Caribbean beef patties are the best thing ever. There are various versions and names, but these fried Caribbean beef patties/pates are all you need to know.
Recipe video:
The Caribbean is full of many islands with different cultures and music, and sometimes there are similarities in the foods especially when it comes to these fried Caribbean beef patties.
Throughout, the Caribbean you can find various versions of this recipe, from the Jamaican version to the Latin version (which is known as empanadas), but they all taste amazing.
But in this post, I want to make you guys discover my version of beef patties or famously known as patés.
Although this recipe may sound or look similar to the Jamaican patties, they are different.
In this version, the dough is traditionally made from flour, butter, baking powder, water, salt and sugar. However, I like to take things a little further and add my own twist on things. I discovered that adding cornmeal to my dough makes a HUGE difference in texture and flavour.
What I love about these patties/patés is that you can either fry them or bake them. If you choose to bake them then you need to add 1/2 tsp extra and some crisco to ensure the crispiness.
In addition to using ground beef as a filling, you can also use salt fish (which my favorite), chicken or vegetables (for a vegetarian option).
Before filling the dough, it’s important to leave it rest for at least 30 minutes to an hour. Resting is not mandatory but I highly recommend it, whenever I skip the resting time my patties aren’t as delicious as I would like them to be.
I hope you enjoy the recipe.
Now, let’s get into it.
Fried Caribbean Beef Patties
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2 cups All-purpose flour sifted
- 1/2 cup Water at room temperature
- 1/4 cup Cold butter
- 1/4 cup Cornmeal
- 3 tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1 & 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
For the filling:
- 1 lb Lean ground beef
- 1 Garlic clove minced
- 1 Red or yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 Bell pepper finely chopped
- 6 tbsp Tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Dried thyme
- 1 tsp Salt or more to taste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper or more to taste
Instructions
Making the dough:
- In a mixing bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder, cornmeal and granulated sugar. Mix the ingredients before adding the butter.
- Crumb together the flour with the butter until it is well blended in.
- Gradually mix in the water. You want the dough to be sticky and not wet, so you may need more or less water.
Kneading the dough:
- Once the dough doesn't stick to your hands, add to a flour surface and knead for 2 minutes.
- If it continues to stick to your hands, dust with more flour.
- Slice into 14 pieces and roll them into balls. Cover with a kitchen towel.
- Let the dough rest for 30 minutes or an hour.
The meat filling:
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and cook the onion, bell pepper and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Once the vegetables are done cooking, add the ground beef. Break it apart then season with the salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and dried thyme.
- Once the meat has browned, stir in the tomato paste.
- Let the meat cook for an additional 10-15 minutes before removing from the heat. Let it cool.
The assembly:
- Roll the pieces into a flat round shape on a floured surface, add 1-2 tablespoons of the filling to the middle.
- Take one end of the dough and fold it onto the other end using your fingers and press down the sides with a fork.
- Repeat this step until all the dough has been used and/or the filling is done.
Frying the patties:
- Place a frying pan with oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the patties to the pan.
- Cook on each sides for 7-10 minutes or until they are golden brown.
- Place on a plate lined with napkin to absorb the excess oil.
Be careful not to roll out the dough too thin. This will result in the dough tearing and the filling coming out while frying.
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