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Empanadas venezolanas
Large fried white-corn empanadas with cheese or black bean filling
Venezuelan empanadas are big, crisp half-moons made with white precooked corn flour, fried to order at beach kiosks on Margarita Island and at breakfast stands across Caracas. Compared with the small, potato-filled Colombian empanadas, they are larger, paler and often a little sweet in the dough, and the classic vegetarian fillings are simply grated white cheese or black beans with cheese (like an arepa dominó). Eat them hot with guasacaca or a squeeze of lime. Chef's tip: add a spoonful of sugar to the dough; it helps the crust turn golden and blistered in the oil.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
To fry
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz precooked white cornmeal (harina PAN), 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar, add 1 ½ cups warm water and knead into a smooth, soft dough. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Cut open a freezer bag along the sides. Roll a ball of dough the size of a small orange and press it between the plastic into a thin round, about 3 mm thick and 15 cm across.
Step 3: Put 2 tablespoons of 7 oz crumbly salty white cheese such as queso llanero or feta, or a spoonful of 7 oz cooked black beans topped with cheese, on one half, leaving a border.
Step 4: Using the plastic, fold the dough over the filling, press the edges and cut a neat half-moon with a bowl. Repeat to make 8.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F over a medium-high heat and fry 2–3 at a time until golden and blistered, 3–4 minutes, turning once. A common mistake is leaving any tiny cracks: the cheese leaks and the oil spits, so pinch them closed before frying.
15 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 57 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does empanadas venezolanas take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of crumbly salty white cheese such as queso llanero or feta?
- Goat's cheese or ricotta salata, same amount.
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