Doña Hilaria's Empanadas con Chaya Recipe

Homestay mom and feeder (not that you’ll ever hear us complaining), Doña Hilaria, took the time to share with us her amazing recipe for empanadas con chaya. Trust us - you’ll love them!

Ingredients:

A kilo of corn dough (used to make tortillas - our Mexican-Maya families always have some of this ready-made and to hand but

here's a handy recipe if you want to make it from scratch

250g of plain flour

Salt

Chaya (or spinach) leaves, finely chopped

Vegetable oil for frying

The filling:

Refried beans

Mushrooms sliced

Cheese of your choice - Doña Hilaria used an amazing Oaxaca cheese

Or other fillings of your choice

Accompaniments:

Romaine lettuce

Avocado

Cilantro

Salt to season

Salsa of your choice

Method:

1. Fill a saucepan about half way with oil and turn on the heat, or alternatively use a deep fat fryer

2. Knead the plain flour into your already made corn tortilla dough in a bowl until well combined

3. Add in the chopped leaves and knead again until your chaya is evenly distributed, seasoning with a little salt as you go

4. Once the dough is smooth take a handful of the dough (or more if you want larger empanadas) and place on a smooth dry surface - Doña Hilaria suggests using some clingfilm to make sure it doesn't stick and is easy to remove without tearing the dough

5. Flatten out the dough into a circle with a rolling pin or a tortilla press, or if you're a pro like Doña Hilaria just by using one hand to press as the other hand shapes the edges

6. Spread the beans over one half, making sure you leave around 1cm to seal, and place your mushrooms and cheese (of other fillings) on top of your beans

7. Fold it over and press down the edges - there should be no need to crimp or pinch but press quite firmly to make sure it's sealed. Place on a tea towel while you make the rest of your empanadas

8. Once the oil is boiling it should be hot enough. Place your prepared empanadas into the hot oil two at a time (depending on the size) and fry until golden brown

9. Remove with tongs and leave to cool

10. Serve with a chopped romaine lettuce, avocado and cilantro salad and salsa of your choice...or pasta if you're a feeder like Doña Hilaria

Doña Hilaria's kitchen

We hope you'll love this empanada recipe as much as we do! Let us know if you try it out. Doña Hilaria is one of our homestay moms, working with us to provide a fully immersive experience when you learn Spanish or Maya at Na'atik.

If you would like to read more about Mexican culture, history, cuisine and language, check out our blog page for our latest monthly articles. You can also sign up to our newsletter to receive these straight to your inbox along with the latest news about our non-profit school for local and Indigenous students in Felipe Carrillo Puerto. 

The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.