Puerto Rican Pasteles Recipe (with Video)

Preparation of the meat
1. Pre-cook the meat by steaming or boiling it. Typically cooks within 10-15 minutes.
2. After completely cooked, remove from heat, strain any extra water, and add to a bowl.
3. For the chicken, you can chop into small chunks or pull using 2 forks.
4. Note: if using pork, chop into small chunks before cooking.
Preparation of the sauce
1. In a large pot, add the oil, sofrito, tomato sauce, garlic, culantro, olives, and chickpeas.
2. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the cooked meat with 1 cup of water.
4. Add adobo and sazón to taste, stir well, and allow to boil for 5-8 minutes on high heat.
5. If there is an excess of liquid, continue to cook on low heat, until the sauce thickens up.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preparation of the dough
1. Cut the corners of the green bananas.
2. For easier peeling, place all the green bananas in a large bowl and cover with water.
3. Allow to sit for a few minutes before you start.
4. Peel and cut the yautia and squash into small chunks.
5. Using a small knife, cut longways into the banana peel to open.
6. Then chop into small pieces.
7. In a large blender or food processor, blend all the chopped yautia, squash, and green bananas.
8. For easier blending, add a bit of milk to get it started.
9. Do small batches at a time and add the masa/dough into a large bowl.
10. Add 2 tbsp of oil of annatto and 2 tbsp of the meat sauce to the masa/dough.
11. If oil of annatto is not available, use oil of choice, and sazón or achiote molido (ground annatto).
12. Mix well.
13. Optional: Add salt to taste at this point.
Wrapping the pasteles
1. On a flat surface, place a rectangular piece of pastel paper (approximately 12x9”).
2. Place a smaller rectangular piece of banana leaf on top.
3. Spread 1 tsp of oil of annatto on top of the leaf.
4. Add ¾ cup of masa/dough on top of the leaf and spread it out.
5. It does not matter if it overflows to the paper.
6. Add 2 tbs of meat along the middle of the dough.
7. Quickly wrap the pasteles, and make sure the masa/dough does not come out through the sides.
8. To do this, fold in both long sides, and bring in the corners.
9. Place 2 pasteles together, making sure that the corners are facing each other.
10. Using a 24" long string, tie the pasteles together.
11. Tight enough that they do not open during the cooking process.
Cooking the pasteles
1. To cook, fill a large deep pot with water ¾ of the way.
2. Bring to a boil and add the pasteles and make sure they are completely submerged.
3. Allow to boil for 35-40 minutes.
Storing and serving
1. You can freeze the remaining pasteles for up to two months.
2. When frozen, allow to cook for 45-50 minutes.
3. Enjoy on their own, or with some hot sauce (or ketchup), and a pinch of salt if needed.