Pasteles en Hoja [Video+Recipe] Dominican Plantain Pockets

Ingredients

• Filling ((see list above recipe))
• 1 plantain (green, unripe) (or 1 1/2 medium plantain (1/2 lb [227 g] once peeled, see notes))
• 1/3 pound yautía (malanga) ([151 g] peeled )
• 1/3 pound auyama (kabocha squash) ([151 g] peeled)
• 1 tablespoon seasoning powder
• 1 cup milk (whole or skim) ([237 ml])
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon salted butter ([28 g])
• 1 tablespoon bija (annato, achiote) powder
• 12 Banana tree leaves squares ((see notes))
• 12 Leafs parchment paper ((Amazon affiliate link - see notes))
• Twine ((the kind of string used for food))
• Salt
• Ketchup ((optional, see notes))
• Hot sauce ((optional, see notes))

Instructions

1. 1

   --- 1. Making the batter ---

2. 2

   Making batter: By hand: Grate the plantain, yautía, and auyama with the least coarse side of the grater. Once grated, combine all the ingredients for the batter and mix well.Or with blender/food processor: Chop the plantain, yautía, and auyama, and combine them with the rest of the ingredients for the batter.Pureé in a strong blender or a food processor until it's uniform, and you can't feel any clumps, but feels like grains of sand in it. It may take 5-10 minutes, depending on the blender/processor.

3. 3

   --- 2. Wrapping pasteles ---

4. 4

   Wrapping: Put 2.5 tablespoons of the plantain and root mixture on one of the plantain squares. Put 2 tablespoons of filling in the center, cover with 2 more tablespoons of the root mixture to cover the filling.Fold the leaf square in the shape of an envelope. Wrap again in parchment paper and tie tightly.Repeat with the remaining batter.

5. 5

   --- 3. Boiling pasteles en hoja ---

6. 6

   Boiling: When all are wrapped, bring one gallon of water to boil in a large pot over medium heat. Add a tablespoon of salt.When the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully lower the pasteles into the water. Cover and cook for 40 minutes. The pasteles will float when put into the water, but as they cook, they'll start to puff and sink. Make sure to turn them a couple of times during the cooking time, so they cook uniformly on all sides.Once the 40 minutes have passed, remove one from the liquid, unwrap, and check for doneness: the consistency of the batter will have changed throughout.

7. 7

   --- 4. Serving ---

8. 8

   Serving: If it's ready, remove all from the water, otherwise boil for another 10 minutes.Serve right after unwrapping, garnished with hot sauce and/or ketchup.