Empanada
Empanada is a famous pastry from Spain, is a pastry filled with a mixture made with ground chicken, carrot, potato, green peas, raisins, onion, garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce and chicken broth cube in a wrap made by flour, butter, baking powder, sugar, salt and water. It is stuffed bread with different fillings of whatever you may like, as long as the taste would blend in with each other.
HOW TO COOK EMPANADA
Cooking empanada starts with making the dough. It mainly made of flour and butter. It also has a little bit of sugar, salt and baking powder. Another integral part of making the dough is the icy cold water.
First, you have to cut or blend the hard butter into the flour. You can use it by using a pastry blender or a fork. The texture of the flour will be sand-like. When you this texture, you can add the water small amount at a time.
Using icy cold water to combine with the buttered flour will keep the temperature low and won’t melt the butter. This procedure will keep the pastry crunchy when cooked. Adding small amount at a time as you mix will ensure that the dough won’t get too much liquid in it. Just enough to make the dough smooth.
After making the dough, chill it for an hour to keep the texture good for pastry. You can either wrap it in plastic or put in an airtight container then put in refrigerator.
Next step is cooking the filling. There are so many variations of fillings you can use for empanada. In this recipe, I used ground meat (chicken) and added some veggies. I also added some raisins to for additional sweetness but they are totally optional. The meat can also be pork, beef or tuna.
Once the filling is cooked and the dough is chilled, you can start making the pastry wrap. First, flatten the dough in a flour-dusted working surface using a rolling pin. Then, create circles by tracing using a bowl or cookie cutter. In this recipe, I made 12 circles. Then, add the filling in the center of each circle. Fold it and seal the edges with fork.
There are two ways to cook empanada. One is frying and the other one is baking. If you are going to fry it, keep the oil in consistent temperature. Deep-fry it until golden brown. In baking, brush the top with egg wash then bake for 180C for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top turns light brown.
Empanada
12
servingsIngredients
- FOR THE DOUGH
2 cups flour
1 stick or 1/2 cup butter or margarine (hard)
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup very cold water (adjust as needed)
pinch of salt
- FOR THE FILLINGS
1/2 kl ground chicken or pork
1 medium-size carrot (diced)
1 medium-size potato (diced)
2 tbsp. green peas
2 tbsp. raisins
Onion
Garlic
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
soy sauce to taste
1 pc. chicken broth cube
Directions
- MAKING THE EMPANADA DOUGH
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Mix well until combined.
- After mixing, cut the cubed butter into the flour mixture. Use pastry blender or fork to blend the butter to the flour until crumbly.
- Then, add the water small amount at a time while mixing. It is better to use hand when doing this to make sure that the water is absorbed by the flour while mixing.
- Add more water (per tablespoon) as you mix until you get the right consistency. Knead the dough until smooth.
- Once you get the right consistency for the dough, form it into a ball. Wrap in plastic or put in an airtight sealed container and chill for 1 hour.
- COOKING THE FILLING
- In a pan, heat some oil. Then, sauté onion and garlic.
- Add the ground chicken and sauté until the meat changes color.
- Then add black pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce and chicken broth cube. Stir until the cube is completely dissolved. Cover and cook for a few minutes to cook the ground meat.
- After a few minutes, add the potatoes and carrot. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for a minute until the veggies are tender.
- Once the veggies are tender, add the green peas and raisins. Simmer for a minute.
- Once cooked, remove from heat, set aside and let it cool completely.
- WRAPPING THE EMPANADA
- After chilling the dough, time to roll it and make empanada circles. Dust your working surface with flour, then flatten the dough using a rolling pin until the desired thickness is achieved.
- Once you achieve the right thickness for the empanada dough, cut into circles. You can use pastry cutter or use a bowl to trace a circle. In this recipe, I made 12 empanada circles/wrappers.
- On each circle, add fillings. Put the filling in the center then fold the dough, enveloping the filling. Press the edges with your thumb to stick them together. Then press it with fork to seal.
- FRYING / BAKING EMPANADA
- In a deep pan, heat some oil for deep-frying. Fry the empanadas until golden brown. Do not overcrowd the pan to maintain the temperature. Once golden brown, remove from heat and put it in a wire rack to drip excess oil.
- FOR BAKING: Preheat your oven to 180C. Arrange the empanada in a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush the top with whisked egg. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is light brown.
Watch how to Make Empanada
HOW TO COOK EMPANADA (TAGALOG)
PAANO GAWIN ANG DOUGH NG EMPANADA
Una, pagsamahin ang harina, baking powder, asukal at asin. Haluing Mabuti.
Kapag nahalo na, ilagay na ang butter. Pagsamahin ito gamit ang tinidor or pastry blender. Ang magiging texture niya ay parang sa buhangin. Kailangan ay naka-blend Mabuti ang butter sa harina.
Kapag nakuha na ang mala-buhangin na itsura, maglagay na ng malamig na tubig. Pakonti konti lang ang lagay ng tubig habang hinahalo. Mas Mabuti na kamayin para matiyak na nagbeblend ang tubig sa harina. Ituloy lamang ang paglalagay ng tubig hanggang sa makuha na ang tamang texture.
Kapag ayos na at makinis na ang dough, iporma ito pabilog. Balutin sa plastic o ilagay sa container na may takip. Palamigin sa ref ng isang oras.
PAGLULUTO NG PALAMAN
Sa isang kawali, magpainit ng mantika. Igisa ang sibuyas at bawang. Saka ilagay ang giniling na manok. Igisa ito hanggang sa mag-iba na ito ng kulay.
Pagkatapos magisa, ilagay na ang paminta, toyo, chicken broth cube at oyster sauce. Haluin Mabuti. Saka takpan para maluto ang giniling. Lutuin ng ilang minute.
Pagkaraan ng ilang minute, ilagay na ang patatas at carrot. Igisa ulit at takpan ng ilang minuto hanggang sa maluto ang mga ito.
Pag luto malambot na ang carrot at patatas, ilagay na ang green peas at raisins. Lutuin pa ng ilang minuto saka hanguin. Itabi at palamigin ang palaman bago gamitin.
PAGGAWA NG EMPANADA
Pagkatapos palamigin ang dough, ipoporma na ito sa pabilog para maging wrapper.
Magbudbod ng kaunting harina sa inyong working surface or lamesa. Palaparin ang dough hanggang sa makuha ang tamang nipis nito. Mag-cut ng pabilog gamit ang cutter or i-trace ang dough gamit ang isang malapad na bowl. Nakagawa ako ng 12 bilog sa recipe na ito.
Sa bawat empanada wrapper, maglagay ng palaman sa gitna. Itupi ito para mabalot ang palaman sa loob. Pagdikitin ang bawat gilid. Gamit ang tinidor, i-seal ito para hindi bumuka.
PAGLULUTO NG EMPANADA
May dalawang paraan para maluto ang empanada. Depende sa kung anong available, eto ang mga paraan.
PAGPIPRITO: Mag-init ng mantika sa malalim na kawali. Iprito ang empanada hanggang sa maging golden brown. Wag magprito ng marami sa isang salang para hindi mag-iba ang init ng mantika.
BAKING: Kung may oven at gusto i-bake ang empanada, i-set ang oven sa 180C. I-pwesto ang mga empanada sa isang tray na may nakalagay na baking paper. Pahiran ng binating itlog ang ibabaw. I-bake ng 30 hanggang 35 minuto hanggang sa magbrown ang ibabaw.
