Pasteles en Hoja
The ultimate comfort food, Pasteles en Hoja are savory pockets of plantain filled with deliciousness. They're perfect for easy weeknight dinners or special occasions. Experience the joy of making this traditional recipe tonight!
Equipment
- Peeler
- Grater
- Mixing Bowl
- Chef's Knife
- Blender
- Large Pot
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 Filling see list above recipe
- 1 plantain (green, unripe) or 1½ medium plantain (½ lb once peeled)
- ⅓ pound yautía (malanga) peeled
- ⅓ pound auyama (kabocha squash) peeled
- 1 tablespoon seasoning powder homemade Dominican sazon completo (or supermarket bought)
- 1 cup milk whole or skim
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon bija (annato, achiote) powder
- 12 Banana tree leaves squares see notes
- 12 Leaves parchment paper see notes
- Twine the kind of string used for food
- salt
- Ketchup optional, see notes
- Hot sauce optional, see notes
Instructions
- By hand: Grate the plantain, yautía, and auyama with the least coarse side of the grater. Once grated, combine all the ingredients for the batter and mix well. Or with a blender/food processor: Chop the plantain, yautía, and auyama, and combine them with the rest of the ingredients for the batter. Pureé in a strong blender or food processor until it's uniform, and you can't feel any clumps, but feels like grains of sand in it. It may take 5-10 minutes, depending on the blender/processor.
- Put 2.5 tablespoons of the plantain and root mixture on one of the plantain squares. Put 2 tablespoons of filling in the center, cover with 2 more tablespoons of the root mixture to cover the filling. Fold the leaf square in the shape of an envelope. Wrap again in parchment paper and tie tightly. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- When all are wrapped, bring one gallon of water to boil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of salt. When the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully lower the pasteles into the water. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. The pasteles will float when put into the water, but as they cook, they'll start to puff and sink. Make sure to turn them a couple of times during the cooking time, so they cook uniformly on all sides.
- Once the 40 minutes have passed, remove one from the liquid, unwrap, and check for doneness: the consistency of the batter will have changed throughout. If it's ready, remove all from the water, otherwise boil for another 10 minutes. Serve right after unwrapping, garnished with hot sauce and/or ketchup.
Notes
Why do I ask you to weigh the plantain? Because not all plantains are created equal. Cut the plantain leaves into 5"x5" squares. For wrapping, I prefer to use both plantain leaves and parchment paper; it is more waterproof that way, and the plantain leaves retain a nicer color. If you cannot find plantain leaves, then use parchment paper only. Just make sure to tighten the twine. The nutritional info only includes the batter, not the filling.