Easy Salvadoran sweet plantain empanadas (Empanadas de platano)

If you love plantains, this is a treat you need to try!
They are easy to make, just make sure you find the right ripened plantains, cool ingredients before assembling and you will enjoy these Salvadoran treat on repeat.

You can make them with refried beans as a filling, and still so good.

Empanadas bring so many memories of my childhood. My mom used to make them often to sell them outside our house, we helped her a little bit, or at least is what I remember.

Simple ingredients

Plantains

Cinnamon

Milk

Oil

Sugar

Rice flour or cornstach

Vanilla

How to make Empanadas de Platanos (Step by step)

1. Start by rinsing your plantains, cut the ends, and then cut them in halves.
2. At medium heat, place a pot with water –enough to cover all the plantains, add plantains and cover with a lid. They will be ready when you see the ends of the plantain expanding, about 20 -30 minutes.
3. Take all the plantains out to cool completely, then peal and smash them to make a dough like consistency. Take all the hard black veins out in this process.
4. Meanwhile, make the poleada, or refried beans, depending on the filling you are using. Make sure this is cooled completely before assembling.
5. Assembling by making a small tortilla type with the plantain dough. You can use a plastic wrap in a surface to place the tortilla, add the filling and do the folding. This is a way to make easier the closing of the empanada. You can do it in your hands and carefully close the empanada without letting any of the filling out.
6. In a pan, at medium heat, place oil and once is hot, add empanadas, one by one.
7. Fry empanadas for about three minutes each, just make sure they are getting a nice brown color. You can place about 5-6 at a time.
8. Place the fried empanadas over paper towel and let them cool. Roll them over sugar before serving them.

How serve

Serve warm if possible, this is more like an afternoon snack.

How to store

Store in the fridge for about three days. Reheat before serving.

Easy Salvadoran sweet plantain empanadas (Empanadas de platano)

Author: Patricia Densley Cooking Method:Boiling, Frying Courses:Snacks Recipe Keys: P Platanos E Empanadas de platano P Plantain empanadas

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesRest time: 40 minutesTotal time: minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Suitable throughout the year

Ingredients

• 7 Plantains (Ripe but not overripe)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Water (enough to cover all the plantains to boil them)
• Poleada (sweet milk pudding filling)
• 1/4 cup Canola oil
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Poleada de leche

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsps. vanilla
• 4 tbsps. rice flour, or cornstarch

Instructions

Poleada (milk filling)

1. Start by adding 2 cups of milk in a pan, add cinnamon stick and bring it to simmering at medium heat. In a container like a small bowl, add the remaining half of milk and add the rice flour or cornstarch, little by little and mixing it in between so that the cornstarch is well dissolved. If the mixture has lumps, use a strainer before adding it to the milk.
2. Once the milk is simmering, add the cornstarch mixture slowly and mixing the milk at the same time.
3. Mix in vanilla, then add sugar and keep mixing. At this point the milk will quickly start becoming thick. Take it out of the heat. As it cools down it continue to thicken. Cool completely before using it.

Empanadas

4. Start by rinsing your plantains, cut the ends, and then cut them in halves.
5. At medium heat, place a pot with water –enough to cover all the plantains, add plantains and cover with a lid. They will be ready when you see the ends of the plantain expanding, about 20 -30 minutes.
6. Take all the plantains out to cool completely, then peal and smash them to make a dough like consistency. Take all the hard black veins out in this process.
7. Meanwhile, make the poleada, or refried beans, depending on the filling you are using. Make sure this is cooled completely before assembling.
8. Assembling by making a small tortilla type with the plantain dough. You can use a plastic wrap in a surface to place the tortilla, add the filling and do the folding. This is a way to make easier the closing of the empanada. You can do it in your hands and carefully close the empanada without letting any of the filling out.
9. In a pan, at medium heat, place oil and once is hot, add empanadas, one by one.
10. Fry empanadas for about three minutes each, just make sure they are getting a nice brown color. You can place about 5-6 at a time.
11. Place the fried empanadas over paper towel and let them cool. Roll them over sugar before serving them.

Keywords:Empanadas de platano, Easy plantain empanadas