Empanadas de plátano

Ingredients

Plantain dough

• 6very ripe plantains
• the skins should be black
• water, for boiling
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 3 tablespoonsrice flour, if needed

Custard filling

• 500 mlwhole milk
• 80 gsugar
• 40 gcornflour
• 2egg yolks
• 1cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• a pinch of salt

Or bean filling

• 300 grefried black beans
• seasoned with salt

To fry and finish

• oil, for deep frying
• caster sugar, for dusting
• ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

1. Keep them in a paper bag to speed it up. Never refrigerate an unripe plantain. Mix the cornflour with a little cold milk. Make a completely smooth paste. Whisk in the egg yolks and the sugar.
2. Heat the rest of the milk with the cinnamon. Bring it to just below a simmer. Pour a ladle of hot milk into the yolk mixture. Whisk it in quickly as you pour. Whisk it constantly over a medium heat. It thickens within about three minutes. Let it bubble for two minutes more. It must be very thick indeed here.
3. Cook it longer if it still slumps. Stir in the vanilla and the salt. Pour it out into a shallow dish. Press cling film onto the surface. That stops a skin forming on top. Warm custard cannot be handled at all. Preparing the plantains takes some work.
4. Peel all of the very ripe plantains. Cut them into large even chunks. Boil them in salted water until soft. Give them about fifteen minutes. Drain them thoroughly afterwards. Mashing them must be done hot.
5. Mash the plantain while it is still very hot. Work fast with a heavy masher. Add the salt and work it through. It should become a smooth soft dough. Add rice flour a spoonful at a time if so. That firms it enough to shape.
6. Let it cool enough to handle safely. Shaping them needs wet cold hands. Take a handful of the warm dough. Flatten it into a thick disc in your palm. Set a spoonful of cold custard in the centre.
7. Fold the dough up around the filling. Seal it completely so no filling shows. Shape it into an oval or a half moon. Smooth over any cracks with wet fingers. Set them out on a tray as you go. Chilling them helps considerably.
8. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up at once. Fry them for about four minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be deep golden all over. Lift them onto kitchen paper to drain. Finishing them is done while warm.
9. Dust them generously with caster sugar. Add ground cinnamon if you like. Do it while they are still warm. Let them sit for a few minutes first. They are best within an hour of frying.

Technique

• The dough is boiled mashed ripe plantain and nothing else, since the starch in it binds it together without flour or egg.
• The plantains must be black-skinned and soft, since yellow ones are not ripe enough and green ones would be entirely wrong.
• The custard must be thick enough to hold its shape completely, because a loose filling leaks out in the hot oil.

Substitutions

• Refried black beans are the common savoury filling in place of custard.
• A little rice flour firms the dough where the plantain is very wet.

Variations

• A bean-filled version is eaten at breakfast alongside the sweet one.
• Some cooks fill them with soft cheese.
• Similar plantain turnovers are made across Central America.

History

Fried ripe plantain turnovers filled with milk custard or beans, eaten at breakfast and as a street sweet.

Frequently asked questions

What is Empanadas de plátano?

Empanadas de plátano is a dessert from El Salvador: fried plantain dumplings filled with milk custard. Fried ripe plantain turnovers filled with milk custard or beans, eaten at breakfast and as a street sweet.

How long does Empanadas de plátano take to make?

Empanadas de plátano takes 45 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 12 empanadas. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Empanadas de plátano?

Yes, within limits. Refried black beans are the common savoury filling in place of custard. A little rice flour firms the dough where the plantain is very wet.

What is the most important thing to get right in Empanadas de plátano?

Keep them in a paper bag to speed it up. Never refrigerate an unripe plantain. Mix the cornflour with a little cold milk. Make a completely smooth paste. Whisk in the egg yolks and the sugar.