Pastel com diabo dentro

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gsweet potato, peeled and cut in chunks
• 250 gfine maize flour (milho fino)
• 80 gcassava flour or plain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbspvegetable oil
• About 60 ml hot water, if needed

Filling (the devil)

• 300 gfresh tuna, finely diced
• 1onion, finely chopped
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 2tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 2–3fresh malagueta chillies, finely chopped, seeds in
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 tspsweet paprika
• 1 tbspchopped parsley
• Juice of half a lime, salt and black pepper

To fry

• 1 litrevegetable oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Boil the sweet potato in salted water for 15–20 minutes until a knife slides straight through, then drain very well and mash smooth while hot.
2. Work the maize flour, cassava flour, salt and oil into the hot mash to make a firm, warm dough that holds a fingerprint without cracking; add hot water a spoon at a time only if it is crumbly. Cover and rest 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and soften the onion and garlic for 5 minutes without colouring.
4. Add the tomato, paprika and chillies and cook 5 minutes until jammy, then add the tuna and cook 3–4 minutes only, just until it turns opaque and flakes; overcooked tuna goes dry and chalky.
5. Stir in parsley and lime, season firmly and spread the filling on a plate to cool completely.
6. Divide the dough into 12 balls. Flatten each between two sheets of oiled plastic to a 12 cm disc about 4 mm thick.
7. Spoon filling onto one half, fold over and press the edge firmly, sealing with damp fingers and crimping with a fork; patch any crack, or the pastel will burst in the oil.
8. Heat the frying oil to 175°C (350°F) and fry 3–4 at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until deep gold and crisp-shelled. Drain on paper and eat hot, with the heat hitting a beat after the sweetness.

Technique

• The name is the joke: a soft, faintly sweet potato-and-corn shell hiding a fiercely chilli-hot tuna filling. Do not tame the malagueta or the dish loses its point.
• The dough has no gluten, so it is handled warm and shaped by pressing, never rolled thin with a pin. If it cools and cracks, knead in a splash of hot water.
• Frying below 170°C (350°F) makes the shell drink oil; above 185°C (375°F) the outside colours before the inside sets.

Substitutions

• Fresh tuna can be replaced by good tinned tuna in oil, well drained and flaked, added off the heat.
• Cassava flour keeps the shell short and crisp; plain flour works but gives a slightly bready bite.

Variations

• Some Santo Antão cooks use half sweet potato and half boiled cassava for a firmer, less sweet shell.

History

Its name means pastry with the devil inside, for the spicy tuna filling hidden in a corn and sweet-potato crust from Santo Antão.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pastel com diabo dentro?

Pastel com diabo dentro is a street food from Cape Verde: pastry with the devil inside: fried turnover of spicy tuna. Its name means pastry with the devil inside, for the spicy tuna filling hidden in a corn and sweet-potato crust from Santo Antão.

How long does Pastel com diabo dentro take to make?

Pastel com diabo dentro takes 45 min of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 pastéis. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pastel com diabo dentro?

Yes, within limits. Fresh tuna can be replaced by good tinned tuna in oil, well drained and flaked, added off the heat. Cassava flour keeps the shell short and crisp; plain flour works but gives a slightly bready bite.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pastel com diabo dentro?

The name is the joke: a soft, faintly sweet potato-and-corn shell hiding a fiercely chilli-hot tuna filling. Do not tame the malagueta or the dish loses its point.