My take Brazilian pasteis with chicken (Pastel Frito de Frango)
Deep fried pastries filled with savoury filling. A creamy filling of cheese and chicken seasoned with tomato and onion. The pastel is crispier and more like a spring roll dough.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 spring onions, chopped
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 ounces of cream cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
- 5 cups vegetable oil, (amount needed for frying)
Pastel Dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 Tbsp of lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 egg , beaten
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
- In a saucepan place the chicken breasts and stock cube and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn off heat and let stand covered for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Reserve the broth.
Dough
- In a large bowl combine the flour, vegetable shortening, salt, baking powder, vinegar and egg.
- Mix 1/4 cup of the broth with 3/4 cup of hot water. Gradually add this water mixture to the flour mixture, stirring well.
- Add enough liquid to make a dough, and knead dough gently until smooth, adding more liquid if necessary. The dough should be soft and smooth, but not sticky (add more flour if the dough is too wet). Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Chicken filling
- Shred the chicken finely and set aside. In a frying pan add 3 tablespoons of oil and saute the onions and spring onions until soft.
- Add the garlic salt, oregano, chili powder, and cornstarch and mix well. Add the tomato paste and 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth and simmer, until mixture starts to thicken slightly.
- Add the chicken and mix well, adding more chicken broth if the mixture seems too dry.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and lime juice until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble the Pastéis
- Divide the dough in half and roll out one half thinly on a floured surface. Fold in half once and roll it out again, then let it rest for 5 minutes. The goal is to roll it out as thinly as possible (to about a 9- by 12-inch rectangle).
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough in half lengthwise, then cut each half vertically into 5 pieces, so that you have 10 rectangles of dough. They do not need to be an exact size and you can make them bigger or smaller as you see fit.
- Place 1 to 2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on top of a rectangle of dough. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges of the rectangle. Place another rectangle of dough on top, encasing the filling. Press the edges of the 2 rectangles together, then pinch them together with a fork all the way around. Repeat with remaining rectangles, then roll out the other half of dough and repeat.
- Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a heavy saucepan or to 360 F. Fry pasteles in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
