Did you know about alcapurrias? Alcapurrias are an iconic Puerto Rican dish coming straight from our African ancestors. It turns out that alcapurrias were part of the enslaved people’s diet. As you can imagine, the menu for slave labor was not very sophisticated. The common thing was to give them ingredients that were in abundance, such as bananas and other meats. This was mixed with any leftover meat (usually pork tripe), and thus the alcapurria was born.
Other iconic Puerto Rican dishes, such as tostones and mofongo (also made with fried plantains) come from these times. Of course, these concepts have been transformed over time, and now there are a variety of masses, sizes, fillings, etc. Although the origin of the term “alcapurria” is unknown, several sources link it with the word “alcaparrón” which means a caper berry, sometimes spelled caperberry, is the oblong-shaped, seed-filled fruit of the caper bush (Capparis spinosa, also known as Flinders rose), a Mediterranean perennial plant which makes complete sense because of the color and shape of the alcapurria and our Spanish colonization history.
Although alcapurrias are traditionally shaped with plantain or grape leaf I can’t find those where I live so parchment or wax paper comes in handy! No need to get your hands dirty because a spoon and paper can do all the dirty work for you, just slide them into hot oil and fry them!
It may seem like a lot of work but once you have the masa and picadillo ready it’s all easy peasy! This is perfect for when I find a good deal on ground beef I make a big batch of picadillo and it’s ready for rice, alcapurria, tacos or whatever I feel like eating for a weekday meal. You can also make the picadillo and masa ahead of time, freeze it and defrost slowly in the refrigerator so everything is ready for you to assemble and fry or shape them and freeze them so you only have to fry it and enjoy it! Whenever I make a batch of these I double the amount so I can have some in my freezer for whenever I crave one.
These are versatile and you can stuff them with whatever you prefer, picadillo, fish, lobster, shrimp, chicken, ground pork or even make then vegan with a veggie stuffing, why not? Cooking is about adapting and getting creative. If you can’t find taro you could spice it up and use yuca, breadfruit, etc., it might turn them a little on the sweeter side but you do you!
These babies take their time to cook thoroughly so be patient because they may look golden brown on the outside but they need to look dark brown and even, that’s when they’re really crunchy and evenly cooked. Otherwise you’ll end up with a raw masa and you will have to refry them and will end up being a greasy mess, you don’t want to ruin something so good, it’s worth the effort.
I got some pictures from the process and a video so is easier to understand and make at home.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Picadillo or your choice of stuffing.
3 big green plantains
4 small yautias or taro roots
4 tbsp anatto oil
Season to taste. I used the classic adobo which is garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
*The amount of plantains and taro was good for about 2 cups of masa which gave me 6 big alcapurrias, if you need more just double or triple the amount stated; you could also make them smaller as appetizer and have a bigger quantity.
Method:
Peel the plantains and taro. Cut them in cubes.
In a food processor grind the plantains and taro. In a mixing bowl season the mixture and stir until it’s completely combined.
Once the mixture is perfectly seasoned and combined cut a piece of parchment paper and place a heaping spoonful of masa (I use a big cooking spoon), spread it evenly but not too thin so they can hold their shape and stuffing without breaking. I’d say about 6mm – 1 cm. depending in how much masa you like.
Place the picadillo in the center and fold with the paper sliding your fingers across making pressure. This will press the masa against the paper and help seal them and look even.
In a medium saucepan pour about 3 cups of oil and heat at medium high heat.
With the help if the paper slide them in the hot oil and fry for about 10 minutes. They take time to cook thoroughly even if they look golden brown, they look pretty darn when they’re done.
Let cool for 2 minutes and enjoy!
