One of my favourite Colombian recipes !

Empandas are a popular street food or afternoon snack in Colombia for a very good reason! You only require a handful of ingredients and they come together in less than 10 minutes. You can get creative with the fillings, and each region in Colombia has different varieties, but in this case I am doing my favourite (and also the easiest): lots of mozzarella cheese ! Other traditional fillings include a mix of mince, potatoes, vegetables and spices.

Unlike Spanish or Argentinian empanadas, the Colombian version is made with corn meal masa instead of regular wheat flour, which makes them naturally gluten free. Once cooked in oil, the exterior gets really crispy and packs a lot of flavour from the cornmeal!

The key ingredient for these empanadas is definitely the pre-cooked cornmeal (most commonly known as harina PAN), which gives the empanada its characteristic flavour and texture. I am also adding some cornstarch which helps to add a crispy exterior although this is definitely optional. Finally I use vegetable stock to hydrate the dough and add flavour , but water is also another option and then you can season the dough with your spices of choice.

While you can certainly have these empanadas as a dinner side paired with some chilli, stew or soup, they also make a great party snack and you can make small tiny versions for that finger food feel !

🌱GF

🍽️ 4 empandas

Ingredients

• 1 cup of pre-cooked cornmeal (harina PAN)

• 1 cup veggie stock/ water

• 1 tbsp cornstarch

• Mozzarella for filling

Method

• In a bowl add the harina PAN, cornstrach and then pour over the warm veggie stock/water. Quickly mix with a wooden spoon and then start kneading with your hands for 3-5 minutes until it becomes a dough. If it feels dry and crackling add more water, 1 tbsp at a time. Cover it with a cloth and leave it to rest for 5min so the flour hydrates.

• Divide the dough into 3-4 equal pieces and shape each into a ball with the palm of your hands. You can oil you hands with a bit of olive oil which will make working with the dough a bit easier.

• Place the dough in between two layers of cling film and using a flat plate or board flatten it into a disc about 1.5cm cm thick. You can also aid yourself with a rolling pin to help flatten the dough. If the edges start cracking this means your dough doesn’t have enough water, transfer it back to the bowl and add water 1 tbsp at a time. If the dough falls apart this means you added too much water so add a bit more of flour until obtaining the desired consistency.

• Once you have your flattened dough, remove the top plastic and place a generous amount of cheese filling in the middle. Then using the plastic underneath, fold the dough over to enclose the filling, forming a half circle. Aiding yourself with the cling film seal the edges of the empanada by pressing it. Now use a small bowl or a knife to remove the excess dough around the edges of the empanada forming a semi circle.

• To a frying pan, add some olive oil (optional) and bring to medium heat. Place your empanadas and cook for about 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes.

FAQS and Tips

• I love serving these empandas with some aji verde sauce although they are also delicious with ali oli or guacamole

• You can directly freeze the empanadas after making them and once ready to consume remove them from the freezer and pan fry them directly on a pan

• You can substitute the veggie stock with water and then add your own seasoning of choice such as garlic salt, chilli or Italian herbs