Peteles
Submitted by lin
Pateles are Puerto Rican green banana tamales: grated green banana and potato dough wrapped around achiote-spiced pork in banana leaves, then boiled until tender. Holiday tradition across the Caribbean and beyond.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
2 hrsREADY
3 hrsPateles (also spelled pasteles) are Puerto Rico’s answer to the tamal, a holiday centerpiece in Puerto Rican and Caribbean households. Instead of corn masa, the dough is made from grated green bananas and potatoes, giving each patele a starchy, savory character you won’t find in any Mexican tamal.
Achiote (annatto) seeds are essential. Fry them in oil until the oil turns deep gold, strain, and use the colored oil to slick both the filling and the banana leaves. This is what gives pateles their signature orange-red tint and subtle earthy flavor.
Soaking and wiping banana leaves is non-negotiable. The hot water softens the leaves so they fold without cracking, and wiping removes the waxy layer that would otherwise prevent them from sealing properly.
The assembly is a labor of love. Many Puerto Rican families gather for an all-day patele-making session around Christmas, turning out dozens at once to freeze for the holidays. A single olive in the center of each is tradition.
Pro Tips
- Wear gloves while grating green bananas, the sap stains fingers and can irritate skin.
- Use plantain or banana leaves sold frozen at Latin markets, they are already cleaned and trimmed.
- Tie pateles in pairs with their flat sides facing each other, they cook more evenly that way.
- Always keep boiling water level above the pateles during the hour-long cook, otherwise tops dry out.
Variations
- Swap pork for chicken, or use garbanzo beans for a vegetarian version.
- Add raisins and capers to the pork for a sweeter, more classic Puerto Rican guiso.
- Substitute yautia, yuca, or calabaza for some of the potato for traditional root-vegetable variety.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove achote seeds from pot.
Fry in hot oil unti oil turns yellow.
Strain and remove seeds.
Use half of this oil for pork.
Take banana or ti leaves and drop into a pot of hot water about 5 minutes to soften leaves making it pliable.
Wipe leaves.
Soak unpeeled bananas in hot water for ½ hour.
Cut off 2 ends and slice in the center and remove peel.
Prepare two quarts water in a bowl with 1 tablespoon salt.
Peel bananas, drop into water while peeling the rest of the bananas.
Grate the bananas fine by hand.
Peel potaotes and grate fine.
Add to banana. Add remaining oil, salt to taste and some of the oil from the pork.
Stir unti blended.
Dice pork thin.
Add ½ cup achote oil and stir fry pork. Add green onions, cilantro, celery, garlic, ginger, oregano, salt and tomato sauce.
Simmer until pork is tender; about 1 hour.
Lay leaf flat; with a spoon, smear leaf with oil from the pork mixture.
Now, take 2 tablespoon banana mixture and place on oiled leaf.
Flatten to about 6 inches by 3 inches. Take 2 tablespoons pork mixture and lay it on top of the banana mixture down the middle lengthwise.
Add 1 olive in the center and sprinkle with chili pepper if you want a spicy hot patele.
Fold ends of leaf lengthwise toward mixture.
Fold top and bottom ends of leaf overlapping each other if you need to, and secure with string.
Arrange pateles on top of each other in a pot.
Cover with salted hot water and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 1 hour making sure that pateles are always covered with water while cooking.
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