AI-generated image
Empanadas venezolanas
Fried corn empanadas
Large fried white-corn empanadas with cheese or black bean filling
Venezuelan empanadas are big, crisp half-moons made with white precooked corn flour, fried to order at beach kiosks on Margarita Island and at breakfast stands across Caracas. Compared with the small, potato-filled Colombian empanadas, they are larger, paler and often a little sweet in the dough, and the classic vegetarian fillings are simply grated white cheese or black beans with cheese (like an arepa dominó). Eat them hot with guasacaca or a squeeze of lime. Chef's tip: add a spoonful of sugar to the dough; it helps the crust turn golden and blistered in the oil.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
- 7 oz crumbly salty white cheese such as queso llanero or fetagrated or crumbled
- 7 oz cooked black beans (optional)drained, lightly mashed and seasoned with salt and cumin
To fry
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oilfor deep frying
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz precooked white cornmeal (harina PAN), 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar, add 1 ½ cups warm water and knead into a smooth, soft dough. Rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Cut open a freezer bag along the sides. Roll a ball of dough the size of a small orange and press it between the plastic into a thin round, about 3 mm thick and 15 cm across.
Step 3: Put 2 tablespoons of 7 oz crumbly salty white cheese such as queso llanero or feta, or a spoonful of 7 oz cooked black beans topped with cheese, on one half, leaving a border.
Step 4: Using the plastic, fold the dough over the filling, press the edges and cut a neat half-moon with a bowl. Repeat to make 8.
Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil to 350°F over a medium-high heat and fry 2–3 at a time until golden and blistered, 3–4 minutes, turning once. A common mistake is leaving any tiny cracks: the cheese leaks and the oil spits, so pinch them closed before frying.
15 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper and serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 57 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does empanadas venezolanas take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of crumbly salty white cheese such as queso llanero or feta?
- Goat's cheese or ricotta salata, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Indian
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Japanese
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese