Ingredients
Filling
- 500 gbeef, finely diced
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 2potatoes, in small dice
- 150 gpeas
- 3 tablespoonsoil
- 1 tablespoonaji panca or paprika
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- 1 teaspoondried oregano
- 200 mlbeef stock
- salt and pepper
To fill out
- 3hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 12black olives
- 2spring onions, sliced
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1 teaspoonsugar
- 100 glard or butter
- 1egg
- 200 mlwarm water
To fry
- neutral oil, for deep frying
To serve
- llajwa, or a chilli and tomato sauce
- pickled onion
Directions
- Heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Fry the onions slowly until they are soft and sweet. This takes a good ten minutes and matters. Add the aji panca, cumin and oregano. Fry the spices for a minute until fragrant. Add the diced beef and raise the heat. Cook it until it has browned all over. Add the diced potato and the peas. Pour in the stock and season it well.
- Simmer it for fifteen minutes until the potato is tender. The mixture should be moist but not soupy. Taste it and make it slightly saltier than seems right. Spread it out on a tray and let it cool. The mixture sets firm as the fat and stock chill.
- Warm filling makes the pastry soggy and it bursts in the oil. Put the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl. Rub in the lard or butter with your fingers. Work it until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Beat the egg into the warm water. Pour it in and bring the dough together.
- Knead it for five minutes until smooth. It should be firm rather than soft. Wrap it and rest it for thirty minutes. Rolling and filling takes some care.
- Divide the dough into twelve equal pieces. Roll each into a round about fifteen centimetres across. Keep the rounds under a cloth as you work. Spoon a generous amount of cold filling onto one half. Leave a clear border around the edge. Lay a slice of egg and an olive on top. Add a little sliced spring onion. Brush the border with a little water.
- Fold the dough over into a half moon. Press the edges together firmly with your fingers. Press out any trapped air as you seal it. Fold a small section of the edge over on itself. Repeat along the whole curve, overlapping each fold. Chill the finished empanadas for thirty minutes.
- Pour oil into a deep pan to a depth of six centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat it to 175C and check it with a thermometer. They should sizzle steadily and float.
- Turn them as they colour to brown them evenly. They need about five minutes to reach deep golden brown. Lift them onto a wire rack to drain. Let the oil recover before the next batch. Serving them is done hot from the fryer.
Technique
- Aji panca is a mild dark red Peruvian chilli sold as a paste or a powder.
- Bolivian cooks use several local chillies including aji amarillo and aji colorado, and the exact one varies by household.
Substitutions
- Paprika with a pinch of cayenne stands in for aji panca reasonably well.
- Chicken can replace the beef and is common on morning carts.
Variations
- Chicken tucumanas are sold alongside the beef ones almost everywhere.
- The salteña is the baked, juicier Bolivian relative eaten in the morning.
- A cheese version is made for those who do not eat meat.
History
Fried empanada named after Tucuman in Argentina, sold from morning stalls and street carts in La Paz.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tucumana?
Tucumana is a street food from Bolivia: fried empanada of beef, potato and egg, sold with sauces. Fried empanada named after Tucuman in Argentina, sold from morning stalls and street carts in La Paz.
How long does Tucumana take to make?
Tucumana takes 1 hour plus overnight chilling of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 12 empanadas. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Tucumana?
Yes, within limits. Paprika with a pinch of cayenne stands in for aji panca reasonably well. Chicken can replace the beef and is common on morning carts.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tucumana?
Knead it for five minutes until smooth. It should be firm rather than soft. Wrap it and rest it for thirty minutes. Rolling and filling takes some care.
