Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.26.30 AM-2
792DC3AE-7C60-44F7-8833-2561094673B6
Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.27.01 AM
2C633EF5-DD55-4396-8DF7-C2C1158805AB
Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.27.44 AM
3AE01942-5F5C-4230-ACBE-05AF285BBD13
Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.30.40 AM
4ABEA91C-7A36-48D0-AB6E-BF60568F0965_1_105_c
Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.30.49 AM
62C865C5-C9C4-4AB6-BB86-E7B320B5D184
2621AF9C-D3F1-4E68-B0F9-2DEAEC439A62_1_105_c
Screenshot 2023-12-11 at 10.31.24 AM
C7D8FD38-78CE-4C81-BCE5-BA758B27420F

Empanada de Verde

ECUADOR

Crunchy plantain dough and salty cheese filling? Sign me up!

SUBMITTED BY

Martin

I consider dumpling cooking a fine art, as there are so many ways to do it. And while the process is generally straightforward, there’s one type of dumpling that almost broke me! But don’t let me discourage you right from the start. Although Ecuadorian Empanada de Verde can be a bit more difficult to cook, their taste is nothing short of fan-tas–tic! This recipe was brought to me by Martin, an Ecuadorian who has lived in Estonia for six years, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

 

Latin Americans are known to be master empanada makers as every country and region has their way of cooking them. They can be either sweet, savory, or spicy – basically, in any flavor you can imagine! However, what makes Ecuadorian Empanada de Verde so special is plantains. Aside from being delicious, peeling the banana-like fruit is really satisfying. It’s almost like those chiropractor ASMR videos that most of us love to watch.

 

Cooking Ecuadorian Empanada de Verde though, is an entirely different story. Since plantains are typically sticky, I ran into a bit of trouble while I was making the dough. It stuck onto my hands so much that I had to oil them up to create the shape of the dumpling. Ultimately, I had to add a bit of flour to break off the stickiness, which helped me the most! So, if you find yourself in a sticky situation (pun intended), now you know what to do!

 

Of course, Ecudarioan Empanada de Verde is much easier to make if you’re a native. Martin usually cooks this dish to remind himself of home, as he spent hours making them with his mom and grandma in the past. Although they were much faster than him, they spent hours talking about all sorts of things, so it was almost like a therapeutic experience.

 

While making Ecuadorian Empanada de Verde, I thought they were really doughy, and the cheese filling wouldn’t be enough. But once it was done, the dough-to-filling ratio was perfect! Per Martin’s suggestion, this dish is paired with a spicy aji, and he was absolutely right! The outer crust was crunchy, and the insides were warm and creamy, resulting in a unique and highly delicious dish!

 

For even more sensational recipes, read the rest of my blogs.

Watch the Video

Empanada de Verde

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Equipment

  • food processor

Ingredients
  

For dough

  • 4 green plantains
  • 1 egg optional can use some of the cooking water from the plantains instead of the egg
  • 2 Tbsp butter room temperature
  • 1 tsp salt

For filling

  • 1 cup queso fresco grated or crumbled
  • ⅓ cup white onion or scallion finely diced
  • oil for frying

Instructions
 

Make the dough

  • Wash and peel the green plantains, be careful as green plantains tend to stain clothes and cutting boards. It works best to do this under running cold water.
  • Cut three of the plantains in half. Keep the remaining peeled plantain in a bowl of cold water.
  • Bring water to boil in a large saucepan and add the 3 plantains. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Exact time will vary based on the greenness of the plantains.
  • Remove from heat and let the cooked plantains sit in the water they cooked in until they are cool enough to handle (but still warm), if you remove them from the warm water they will get too hard.
  • In the meantime, grate the remaining raw plantain using a very fine grater.
  • Place the cooked plantains in a food processor and pulse until you have a thick coarse mix. Add the egg and butter or oil, and pulse until the ingredients are well mixed and the dough is a little smoother.
  • Remove the plantain mix and place it into a large bowl. Rub your hands with a bit of butter or oil, and mix in the finely grated raw plantain and ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt (adjust based on how large the plantains are and your level of tolerance for salt). Use your hands to work the dough until you have a smooth mix. If the dough is very dry or too sticky, you can add a bit of the cooking water from the plantains – you will likely need to this if you didn’t use an egg.
  • Form the dough into a ball and let rest in a bowl at room temperature for about 15-30 minutes. You can also save it to use later and store in the refrigerator for 24 hours, but when you remove it from the refrigerator, let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

To roll out dough

  • You can make the empanada discs by either using a rolling pin to flatten the the dough into a thin sheet. The dough can be difficult to handle, use oil on your hands and on rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking. Use a round pastry cutter mold (or round bowl or cup) to cut out round disc shapes. The size of the empanadas is up to you. Make them medium or small sized if serving them as appetizers or sides, or large if serving them as a main meal.
  • The other option for making the empanada discs, is to shape the dough into small balls – golf size for small ones and tennis size for larger ones. Then flatten these balls of plantain dough using a tortilla press or something flat, like a cutting board. You can also use a rolling pin to roll out each individual ball into a round disc – don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly round. It helps to place the dough balls in between pieces of wax paper (lightly greased) to keep it from sticking to the board, tortilla press, or rolling pin.

Filling and cooking

  • Mix the cheese and the onions together.
  • Place a spoonful of the cheese and onion filling in the middle on the empanada disc, fold and seal the empanada. You can also do this using a piece of wax paper. To seal it correctly press the edges gently with your fingers. You can also use a fork to help seal the edges.
  • Let the empanadas sit in the refrigerator for about an hour, this will help them seal better. It is possible to fry the empanadas immediately, but they are more likely to open or leak while frying.
  • Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. You can deep fry them or you can use just a few tablespoons in a shallower pan.
  • Add the empanadas, do not overcrowd the pan, and fry them until they are golden and crispy. If using a small amount of oil you will need to gently flip them over so they cook on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  • Drain the oil from the empanadas by placing them on plate lined with paper towels. Serve warm with hot sauce!

Notes

Recipe inspired by Laylita's Recipes
Course: Lunch, Snack
Region: Latin America
Diet: Vegetarian

SHARE THE LOVE

You May Also Like

©2024  Beryl Shereshewsky       |       About   Dishes  Articles  Artists  Contact Me  FAQs  Privacy Policy

Get Social

Youtube Instagram Facebook