Empanadas Fritas (Fried Empanadas) is a traditional Mexican recipe for a classic wheat flour dough empanada with a chorizo, potato and cheese filling that's deep fried to cook. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Mexican version of: Fried Empanadas (Empanadas Fritas).
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This recipe is largely how to make empanada dough for frying, since the filling is really up to you. Whatever it is, you will need about 1 pound of it. Once made, these empanadas will keep in the fridge a week, and they freeze well.
Ingredients:
For the Empanada Pastry:
300g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
120ml lard, duck fat, butter or beef tallow
80ml ice water
2 tsp distilled or white wine vinegar
Chorizo-based Filling:
250g Mexican chorizo
150g minced white or yellow onion
500g potatoes, peeled and boiled until tender
115g grated Monterey jack cheese
Method:
For the Pastry: Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Add the lard and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Mix together ice water and vinegar and add to the dry ingredients. Bring everything together and knead into a fairly soft and pliable dough. You can add in a little more ice water if you need to (do this by the tablespoon).
Divide the dough into 50g portions (you should get 11 or 12). Shape into balls then pop in a plastic bag and refrigerate for an hour to rest and chill.
In the meantime, prepare the filling: While the dough is resting, make the filling. Cook the chorizo in a frying pan until it renders its fat, then add the onion. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft. At this point add the diced, cooked, potato. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, then take the pan off the heat. Turn into a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes, then pop the mixture into your refrigerator to cool completely.
When the filling mixture reaches room temperature you can stir in the cheese.
To assemble: Take a wok or deep frying pan and add enough rapeseed oil so you have a depth of 5cm then heat to 180°C.
Set a bowl of water to one side (this is to seal the empanadas). If you have a tortilla press line with plastic and use to press the rested dough balls into rounds. Alternatively, flour your work surface and rolling pin then use to roll the pastries into rounds of about 8–10cm in diameter. Fill this with about 2 tbsp of the filling mixture. Dip a finger in the bowl of water and use to wet the rim of the dough. Fold the dough over the filling and press the seal. Use the tines of a fork to seal the edges closed.
Set to one side as you prepare the remaining empanadas.
When the oil is up to temperature, slip a few empanadas into the hot oil, bottom side down. Usually only a little of the top will bob above the surface of the oil. Fry until golden, 2 or 3 minutes, then flip. When both sides are golden brown, move the empanada to the cooling rack in the oven and continue with the remainder of the empanadas.
It’s important to watch the oil temperature. Let it return to 180°C between batches, and tinker with the heat to keep it there. Never let it get below 160°C or higher than 190°C.
Take care not to add too much filling to the empanadas as over-stuffed empanadas will likely explode in the hot oil.
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