A favorite appetizer in the Caribbean, the recipe for alcapurrias is to follow, so anyone can make them at home. These tasty delights are ground beef-filled fried fritters made from a mixture of grated yautía (taro root) and green bananas.
Vendors sell alcapurrias at street-side stands and grills throughout the Caribbean islands, though they're best known as a Puerto Rican food. You can easily change the recipe up by using ground chicken, turkey, or pork or using a varying of your sofrito recipe. For a luxury version, stuff the alcapurrias with Cuban picadillo, a spiced, tomato-flavored ground beef.
Ingredients
For the Masa Dough
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5 medium green bananas
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1 pound yautía, taro root
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2 teaspoons salt
For the Filling
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1/2 pound ground beef
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1 tablespoon sofrito
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1 tablespoon alcaparrado, mix of olives, pimientos, and capers
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Salt, to taste
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Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steps to Make It
Make the Masa
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Gather the ingredients.
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Peel the green bananas and peel and wash the yautías.
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Place both in a bowl of cold salted water.
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Remove the bananas and yautías from the water and grate them into a medium bowl. To make it easier, you can also use a food processor.
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Add salt and mix well. Set aside.
Make the Filling
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Gather the ingredients.
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In a deep pot or frying pan, brown the ground beef. Drain off the fat.
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Add sofrito, alcaparrado mix, salt, and pepper, to taste. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
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Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Fry the Alcapurrias
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On a piece of wax paper, spread out 1 to 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture and make a shallow well in the center. You can also use the palm of your hand instead of wax paper.
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Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of the filling into the well.
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Cover it with a little more masa mix.
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Use the back of a spoon to smooth the masa all around the filling so no meat is showing. You can freeze the alcapurrias at this point if you would like to fry and eat them later.
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In a fryer or deep frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the alcapurrias when frying. The oil should be heated to about 360 F.
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Add the alcapurrias, being careful not to splash the oil or crowd the fryer.
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Fry until crispy and golden, from 5 to 7 minutes.
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Drain the alcapurrias on paper towels. Allow to cool a bit before eating.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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270 | Calories |
8g | Fat |
41g | Carbs |
13g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 4 to 6 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 270 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 8g | 10% |
Saturated Fat 3g | 13% |
Cholesterol 34mg | 11% |
Sodium 878mg | 38% |
Total Carbohydrate 41g | 15% |
Dietary Fiber 4g | 13% |
Total Sugars 12g | |
Protein 13g | |
Vitamin C 13mg | 65% |
Calcium 24mg | 2% |
Iron 2mg | 12% |
Potassium 958mg | 20% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |