Discover the Flavors of Puerto Rico with Authentic Pasteles de Yuca

pork

🥗Healthier: chicken

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Chicken is lower in fat, while ground beef is often more affordable.

plantains

🥗Healthier: sweet potatoes

💰Cheaper: regular potatoes

Sweet potatoes offer more nutrients, while regular potatoes are budget-friendly.

Season the chicken backbones and neck with chicken bouillon, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin, and black pepper.

Add sofrito to the seasoned bones.

Season the chicken breasts with the same spices and sofrito, then add diced cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and olives.

Stir the mixture and place the broth and chicken on the stove over medium-low heat to simmer.

Peel the yuca (cassava) by making a slit and pulling away the skin with a knife.

Cut the yuca in half and remove the middle stem.

Grate the yuca using a grater, being careful with your fingers towards the end.

Check the broth for doneness, then turn it off and let it cool.

Add tomato sauce to the chicken filling and stir, cooking for a few more minutes before turning off the heat.

Grate four large pieces of yuca and prepare to remove excess liquid by squeezing it out.

Use a clean towel to squeeze out the liquid from the grated yuca, ensuring no detergent residue is left.

Break up the dry yuca and add the prepared broth gradually, mixing it in.

Add achiote oil in small increments to the yuca mixture for color and flavor, tasting for seasoning as you go.

Prepare banana leaves by cutting and washing them, ensuring they are palm-sized.

Fold parchment paper in half and cut it to prepare for wrapping the pasteles.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: