Pasteles — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Parcels of green banana and root vegetable masa filled with seasoned chicken, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled until firm.

Ingredients

5 green bananas
3 green plantains
1 lb yautia
1 lb calabaza
2 tbsp annatto oil
Salt to taste
For filling: 1kg chicken thighs, sofrito, tomato sauce, olives, capers, sazon, recao
Banana leaves for wrapping
Kitchen twine

Instructions

1 Peel and grate green bananas, plantains, yautia, and calabaza. Mix with annatto oil and salt to form a smooth masa.
2 Cook chicken filling by browning seasoned chicken pieces with sofrito, tomato sauce, sazon, olives, and capers until tender. Shred meat.
3 Soften banana leaves by passing them quickly over a gas flame or blanching in hot water.
4 Place a rectangle of banana leaf on the counter. Spread two tablespoons of masa in the center, add filling, fold and tie with twine.
5 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasteles and cook one hour, turning once halfway through.
6 Remove from water and let rest five minutes. Unwrap and serve hot with pique sauce.

Did You Know?

Making pasteles is such a labor-intensive process that Puerto Rican families turn it into a communal event called a pastelada, where everyone helps assemble dozens at once.