Pastelitos de Carne (Salvadoran fried turnover)

The 'empanada' of El Salvador!

What is a Pastelito de Carne?

A crispy delight filled with seasoned meat and vegetables that is then garnished with curtido Salvadoreño and homemade salsa. It's very similar to a Colombian empanada, and can be made with chicken or beef. Pastelitos are eaten as a snack or an appetizer and are common street food in El Salvador.

How to make Pastelitos de Carne

To make a pastelito de carne, you first have to make picadillo. The picadillo can truly be seasoned your way and with the vegetables you like. My mom typically makes pastelitos when she has leftover picadillo from the day before! You can find that mostly people add carrots and potatoes but you can add anything you want. You can find pastelitos with squash, guisquil (chayote), green beans, peas, etc. The second step is to make masa (dough) with white corn flour. This is the same masa we made for the pupusas with one additional ingredient: achiote (ground annatto). Once you have the picadillo and the masa, we are ready to assemble!

Note: you can do this with leftover picadillo!

This recipe is for a batch of 5-7 pastelitos

Picadillo ingredients:

• 1/4 Lb ground beef

• 1/2 cup of diced Potato and carrots OR your vegetables of choice

• 1 tsp Knorr beef bouillon

• 1/2 Culantro & Achiote sazón envelope

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic to taste

• Salt & pepper to taste

Masa ingredients:

• White corn nixtamalized corn flour

• Ground annatto (achiote) mainly for color

• Water

Frying ingredients:

• Vegetable oil

Instructions:

1. Heat pan: Place a pan over medium heat.

2. Season beef: Season the ground beef with all the listed seasonings, cover, and set aside.

3. Prep vegetables: Peel and finely dice the vegetables.

4. Brown beef: Add the beef to the pan and cook until browned.

5. Cook with vegetables: Add the vegetables and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

6. Taste and adjust: Stir and taste. Since some vegetables absorb seasoning, add more if needed. Cover again and cook until the vegetables are tender. Set aside to cool.

7. Make dough: In a large bowl, add 1 cup of flour, ground annatto, and a pinch of salt. Gradually incorporate 1 cup of warm water while kneading. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough is soft and no longer sticks to your hands. (You can also use a stand mixer with a kneading tool for 5 minutes.)

8. Heat oil: Place a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add enough oil to cover the pastelitos halfway.

   • Tip: Use a small frying pan to reduce the amount of oil needed.

9. Assemble: Take the masa and form a thin handmade tortilla. Add picadillo in the center, then fold in half to make a half-moon. Seal the edge by pressing with your fingers.

10. Fry: Place the pastelito in hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2–3 minutes.

11. Rest and serve: Let them cool for about 2 minutes before serving.

Pastelitos can be served with a cabbage and tomato salad but I prefer mine with curtido and Salsa! Hope you enjoy this one, for more recipe videos follow me @flourishwithg on Instagram and TikTok.