Puerto Rican Pasteles de Masa: A Step-by-Step Guide
Pasteles de Masa are a traditional Puerto Rican dish made from masa (dough) of green bananas and other root vegetables. They are filled with savory stewed pork and wrapped in banana leaves.
- Prep Time: 3 Hours
- Cook Time: 3 Hours
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 24 Pasteles 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
For the Masa:
- 2 lbs green bananas
- 1 lb calabaza (tropical pumpkin)
- 2 platanos verdes (green plantains)
- 2 lbs yautia
- 1 large potato
- 1 tbsp achiote oil
- 1 tbsp adobo
- 1 tbsp sazon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 package of banana leaves
Pro Tip: Soaking the green bananas in warm water for a few minutes before peeling makes the process much easier!
For the Meat Filling:
- 4 lbs Pernil (pork shoulder) or a fatty cut of pork
- 1 tbsp of annatto seed oil
- 1/4 cup sofrito
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup pitted olives, Spanish-style
- 1 tbsp of Adobo
- 1 teaspoon of sazón (double if it doesn’t have MSG)
- 2–3 Bay Leaves
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
Making Pasteles
Prepare the stewed pork filling:
- Cook the pork in water for around 45 minutes to soften the meat with salt, peppercorns, and bay leaves.
- After cooking for 45 minutes, skim off any impurities that rise to the top of the water, remove the peppercorns and bay leaves, save the broth, and cut the pork into 1-inch cubes.
- In a heavy pot, sauté sofrito and olives in olive oil for 2-3 until fragrant. Note: some people like to add extras like garbanzo beans or red pepper. Make this recipe your own!
- Add the cubed pork (and the bone), adobo, oregano, salt, pepper, and tomato sauce. Add just enough of the reserved broth to skim the top of the ingredients.
- Let it cook for around two hours until the meat is tender. Note: this step can be made a day ahead.
Make the masa:
- Peel green bananas, yautia, pumpkin, potato, and a plantain. Tip: Soak the green bananas in warm water for 10 minutes to make them easier to peel.
- Use a food processor or box grater to grate all the vegetables. I like using the grater attachment first and then running a second run with the blade for a smooth masa.
- Once the masa is ready, add around 1/2 cup of the broth from the pork stew, adobo, salt, pepper, and achiote oil to the grated vegetables.
- Stir until everything is evenly blended. Tip: place the masa in the fridge for at least 4 hours for better texture, preferably overnight.
Prepare the banana leaves:
- Clean the banana leaves on both sides with a wet cloth.
- If you have a gas stove, pass the leaves over the flames to enhancce the flavor and sterilize them. If you have an electric stove, find an alternative method to sterilize the leaves. I like to use a butane torch.
Assemble the pasteles de masa:
- Put a little bit of achiote oil on a banana leaf.
- Add around 1/2 cup of masa to the banana leaf and spread it out.
- Add a generous amount of the stewed pork to the center of the masa, and use a slotted spoon to remove the liquid.
- Add an olive and a piece of tocino from the stew for extra flavor.
- Fold the banana leaf and parchment paper together to form a packet. (How-to in video)
- Tie the packet with kitchen string.
Cook the pasteles
- Freeze the pasteles de masa overnight.
- Boil the pasteles in a large pot of salted water for around an hour.
- Serve hot with arroz con gandules and pernil.
