I love Pasteles! It is the one food I look forward to every year. We always enjoy making them at home. Right now we have about two dozen in the freezer all ready for this Thanksgiving. All we have to do is place them in a big pot of water, boil for about 45 minutes, unwrap and viola! Some nice, hot, delicious Pasteles. Yes, making them at home can be very time consuming, but it is all worth it at the end.
What do you need to make your own batch of Puerto Rican Pasteles at home?
- Vegetables – If you are planning to make them traditional, you will need green bananas, tarot root, pumpkin and potatoes for the Masa (dough). Some people also like to add green plantains.
- Dough – In order to make the Masa for the Pasteles, you will need to grate the vegetables. You can use a regular food grater but we prefer a food processor instead. It will save you a lot of time!
- Protein – We like to use pork or chicken for the filling, but you can make it meatless if you prefer and substitute with another protein of your choice. For the seasoning we like to use Sazon with Achiote, Adobo, Salt, Sofrito, Annatto, Olive Oil, Green Olives (if you like them) and a tiny bit of evaporated milk.
- Some Wrapping – Parchment paper and banana leaves are preferred, but you can use aluminum foil instead of the banana leaves. You will also need string to tie it all together.
- Scissors – To cut the string.
- A Large Pot With Salt – To cook those wrapped goodies in.
- Ketchup – Even if you are team no-ketchup, there is always someone who cannot eat them without ketchup. Make sure to always have one around and/or hot sauce.
- A Radio – Who doesn’t like to hear some nice Salsa music while working?
- Helping Hands – This is a must if you are planning to make a dozen or more Pasteles by hand. If you aren’t able to find any helping hands, no worries. There are supermarkets who sell the dough frozen.
I hope you found this information helpful. Buen Provecho!