Empanadas
My recent trip to Costa Rica to visit my mom opened my eyes up to the various ways corn is used in their cuisine. I’m a fan!
I love a good empanada, and today I’m showing you one I made with masa (corn flour).
An empanada consists of a pastry and filling, very much similar to our local version of a curry puff. It’s common in Spanish, other Southern European, Latin American, and Iberian-influenced cultures around the world!
I have to give a huge shoutout to chef Tamara Chavez for helping me troubleshoot the recipe for my dough when i was struggling with the consistency!
While this recipe uses the traditional technique of deep-frying the empanada, I also tried air frying it and it works (180°C for 20 mins, flipping halfway)! The results are slightly different as it’s not as crispy. But it’s definitely less greasy and a more ‘sustainable’ way to eat it since it uses much less oil.
My boyfriend and I also experimented making a sauce to go with this and we came up with one that worked pretty well! We mixed the following, but feel free to tweak it as you like:
Yoghurt
Kewpie mayo
Lemon juice
Fresh mint
Chopped jalapeños
THE RECIPE
SERVES 4 LARGE PIECES
Ingredients
Dough
200g masa harina
3g salt
300g water
50g melted butter
Filling
2 tbsp oil
250g cooked chicken, shredded (about ½ a roasted chicken)
1 medium onion, minced
130g bell peppers, minced (about 1 medium capsicum)
1 cup water
1 small tomato, chopped
2 chilli padi (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Greek yoghurt
1 tsp garlic powder
15g fresh coriander (stem and leaf), chopped
Pinch of salt and black pepper
2 tbsp cheddar/mozzarella cheese, shredded
Enough frying oil to fill a pot 2-3” high
Directions
For the filling:
In a large pan, sauté the onion, chilli, bell pepper in some olive oil until soft. Once softened, season with salt and pepper, and add the tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes till the tomatoes have softened.
Then, add the shredded chicken, chopped coriander, tomato paste, and garlic powder, and mix well.
Add the water and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once most of the water has cooked off, put the lid on and cook it at very low heat for a couple of minutes until the chicken moistens up. Right before it’s done, stir in the Greek yoghurt, take it off the heat, and leave the mixture to cool while you prepare your dough.
For the dough:
Mix the masa harina, salt, melted butter and water in a bowl. Mix well, forming a smooth dough. You want the dough to be soft, but not sticky. If it is sticking to your hands, add some additional flour, a bit at a time.
Assembling the empanada:
First, have 2 sheets of baking paper and a rolling pin/bottle ready (the baking paper will help you to remove the dough more easily later). Weigh out ~120g of the dough and roll it into a ball before flattening it as evenly as you can with the base of your palm onto the first sheet of baking paper.
To roll it out, place the second sheet of baking paper on top and roll the pin/bottle over it. Once you’ve reached your desired thickness, peel off the top sheet of baking paper and set it aside for later.
Add about 2 tbsp of the filling onto one side of the dough, top with a sprinkle of cheese, some black pepper, and fold the dough in half, using the bottom sheet of baking paper to help you. Using a fork, firmly crimp the edges together. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling.
Cooking the empanada:
Fill a pot with 2-3” of frying oil and heat it to 200ºC. Once ready, fry the empanadas until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side. Once done, place them on a rack with a tray underneath to catch any dripping oil.
Eat while they’re hot!
Notes
Time-saving tip: to reduce preparation time on the chicken, I shredded up a rotisserie chicken. You may also use any leftover chicken in this recipe!
The filling can be made ahead of time, and stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you may freeze it in a container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Per serving
Calories: 616kcal
Carbohydrates: 45g
Protein: 28g
Fat: 35g
Sugar: 6.4g
Sodium: 451.36mg
Fibre: 2.3g