Pastel is a delicious snack that can be found on nearly every street corner throughout Brazil. And it’s no surprise as people from Latin America’s largest country can’t get enough of this street food favorite that comes in so many varieties. Pastel is often enjoyed with a sugarcane juice, so if you ever happen to be in Brazil, you’ll need remember this phrase: “Pastel e caldo de cana.”
Brazilian Pastel Street Food Recipes
Ingredients
- 500 g wheat flour
- 1 egg
- 100 ml vegetable oil
- 200 ml water
- 3 tsp cachaça
- 1 pinch salt
- flour for the work surface
Instructions
- For the dough, first add the flour to a bowl, make a small hollow in the center, and pour in the oil. Next, add the egg, water, cachaça and salt before kneading everything into a dough and then shaping it into a ball.
- Sprinkle some flour on the work surface, remove a small piece from the ball of dough, and roll it out evenly. Next, cut away the sides so that your dough is in a square shape.
- Add the meat, mozzarella, onion, parsley, garlic and dry ingredients to a bowl and mix them carefully. Place about a tablespoon of the mixture just above the center of the dough square. Wet the edge of the dough and fold it in half. Press the edge of the dough down and then add a pattern using a fork. Deep-fry the pastel in oil at 360°F for 6 minutes.
- First, heat up the oil in a pan and mix in the curry powder. Keep on stirring so that it doesn't burn. Next, add the whole chicken and cook both sides until golden brown. Take the chicken out of the pan, leave it to cool, and pluck it into thin strips. Carefully mix the chicken with cream cheese, garlic and the dry ingredients. Add the filling to the dough as in version 1, fold it up and deep-fry it in hot oil.
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the mozzarella and oregano. Add the mixture to the dough as in version 1. Fold the dough square up as before and deep-fry the pastel.
VIDEO
If you’re not planning on making a trip to Brazil any time soon, these wonderful recipes are a great way to taste some fine Latin American cuisine at home. Enjoy!