Empanadas de Yuca [Recipe + Video] Cassava Empanadas

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

  [10g]
• 1 red onion

  (small-sized, minced [40 g])
• 2 cloves garlic

  crushed [15g]
• ½ pound minced beef

  [113g]
• ½ cup tomato sauce

  [60g]
• ½ bell pepper

  (diced [76g] )
• ¾ teaspoon salt

  (or more, to taste)
• ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground)

  (or more, to taste)
• 1 sprig cilantro

  (optional)
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup cativia

  (cassava flour or tapioca)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups vegetable oil

  (corn, peanut or soy), divided
• ½ cup diced cheddar

Instructions

• 1 Find instructions and video for filling here
  [https://www.dominicancooking.com/ground-beef-empanada-filling]. We're using
  plain beef filling without the optional ingredients. Notice that for this recipe
  we're halving the ingredients. Set aside.
• 2 Heat water to boiling point. Leave simmering over low heat.
  
  Mix cativía, salt, and ½ tablespoon of oil. Pour ¼ cup of boiling-hot water and
  mix with a spatula. If the dough looks too dry, add more boiling water by the
  tablespoon, mixing each time until you have a coherent dough, but slightly on
  the dry side. Make sure not to add too much water.
• 3 Knead the dough until it is elastic but neither too sticky, nor too crumbly. It
  should resemble regular flour dough. If at any point it is too dry, or not
  elastic enough, add very small quantities of water and knead (see notes).
• 4 Divide the dough into 8 balls of equal size. On a lightly oiled surface roll out
  the balls forming thin disks. You may need to grease the rolling pin too if
  sticks too much.
  
  Put a tablespoon of the beef (or a few dices of cheese) in the center, double
  over in a semi-circle, and seal the border pressing it with a fork. Cut into a
  semicircle using a small bowl.
• 5 Heat oil in a small pan (so you have at least 2 inches [5cm] of oil) over
  medium-high heat. Deep fry the empanadas submerged in very hot oil until they
  are golden brown. Don't overcrowd the pot so the temperature remains evenly hot.
  Place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
• 6 Serve immediately after frying. You can store the empanadas prior to frying by
  placing them on greased wax paper and covering tightly with plastic film. I
  haven't tried freezing them, so I am not sure if they can be stored this way.

Nutrition Info