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Sopaipillas
Chilean fried pumpkin flatbreads, eaten with pebre or soaked in chancaca syrup (sopaipillas pasadas)
When it rains in Santiago, Chileans make sopaipillas. These round, pricked discs of dough are made with mashed pumpkin, which gives them a soft orange crumb, and are fried until puffed. Street carts sell them with pebre, mustard or ketchup; at home on wet winter afternoons they're 'pasadas', simmered briefly in a spiced chancaca (raw cane sugar) syrup with orange peel and cinnamon. Chef's tip: prick each disc several times with a fork before frying, so they puff evenly and don't balloon into one big bubble.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
For frying
For sopaipillas pasadas (optional)
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Boil or steam 10 ½ oz pumpkin for 12–15 minutes until very soft. Drain well and mash smoothly; let it cool until warm.
15 minStep 2: Mix 14 oz plain flour, 1 ½ tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt. Add the pumpkin and 2 ⅛ oz butter and knead for 5 minutes into a soft, smooth dough that no longer sticks. Add a spoon of flour if needed. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
5 minStep 3: Roll out to 5 mm thick and cut circles 10 cm across with a saucer or cutter. Prick each 4–5 times with a fork. Common mistake: rolling too thin; they turn into crisps instead of soft, puffy breads.
Step 4: Heat 2 ½ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F. Fry 3 at a time for 1–2 minutes per side until puffed and golden-brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
15 minStep 5: For sopaipillas pasadas: simmer 9 oz chancaca, panela or dark brown sugar, 2 cups water, 2 strips orange peel, 1 cinnamon stick and 3 whole cloves for 10 minutes until dissolved and slightly syrupy. Stir in 1 tbsp cornflour and simmer for 1 minute more until glossy. Dip the fried sopaipillas in the syrup for 1–2 minutes and serve in bowls with more syrup.
12 minStep 6: Otherwise, serve hot with pebre.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 54 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sopaipillas take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of baking powder?
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar per 1 tsp.
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