Api con Pasteles
Api con Pasteles (AH-pee kohn pahs-TEH-lehs)
Purple Corn Drink with Cheese Pastries
Bolivia's classic breakfast pairing: thick, sweet, spiced purple corn drink served alongside golden fried cheese pastries dusted with powdered sugar.
Nutrition & Info
Allergen Warnings
Equipment Needed
Presentation Guide
Vessel: mug and plate
Garnishes: powdered sugar, cinnamon stick
Instructions
-
1
Make api: boil purple corn with cinnamon and cloves 1 hour. Strain, add sugar, thicken with cornstarch.
-
2
Make pastel dough: mix flour, cold butter, egg, and salt into a flaky dough. Rest 20 min.
-
3
Roll dough thin. Cut into rectangles. Place cheese in center, fold and seal.
-
4
Deep fry pasteles at 175°C until puffed and golden, about 3-4 min.
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5
Dust with powdered sugar while still warm.
-
6
Serve pasteles alongside a steaming mug of api.
Did You Know?
Api con pasteles vendors in La Paz start their purple corn boiling at 2 AM to have it ready for the 5 AM breakfast rush.
Chef's Notes
Equipment Tips
- rolling pin
- deep fryer
- large pot
Garnishing
powdered sugar, cinnamon stick
The Story Behind Api con Pasteles
This pairing combines two traditions: the pre-Columbian purple corn drink of the Andes with Spanish-influenced fried pastry. The combination became the defining cold-morning breakfast across highland Bolivia. Street vendors selling api con pasteles are fixtures of every Andean city's dawn landscape.
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