Colombian Empanadas with Ají Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 kg yellow hominy corn (soaked overnight and cooked until tender)
• 30 g cornstarch (cornstarch)
• 15 g salt (for the dough)
• 3 tbsp water (only if the dough is very dry, add gradually)
• 500 g ground beef (2 parts relative to the onions)
• 250 g scallions (chopped or processed)
• 2 garlic (cloves, processed)
• 375 g potatoes (cooked and mashed; should be half the weight of the meat mixture)
• cumin, salt, and pepper (to taste for seasoning the filling)
• vegetable oil (sufficient quantity for frying)
• 2 tomato (grated (for the ají))
• 1 scallions for ají (finely chopped)
• 1 fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 2 tbsp vinegar (mixed with lime juice)
• 1 lime (juice)
• spicy chili pepper or chilies (to taste)

Steps

1. 1

   For the dough: Soak the yellow hominy corn in water overnight. The next day, cook it in clean water until tender.

2. 2

   Drain the corn and process it in a mill or food processor until a fine dough is obtained.

3. 3

   Add the 30 g of cornstarch and 15 g of salt to the dough. Knead well. If the dough feels too dry, add water by the teaspoon (up to 3 tbsp) until it is manageable.

4. 4

   For the filling: Process the scallions and garlic cloves.

5. 5

   In a pan with a little oil, sauté the scallions and garlic until well-cooked (sofrito) and fragrant.

6. 6

   Incorporate the ground beef into the sofrito. Season with cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook until the meat is browned.

7. 7

   Mix the cooked meat with the mashed potatoes until you get a homogeneous and flavorful mixture.

8. 8

   To assemble: Form small balls with the corn dough. Flatten each ball between two plastic sheets using a tortilla press (pataconera) or a kitchen board to form thin discs.

9. 9

   Place a generous portion of filling in the center of each disc. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon shape.

10. 10

    Use a circular cutter, a ring, or a cup to seal the edges and give them a uniform shape.

11. 11

    Heat plenty of oil in a deep pot or pan. Fry the empanadas in batches.

12. 12

    Perform a double fry: fry them once, remove them, and then fry them a second time so they acquire a deep golden color and an extra crunchy texture.

13. 13

    For the ají: Mix the grated tomato, chopped scallions, cilantro, vinegar with lime juice, salt, and spicy chili to taste. You can dilute it with a little water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Notes

If you don't wish to process the corn from scratch, you can use pre-cooked cornmeal, although the author suggests that natural hominy corn gives a superior result. Double frying is the secret to the characteristic crunchy texture.

Nutrition per serving

• empanadas
• colombian
• snack
• fried
• beef
• appetizer
• traditional