Puerto Rican Empanadas

From Wendy Díaz, USA

Empanadas have become a staple for Ramadan iftars and other community events in my family as we preserve our Latino culture while practicing Islam. These delicious meat pockets - also known as empanadillas - were front and center in my book entitled, “Eid Empanadas,”  which is the story of Omar, a young boy who shared his culture and religion (and some empanadas!) with his elementary school classmates. We hope they can also become a tradition in your kitchen!

Ingredients

• 2 packages pre-made empanada discs (20 count)*
• Oil for sauteing and frying
• 1 green paper, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• Cilantro
• Oregano (optional)
• Pimento stuffed green olives, chopped (optional)
• Adobe powder
• 1 package Sazon or 1 Tbsp turmeric for color (optional)
• 1 large tomato, chopped (or small can of tomato sauce or 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lb. ground or finely chopped halal meat (beef or chicken) or shrimp
• 1 medium boiled potato, cut into cubes (optional)
• Vegetable or corn oil for frying

Instructions H3 Header

1. In a large frying pan, add 1-2 Tbsps oil and saute onion, green and red pepper for a minute or two at medium heat.
2. Add garlic, meat, and spices til the meat is browned. 
3. Add tomato (or tomato sauce or paste) and lower heat.
4. Add chopped cilantro, olives, and oregano to taste. Cook for another 2 minutes and then remove from heat.
5. Add potato cubes to help absorb excess moisture and oil.
6. To fill the empanadas, add 2 Tbsp of meat mixture to the center of a flour disc. Fold into a half-moon shape, sealing the edges by pressing down with a fork. Flip over and seal again. Continue filling your empanadas.
7. Add oil for frying to a clean pan and heat. The oil is ready when bubbles form when you test with the handle of a wooden spoon.
8. Fry 3-4 empanadas at a time (depending on the size of your pan). Turn when golden brown, being careful when flipping to avoid grease splatter.
9. When both sides have cooked evenly, remove from the pan and place on a rack or paper towel to drain excess oil.

Some helpful tips:

• This recipe yields 20 empanadas.
• Serve with “mayoketchup” (mayonnaise, ketchup, finely chopped garlic or garlic powder mixture).
• For cheese empanadas, use shredded mozzarella cheese and follow steps 7-9.
• *To make your own discs, follow this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• ⅓ cup vegetable or corn oil
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water

Instructions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients to form a dough, adding flour as needed to prevent stickiness.
2. Knead dough.
3. Divide into 20 portions and roll into balls.

Wendy Díaz is a Puerto Rican Muslim writer, award-winning poet, translator, and mother of six (ages ranging from infant to teen). She is the co-founder of Hablamos Islam, a non-profit organization that produces educational resources about Islam in Spanish (hablamosislam.org). She has written, illustrated, and published over a dozen children’s books and currently lives with her family in Maryland. Follow Wendy Díaz on social media @authorwendydiaz and @hablamosislam.