P
Latin American
Colombian Empanadas
Colombia's empanadas differ from Argentina's in almost every dimension — they are made from a masa de maíz (corn dough) not wheat pastry, deep-fried not baked, and filled with a sofrito of diced potato, shredded chicken or beef, and peas seasoned with hogao (tomato-onion sauce). The corn dough is made from masarepa flour hydrated with hot water, formed into a disc, filled, folded, and the edge crimped with a fork or pressed firmly by hand. When deep-fried, the corn dough becomes the defining texture: a crisp, golden shell that shatters into granular crumbs, completely different from the flaky wheat pastry of Argentine empanadas. Colombian empanadas are street food, sold from vendors' oil drums on every corner, served with ají (fresh chilli sauce) for dipping.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the dough
300 g
masarepa flour
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
450 ml
hot water
just off the boil
Your own market
1 tsp
fine salt
Your own market
1 tsp
annatto (achiote) oil
added to the hot water
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the hogao filling
3
2
spring onions
finely sliced
Your own market
200 g
200 g
cooked chicken or beef
shredded
Your own market
80 g
1 tbsp
vegetable oil
Your own market
For frying
1 litre
vegetable oil
for deep-frying
Your own market
To serve
1
ají (fresh chilli-and-herb sauce)
served alongside for dipping
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Build the hogao. Warm 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the spring onion and tomato and cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture collapses into a thick, nearly dry sofrito. Fold in the shredded meat, diced potato, and peas. Continue cooking until very little liquid remains — the filling must be thick; a wet filling will produce steam during frying, prevent even crisping, and can burst the seal.
2
Mix the dough. Stir the salt and annatto oil into the hot water. Pour over the masarepa flour and mix immediately with a wooden spoon, then by hand, until a smooth, uniform dough forms. It must be warm and pliable. Cold dough is brittle and cracks when folded; work with it as soon as it is cool enough to handle.
3
Form the discs. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Place one ball between two sheets of plastic film and press or roll to a disc of 3–4 mm thickness — no thicker. Corn dough has no gluten; it tears easily without the plastic. Repeat for each ball, keeping formed discs covered.
4
Fill and seal — this is where the dish lives or dies. Place a spoonful of filling at the centre of a disc. Lift the plastic and fold the disc over the filling to form a half-moon. Press the curved edge firmly shut with the tines of a fork, then run a finger along the entire seam a second time. Corn dough has no elasticity; even a small gap will admit hot oil and allow the filling to boil out. Fill and seal each empanada immediately after forming — do not allow discs to sit open or they will dry and become brittle.
5
Deep-fry. Heat the frying oil to 175 °C. Lower the empanadas in batches, taking care not to crowd the vessel. Fry until the exterior is deep orange-gold. Tap the surface — a hollow sound indicates the steam has fully evacuated and the crust is set.
6
Drain on a rack or absorbent paper. Serve immediately, with ají alongside for dipping. The corn shell shatters into granular crumbs on first bite; this texture is the mark of a correctly made Colombian empanada.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Masarepa ground and hydrated to order; hogao built from sun-ripened market tomatoes; filling of free-range chicken or grass-fed beef shredded by hand; ají made fresh to order from local chillies and herbs; fried in clean lard or refined coconut oil for depth.
02
Estate — Branded masarepa (P.A.N. or equivalent); hogao cooked from ripe vine tomatoes; annatto oil pressed from whole achiote seeds; filling thoroughly dried before use; ají prepared the same day.
03
Market — Standard supermarket masarepa; tinned or frozen peas; pre-cooked shredded rotisserie chicken; commercial ají or a blended fresh chilli sauce; vegetable oil for frying.
04
House — Masarepa hydrated without annatto oil, yielding a pale shell; pre-made or jarred sofrito; leftover filling from a previous cook; bottled hot sauce in place of ají.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The warm dough yields without cracking when folded — if it resists or splits, it has cooled too far and must be re-warmed before continuing.
◇Sight. The hogao filling holds its shape on a spoon with no pooling liquid around it — if liquid runs, continue cooking before filling the empanadas.
◇Touch. The sealed seam shows no gaps or thin spots when pressed along its entire length with a finger.
◇Sound. A light tap on the fried shell returns a hollow knock — the steam has evacuated and the crust is fully set.
◇Sight. The finished shell is deep orange-gold, not pale yellow — the annatto colour should have deepened fully during frying.
◇Where it lives or dies. The seam must be pressed shut with a fork and reconfirmed by hand — corn dough has no elasticity to self-seal, and any gap will admit hot oil and expel the filling during frying.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Agave spirit
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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