Gluten- free vegan pastelles for the lazy chef
Ingredients
Tools
The first time I was introduced to pastelles was through my dear friend Heather. I went over to her house in which she hosted me with some
This dish is popular along with the Caribbean islands and varies from country to country, though the excitement for the dish is universal. This dish is a rendition of the Trinidadian version.
I asked for the recipe and made sure that I had all the steps needed to go home and recreate it! I made it quite a few times since, but now as a vegetarian, I wanted an option that was just as good
Some Trinidadians like to add raisins to their dish, however, I'm not a fan of sweet and savory but that's up to you.
In the past, I've used a combination of seasonings, however as of late, and for this dish, I have used oxtail seasoning. It has all the spices that I need and it also gives the dish a dark color due to the browning. I used shiitake mushroom to neutralize the jackfruit. I feel that out the can, the fruit can taste a bit tangy, no matter how much you cook it.
I like that just like moi moi, pastelles are gluten free.
Tips
- For easy release of the corn meal from the banana leaf, add oil to a paper towel and rub into the leaf
- For thinned out pastelles, press from the center and outward
- Double up on your twine, you can thank me later
- To steam the pastelles, you can use a steaming basket, or add a ¾ to a cup of water to a wide pot
Trini Jackfruit Vegan Pastelles
Course: Lunch, AppetizersCuisine: CaribbeanDifficulty: Medium3
servings20
minutes15
minutesEasy Trinidadian Jackfruit Vegan Pastelles
Ingredients
- Filling
1 Can of Jackfruit in Brine
4 oz of Shiitake Mushroom
2 tbs of a neutral oil
2 tbs of capers
Salt to taste
2 tsp of vegetarian bullion
Half an onion, sliced
1 tbs of ketchup
- Shell
½ cup of fine cornmeal
2 tbs of oil or vegan butter
Adobo (to taste)
¼ cup of hot water (adjust for softness)
Banana Leaf
Cooking Twine
Directions
- On a hot skillet, pour oil and allow it to get hot. Add onions, let sauté then add in jackfruit.
- Let both onions and jackfruit sizzle for 1 min while stirring, then add in seasonings. Stir for another minute
- Add in water and let it cook for 15 mins
- Once cooked, taste and adjust for seasoning/ salt
- Add in mushrooms and let cook for another 10 mins
- Toss in capers and ketchup and let sit
- In a bowl combine the cornmeal, salt, oil/butter and hot water and combine until you get a pliable ball. Let sit for 5 mins
- Unravel the banana leaf and cut rectangles about 8×12 or less. The sizing is up to you. You want enough room to wrap the pastelles
- Separate the dough into smaller balls. Taking one cornmeal ball and add in the middle of a leaf, flatten the pastelles and work it into a square or circle that can be folded on all sides with filling
- Add a spoon full of filling to the center of the dough. Fold over the long side of the cornmeal and then peel back the leaf – leaving one side of cornmeal to cover the filling. Do the same for the remaining sides.
- Wrap with twine or fold the leaves under its self. Steam for 15 mins.
Voila! You have yourself a delish pastelles dish that I'm sure you won't just have one of.
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