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Get into the holiday spirit with these pasteles en hoja. Learn how to make this delicious and affordable dish. It's easier to make than you think!
A delicious plantain and root vegetables masa (dough) filled with meat and made into a pocket using plantain leaves – the ultimate Christmas-time food.
No Christmas is complete without pasteles en hoja. I grew up eating them every year, and know I love making them with my kids.
Although pasteles can be made anytime, it is mainly prepared during Christmas time as a holiday family tradition.
Be sure to try my coquito and roasted pork shoulder too!
What Are Pasteles En Hoja?
Pasteles en Hoja is a plantain and root vegetables masa (dough) filled with meat and made into a pocket using plantain leaves.
The masa (dough) for the pasteles is made with green plantains and other starchy root vegetables, such as white yautia. It's usually filled with any meat you choose, the most popular being ground beef, chicken and pork (carnitas). They are full of flavor!
Popular in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the whole family gets involved when making these!
Ingredients
- Green Plantains - make sure the plantains are not ripe, otherwise you’ll get a sweeter taste for your dough (unless you’d prefer that)
- White Yautía - yautía, not to be confused with yuca as they can look a bit similar, comes in many different types, such as yautía morada (blue taro), yautía amarilla (Indian kale), or yautía coco (cocoyam). It’s commonly known within the community as part of Dominican víveres, or vegetables, tubers and root vegetables.
- Auyama - a west Indian pumpkin often used in Dominican cuisine such as, sancocho.
- Adobo Seasoning - a dry seasoning mix made up of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika and salt and pepper. Find out more about adobo and the influence of the ingredient across many other Latin American countries in my blog post.
- Sofrito - check out my homemade Latin sofrito recipe!
- Vegetable Oil - any vegetable oil of choice.
- Annatto / Achiote Seed - We infuse the vegetable oil with the annatto seed to add color and flavor to the pasteles.
- Plantain Leaves - also known as banana leaves. If plantain leaves aren’t accessible, you can also just use parchment paper.
- Meat of choice - beef or chicken are most commonly used. Here's a delicious picadillo recipe you can use to fill your pasteles.
How to Make Pasteles en Hoja
Prepare the Dough
- In a small saucepan, warm vegetable oil and annatto/achiote seeds for about 3-4 minutes to infuse oil with color and flavor. Set aside and let cool.
- Peel vegetables. Using the smallest side of a grater, grate all vegetables into a large bowl.
- Add adobo seasoning, sofrito and 2 tablespoons of the annatto infused oil. Mix well.
How to Wrap Pasteles
- Cut parchment paper into 10 X 10 inch pieces. Cut plantain leaves into 6 X 6 inch pieces approximately. Place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom and a piece of plantain leaf on top.
- In the center of the piece of plantain leaf, spread 1 teaspoon of the annatto/achiote infused oil.
- Then, place about 3 tablespoons of the masa and top with about 1 and ½ tablespoons of meat filling.
- Fold the bottom side of the parchment paper up to fold the mixture and cover the meat. Continue to roll vertically making the pocket tight. Fold the sides to completely close up the ends pocket. Using cooking twine, tightly secure the pocket.
How to Cook Pasteles en Hoja
- In a large pot of water, boil pockets for 30-45 minutes.
- Carefully, unwrap and serve warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, I used a mix of green plantains, white yautia and auyama (kabocha squash) for the masa and ground beef (picadillo) for the filling. I also made a few with shredded chicken. You can use any cooked meats for the filling, so go with what you love!
Once you have wrapped your Dominican tamales, they will need to boil for around 30 to 45 minutes until they are fully cooked through. If you are cooking them frozen, let them boil for about 1 hour.
Yes! Because they are a little time-consuming, you can make and wrap the pasteles a day ahead of time and keep them covered in the fridge. You can then boil them when you are ready to serve.
Yes, once you have wrapped the pasteles, you can freeze them uncooked for up to 4 weeks. So make them up at the start of December and enjoy them throughout the holidays. Wrap them well in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container or in resealable plastic bags to protect them from freezer burn. They can be cooked straight from frozen in boiling water for one hour.
Once cooked, I like to put mayo and ketchup on mine before eating. You can add hot sauce or dress them however you like.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Roll the pasteles tightly so that the filling is contained.
- Don't spread the masa all the way to the edges. You want to leave some room to help with the folding and the masa will expand when cooked.
- Pasteles can be made ahead and placed in the freezer for about 4 weeks. When ready to cook, place them in a pot to boil while still frozen for about 1 hour.
More Holiday Recipes
- Oven Roasted Turkey
- Roasted Pork Shoulder (Pernil)
- Chocolate Coquito
- Arroz con Guandules
- The Best Coquito Recipe (Puerto Rican Coconut Rum Cocktail)
- Hazelnut Butter Cookies Dipped in Chocolate
- Pomegranate Holiday Sangria
Pasteles en Hoja (Dominican Plantain Leaf Pockets)
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon of annatto/achiote seeds
- 2 large green plantains, peeled and cut in half
- 1 pound white yautia, peeled
- 1 pound auyama (kabocha squash), peeled and cut in two
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
- 2 tablespoons sofrito mix (cilantro, garlic, onion, cubanelle peppers)
- plantain leaves (sold frozen at the grocery store)
- parchment paper
- Kitchen Twine (Cooking String)
- 3 cups cooked picadillo, for the filling
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small sauce pan, warm vegetable oil and annatto/achiote seeds for about 3-4 minutes to infuse oil with color and flavor. Set aside and let cool.
- Peel vegetables. Using the smallest side of a grater, grate all vegetables into a large bowl.
- Add adobo seasoning, sofrito and 2 tablespoons of the annatto/achiote infused oil. Mix well.
- Cut parchment paper into 10 X 10 inch pieces. Cut plantain leaves into 6 X 6 inch pieces approximately.
- Place a piece of parchment paper at the bottom and a piece of plantain leaf on top.
- In the center of the piece of plantain leaf, spread 1 teaspoon of the annatto-infused oil. Then, place about 3 tablespoons of the masa and top with about 2 tablespoons of meat filling.
- Fold the bottom side of the parchment parper up to fold the mixture and cover the meat. Continue to roll vertically making the pocket tight. Fold the sides to completely close up the ends pocket. Using kitchen twine, tightly secure the pocket.
- In a large pot of water, boil pockets for 30-45 minutes. if cooking from frozen, boil the pockets for at least 1 hour.
- Carefully, unwrap and serve warm with hot sauce and/or ketchup.
NOTES
- Once cooked, I like to put mayo and ketchup on mine before eating. Others like to top their pasteles with hot sauce, but you can dress it however you like.
- Roll the tamales tightly so that the filling is contained.
- Don't spread the masa all the way to the edges. You want to leave some room to help with the folding and the masa will expand when cooked.
- Pasteles can be made ahead and placed in the freezer for about 4 weeks. When ready to cook, place them in a pot to boil while still frozen for about 1 hour.
Nutrition
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