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Pastels
Fish-filled pastries
Senegalese fish-filled half-moon pastries with tomato-onion sauce for Korité
SenegalesePastels are the party pastries of Dakar and Saint-Louis, half-moons of soft dough filled with spiced fish, parsley and onion and fried until puffed and golden. They are made by the trayful for Korité, the Senegalese Eid al-Fitr, and for baptisms and family gatherings, and come with a peppery tomato-onion sauce for dipping. Tuna or mackerel are classic fillings. Chef's tip: let the filling cool completely and squeeze it dry before filling; wet, warm filling makes the dough tear and leak in the oil.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 14 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- ¾ cup warm water
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb firm fish (fresh tuna, mackerel or white fish)skinless and boneless
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 oz fresh parsleychopped
- ½ scotch bonnet chilliseeded and finely chopped
- ½ lemonjuiced
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¾ tsp salt
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onionssliced
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tbsp vinegar
To fry
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep-frying
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 14 oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Add the 4 tbsp vegetable oil and ¾ cup warm water and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Poach the 1 ⅛ lb firm fish (fresh tuna, mackerel or white fish) in simmering salted water for 6–8 minutes until it is opaque all the way through and flakes easily. Drain, cool and flake finely, picking out any bones.
10 minStep 3: Heat the 2 tbsp vegetable oil and fry the 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the 3 cloves garlic and ½ scotch bonnet chilli for 1 minute, then the flaked fish, 1 oz fresh parsley, ½ lemon, ½ tsp black pepper and ¾ tsp salt. Cook 2 minutes until dry, then cool completely.
8 minStep 4: For the sauce, fry the 2 onions in the 2 tbsp vegetable oil for 10 minutes until golden, stir in the 2 tbsp tomato purée, ¾ cup water and 1 tbsp vinegar and simmer 5 minutes until thick. Season with salt.
12 minStep 5: Roll the dough 3 mm thick and cut 10 cm rounds. Put a heaped teaspoon of filling on each, fold into half-moons and press the edges firmly with a fork. A common mistake is overfilling, which makes them burst.
20 minStep 6: Heat the 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F. Fry the pastels in batches for 3–4 minutes, turning once, until puffed and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and serve warm with the sauce.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pastels take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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