried turnovers, stuffed with meat or vegetables, that are popular in El Salvador.
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Ingredients
For the stuffing
- 2 chicken cutlets , finely diced
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion , grated
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed
- 2 roma tomatoes , peeled, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper , finely diced
- 2 potatoes , peeled and grated
- 1 large carrot , grated
- 1 chayote , peeled, pitted and grated
- 3 oz. green beans , thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the dough
- 10 oz. nixtamalized corn flour (masa harina)
- ⅔ cup water
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon ground annatto seeds
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
For frying
- peanut (or sunflower oil)
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Dutch oven
Instructions
Filling
- Rinse the chicken cutlets in cold water.
- In a deep saucepan, combine the chicken, water, bay leaf and salt and cook over high heat. Bring everything to a boil and reduce the heat to medium.
- Regularly skim the foam forming at the top.
- Cover the pot and cook for 1 hour.
- Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and let it sit on a cutting board for 15 minutes.
- Discard the bay leaf and reserve 1 cup of the broth.
- Shred the chicken and set it aside.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, pepper and tomatoes and sauté for 1 minute.
- Then add the potatoes, carrots, chayote, green beans and broth.
- Mix well and bring to a rapid boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook all the vegetables for 10 minutes or until tender. Add the meat and pepper and mix. Season with salt.
- Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Dough
- Add the corn flour into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add all the other ingredients except the water.
- Mix at low speed, incorporating the water very gradually.
- Then, knead for 5 minutes until obtaining a soft dough.
- If necessary, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Divide the dough into 15 small, equal balls.
- With wet hands, press and tap each ball between the palms and flatten them into thin discs about 3 inches (8 cm) in diameter.
- Place these flattened discs of dough, spaced apart, on a sheet of parchment paper.
Filling and frying
- In the center of each dough disc, place about ½ to 1 tablespoon of the stuffing, then fold the dough over the fillings into a crescent shape.
- Seal edges with fingertips or with a fork.
- In a deep pan, heat a generous amount of oil over medium heat to a temperature of 350 F (170°C).
- Fry the pastelitos until golden orange.
- Serve with curtido and tomato sauce.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.0
6 reviews
Good
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