Bacalaitos with Creamy Garlic Sauce

Ingredients

• For the masa (dough):
• 4 green bananas (guineos verdes) 🍌
• 0.5 pound yautía (malanga or taro root)
• 1 tbsp achiote oil (or olive oil + annatto powder) 🧡
• 0.5 tsp salt 🧂
• For the filling:
• 0.5 lb ground beef or ground turkey 🥩
• 1 tbsp sofrito 🧅🌿
• 1 garlic clove, minced 🧄
• 0.25 cup tomato sauce 🍅
• 1 tsp adobo seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• For the mango chutney:
• 1 ripe mango, diced 🥭
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 🍎
• 0.25 tsp chili flakes 🌶
• Pinch of salt
• For frying:
• 2 cups oil (vegetable or canola)

Instructions

1. 1Make the masa: Peel and grate the green bananas and yautía using a fine grater. Mix together with achiote oil and salt until smooth and sticky. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
2. 2Cook the filling: In a pan, sauté sofrito and garlic until fragrant. Add ground meat and cook until browned. Add tomato sauce, adobo, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. 3Shape the alcapurrias: Grease your hands with a little oil. Take about ¼ cup of masa, flatten into your palm, add 1 tbsp of filling, then fold the dough over and shape into a small football.
4. 4Fry time: Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat. Carefully lower each alcapurria into the oil. Fry 3–5 at a time until golden brown and crispy—about 5–7 minutes.
5. 5Make the chutney: While alcapurrias fry, add mango, ginger, brown sugar, vinegar, chili flakes, and salt to a saucepan. Simmer for 10–12 minutes until thick and jammy. Cool slightly before serving.
6. 6Serve hot: Plate the golden alcapurrias with a spoonful of warm mango chutney on the side. Dip, crunch, and smile 😋