Beef Alcapurrias

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 Alcapurrias are the fritters you smell at the roadside kiosks of Piñones and Luquillo in Puerto Rico. The dough is not made with flour but with grated green banana and yautía root, which fries up crisp outside and soft inside, wrapped around a savoury beef picadillo.

🍳 How to Make Alcapurrias

1. Make the picadillo. Brown the beef in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and sofrito and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, olives, cumin, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer for 10 minutes until thick and almost dry. Cool completely.
2. Make the masa. Grate the green bananas and yautía on the finest side of a grater, or blend them in a food processor until smooth. Mix in the annatto oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Chill for 30 minutes – the dough firms up and is easier to shape.
3. Shape. Spread about 3 tablespoons of masa on a piece of oiled baking paper or a banana leaf into an oval. Add a tablespoon of filling down the middle, then fold the paper to close the masa around it, forming a log. Press the ends to seal.
4. Heat the oil. Heat 5 cm of oil in a deep pot to 175°C (350°F).
5. Fry. Slide the alcapurrias straight from the paper into the oil, a few at a time. Fry for 5–6 minutes, turning, until deep golden.
6. Drain and serve. Drain on paper towels and serve hot, with hot sauce or pique if you like.

💡 Tips

• Wear gloves when peeling green bananas – the sap stains hands.
• Freeze shaped, uncooked alcapurrias on a tray, then fry from frozen for a minute longer.

❓ FAQ

What does alcapurria dough taste like?
Mild and slightly earthy, a bit like a cross between potato and plantain.

Can I bake them?
They are traditionally fried; baking leaves the masa pale and dense.

👉 More Latin American recipes: browse all recipes.

Footnotes:

Puerto Rico's beach-kiosk favourite: a golden fritter made from green banana and yautía dough, stuffed with sofrito-seasoned ground beef.