Different cuisines around the world often share dishes which may go by different names and empanadas are one such example. What is an empanada I hear you ask? Put simply, an empanada is a savoury stuffed bread or pastry, originating from either Latin America or Spain. A variety of savoury fillings such as meat, chicken, fish or cheese are used to fill the empanadas which are then baked or fried. The name is derived from the Spanish verb ’empanar’, which means to wrap or coat in bread. Empanadas (also known as Empanadillas, which is the preferred Spanish name) are made by folding pastry or dough around the stuffing and are usually semi circular in shape. Similar in some ways to a Middle Eastern fatayer or an Indian samosa, an empanada can be eaten as a snack or if you make them really big, for a main meal. Now that we’ve defined that, let’s start to talk about my Oyster Sauce Chicken and Cheese Empanadas!

Many of you will know that I experiment in the kitchen (I mean doesn’t everyone?), often the recipes I share with you all come about through doing just that, experimenting! Some people are careful and will only cook what is tried and tested, other people will just bung it all in and hope for the best and I can fall into any two of those categories depending on the weather. Just kidding, lol! But I AM serious about falling into both of those categories.

My Oyster Sauce Chicken and Empanada filling came about as a result of ‘bunging’ in ingredients I had to hand one evening, the result was very delicious! I use soy sauce and oyster sauce when cooking Chinese dishes and love the taste they add so added those on impulse. Being Bengali means that I use Indian spices and ingredients naturally in most of my dishes, even ones that don’t traditionally call for them. Coriander and cumin lend a warmth and a good base of flavour to simple dishes without being overpowering. The turmeric powder and ground panch phoron are desirable but won’t dramatically affect the dish if left out, if you have them to hand definitely add them. I added 4 dried red chillies to the filling but my family didn’t find the filling spicy, whether you add them or leave them out is entirely up to you.

The best part of this recipe is the fact that you don’t need to make the pastry dough, I used ready made puff parathas for the pastry and this dramatically reduces the preparation time. The puff parathas are similar to puff pastry when baked in the oven, take them out of the freezer a few minutes before you want to use them and you’re good to go! Because the parathas are already circular in shape there’s no trimming involved and thus, no waste. Topping the empanadas with sesame seeds is purely for decorative purposes, in fact the Spaniards or Latinos don’t even bother doing that, that’s just an extra Afelia’s Kitchen touch!

The amounts in this recipe will make between 8 – 12 empanadas depending on how much filling you use, you can divide the mixture beforehand to give you a better idea of how many you can make. If you don’t plan to eat them straight away place them on a flexible chopping board and freeze, they can be baked from frozen, simply bake at a lower temperature of gas mark 5 for 20 – 25 minutes. Empanadas are excellent for days out during summer, perfect for lunch boxes and because they can be made weeks ahead and frozen, they’re perfect for Ramadan too.

I’ll be the first to admit some of my recipes are unconventional and this recipe is by no means a ‘traditional’ empanada recipe. Those of you that have trusted your instincts and followed my unconventional recipes always come back to tell me you are amazed at how well they work, I hope this is another recipe I can add to that list!

Makes 10 -12 Empanadas

You will need: for Oyster Sauce Chicken and Cheese Empanada

1kg of boneless chicken breast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp ground panch phoron (desirable but not essential)
100ml water (more if required)
5 tbsp oil
2 medium onions
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 – 4 dried red chillies
2 tbsp double cream
8 – 12 puff parathas
grated cheese (as needed, cheddar or mozzarella are good)
1 egg for egg wash
sesame seeds (optional)

Method:

Measure the spices before you start; 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp ground panch phoron (desirable but not essential).

The dried chillies will be used separately later on.

Sesame seeds are optional.

Wash drain and cut your chicken breasts into smaller pieces, this will help cook them through quickly and also they will cool quickly once cooked. No need to cut them too small if you are using a pressure cooker, if you are using a standard saucepan you may want to cut the chicken into smaller pieces.

IMPORTANT: Please read the instructions on how to use YOUR pressure cooker properly before attempting to use it, especially if it is your first time. It is better to add MORE WATER to the pressure cooker than add less, because the pressure cooker can explode if the water completely evaporates!

Add the spices measured earlier to the pressure cooker/saucepan; 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp ground panch phoron. The chicken will cook in these spices which will gently season it.

Measure and add 100ml of cold water, if in doubt use a little more not too much as we want a little chicken stock remaining after the chicken is cooked but not a pool of stock!

Mix the chicken pieces with the spices, then secure the lid.

Cook for 15 minutes on a medium high flame on a medium sized burner, use a timer if necessary.

In the meantime using a spice mill or pestle and mortar, crush 3 – 4 dried red chillies. You can leave this out if you are worried about using too much heat.

Peel and slice 2 medium onions also.

In a large frying pan or wok, heat 5 tbsp of oil.

Once the oil is hot add the sliced onions, followed by 1 tsp of minced ginger….

…. and 1 tsp of minced garlic. Don’t add any salt at this point, just let the onions cook over a low – medium flame until they are soft and translucent, stir occasionally.

The chicken will be cooked by now, remove from heat and allow pressure to escape.

Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a wide flat plate to cool for 10 minutes. Leave the juice of the chicken in the saucepan, this will be added to the shredded chicken later to keep it moist.

Shred all the chicken by hand.

Once the onions are soft (bottom left photo) add all the shredded chicken to the onions….

….followed by the juices from cooking the chicken pieces, 3 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of double cream….

….and the crushed red chillies (if you are using these). Mix the ingredients well and cook over a medium – high heat until all most of the liquid has evaporated and you can no longer see any juices (top right photo).

Prepare two baking sheets with greaseproof paper before starting to shape the empanadas.

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6 (if you plan to bake the empanadas immediately).

Take out  2 – 3 puff parathas at a time, don’t take out too many together as they tend to become too soft to handle if they are left out for too long. Thaw at room temperature for a few minutes.

Whisk one egg to use for egg wash and to seal the empanadas.

Leaving the paratha on top of the cellophane wrapper it comes with, place some of the chicken filling (which will still be warm) to one side of the paratha….

….then top with grated cheese.

Using a pastry brush or your finger, seal the edge of the empanada with some egg.

Use the cellophane wrapper and the warmth from your hands to pull the paratha over the filling. The warmth from your hands will soften the paratha if it is too firm, don’t force it otherwise it will crack.

Press the edge down firmly using your finger….

….then take a fork and crimp the edge of the empanada all the way round.

Brush the empanada with the egg wash and lightly sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Use the cellophane wrapper to lift the empanada onto the lined baking tray, this will stop you handling the pastry directly and melting the pastry. If for any reason the pastry becomes too soft just pop it back into the freezer for a few minutes till it firms up again.

Bake the empanadas on gas mark 6 for approximately 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve the empanadas with a salad for a light lunch or a more substantial side for a filling dinner.

If the weather is sunny why not make these for a day out? Perfect for making ahead of time and eating without mess.

Bon Appetit!

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