Depending on their size, pastels can be considered as an appetizer or as a main course. As an appetizer, they are made very small, very cute and as a main course the size and consistency of the filling is a little more substantial. They are a kind of donuts stuffed with either meat or fish and other ingredients. It is an easy recipe although it still requires a lot of steps: the dough, the stuffing, the pastels, the sauce. Basically, to make your Senegalese pastels a success, you will need motivation and time! In this article I offer you the recipe for Senegalese pastels with minced meat which you can easily replace with tuna or other fish.
INGREDIENTS
- 500 g flour
- 3 large eggs
- 100 ml of milk
- 70g butter
- Salt
- Ground pepper
- Ground cinnamon
- 300g minced meat
- 1 red pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 1 onion
- 2 tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic
- Pepper
- 1 leek
- Fresh ginger
- Seasoning cube
- 1 carrot
For the little sauce:
- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
- 1 large onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 teaspoon ground chili pepper
- Pepper
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon of vinegar
- A pinch of salt
Total time
Preparation: 30min Rest: 1h Cooking: 1h30
PREPARATION
The dough
1
To prepare the dough for your pastels, first sift the flour to avoid any lumps in your preparation.
2
After sifting your flour, crack your eggs and add them directly. The good news is that you won't waste any time separating the egg whites from the yolks. Then add the milk, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Mix everything with a mixer. Then add the butter and continue the exercise until you obtain a smooth dough.
3
It's time to put a little more of your energy! Lightly dust a baking surface with flour then put the mixture and knead well with your hands. Now cover and let it rest for about 1 hour
The farce
4
Let's move on to the stuffing for the filling of the recipe. Finely chop your ingredients: peppers, tomatoes, onions, leek, carrot and crush the garlic and ginger. Then brown the minced meat in a drizzle of olive oil or cooking oil previously heated for about 3 to 5 minutes. Pour all the chopped vegetables
5
Add a little water to deglaze, then the seasoning cube, salt, garlic, ginger, chilli, pepper and a little cinnamon. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. Your stuffing is ready when the water has completely evaporated and the oil begins to come out. So check the seasoning and bring to the boil. Your stuffing must be completely dry without sauce otherwise the pastels will not be firm. If you want to give a little more consistency to your stuffing, you can add finely chopped potatoes.
Pastels
5
Divide the dough into several parts and roll out one part once more on a clean baking surface previously sprinkled with flour. Flatten and make circles using a cookie cutter then flatten again.
6
Add a teaspoon of stuffing in the center, fold the edges so that it is like a sort of half moon and make small lines on the edges with a fork. Do the same exercise for the rest of the dough.
7
Now heat some oil and fry your pastels. Let them cook very gently over medium heat until they are the colour you like, golden brown or less golden, it all depends on you. Before putting your pastels in oil, you can first put them in the oven for about ten minutes to have firm pastels that do not leak oil. First spread a little oil on the baking dish before placing the pastels and then put them in the oven. Your pastels are ready, they are best accompanied by a sauce that you can make in just a few minutes
The sauce
It is a red sauce with onions and other ingredients that is also served with several Senegalese meals, including grilled fish and meats, fatayas and many others. This sauce can be spicy or not, it all depends on your taste.
8
For preparation, finely chop the garlic and onion then brown in a saucepan with a drizzle of cooking oil and stir for 2 minutes.
9
Then add a tablespoon of tomato puree and the chilli pepper. Add salt and pepper, stir well and add 10cl of water then cook for about 7 min.
10
Towards the end of cooking, add a pinch of sugar and the vinegar and mix. 
Serve with your pastels and enjoy at will. Bon appétit! ♥ Do you like Senegalese recipes? Discover our other recipes for Senegalese dishes such as the famous thiéboudienne , chicken yassa and many others
