There are two main hypothesis of how this iconic street food was invented. The first one believes that it was the Chinese immigrants who adapted their egg rolls to Brazilian ingredients, creating what is now the Brazilian pastel. The other claims that it was actually the Japanese who came up with it, inspired by their gyoza.

Ingredients

Pastel Dough:

• 3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)

• 1 cup warm water

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon cachaça

• Vegetable oil for frying

Ground Beef Filling:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

• ½ pound ground beef

• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

• ⅓ cup olives, sliced

• ⅓ cup chopped parsley

Creamy Hearts of Palm Filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

• ¼ cup flour

• 1 cup milk

• ½ cup tomato sauce

• 1 (14 ounces) can hearts of palm, roughly chopped

• ⅓ cup chopped olives

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• ¼ cup chopped parsley

Cheese Filling:

• 8 ounces cheese (you can use mozzarella, cheddar, provolone or whatever cheese you fancy!), sliced or cubed

Instructions

Making the dough:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a hole in the middle and add the water, oil, vinegar and cachaça. Mix well, using your hands, then transfer to a flour dusted surface and knead until the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticking to your hands or counter. Cover with a towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Ground beef filling:

• In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add the olive oil and then sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes.

• Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it into a few large pieces with a wooden spoon. Let the meat brown without moving it for a few minutes.

• Break the beef into smaller pieces and continue browning. Do not stir continuously, so the moisture can evaporate and allow the meat to brown. The meat might release some water. Just continue cooking until all the water has evaporated, as excess moisture might make the pastéis soggy.

• Once the beef is evenly browned, season with salt and pepper. Add the olives and parsley, then remove from heat. Reserve.

Creamy Hearts of Palm Filling:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes.

• Add the flour and stir to incorporate. Then add the milk and whisk until it thickens into a cream.

• Add the tomato sauce, hearts of palm and olives. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Add the chopped parsley and mix to combine. Reserve.

Assembling the pastéis:

• Divide the dough in half. On a floured surface, roll out one of the halves as thinly as you can (about a 9 by 12-inch rectangle), without tearing the dough. Using a round cookie cutter (I use a 4-inch), cut about 15 circles of dough and reserve on a baking sheet, over parchment paper. You can also cut them into rectangles, as small or big as you'd like.

• Place a couple of tablespoons (or cubes/slices of cheese) of the desired filling on each circle and then fold into a semi circle, pressing the edges shut. Using a fork, pinch them together all the way around.

• Roll out the reserved dough and repeat the steps above.

• Heat a deep saucepan with enough oil to cover the pastéis to about 350F (hot but not smoking). Cook the pastéis in batches until crisp and golden brown, flipping once, about 2 minutes.

• Transfer to paper towels and serve immediately!

Notes

• Depending on the size of your pastéis, you might end up with extra filling. You can freeze it to use in the future or make another batch of dough to make more pastel! I've also used extra heart of palm filling to make empadinhas. :)

• You can cut the pastéis into the classic, street version, rectangles, or the bar, smaller version, half circles (pictured in this post).

• The dough is elastic enough that you won't have a problem sealing the corners, but you can also use some cold water to help. Pressing the edges with a fork guarantees that the pastéis won't open when frying!

Pão de queijo “Cheese PUFFS” originated from African slaves like many other Brazilian foods. Slaves would soak and peel the cassava root and make bread rolls from it. At this time, there was no cheese in the rolls. At the end of the 19th century, more ingredients became available to the Afro-Brazilian community such as milk and cheese. They added milk and cheese to the tapioca roll making what we now know as Pão de queijo. In Brazil, it is also very commonly found in groceries, supermarkets and bakeries, industrialized or freshly made.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 10 oz. tapioca flour (2 cups)

• 2 large eggs

• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

• Place the milk, oil, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat as soon as you see big bubbles coming through the milk.

• Add the tapioca flour and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Transfer the dough to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed until it smooths out and has cooled down. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs into the dough one at a time, waiting until the first egg is fully incorporated before adding the second. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the cheese until it forms a very sticky dough. Scoop the dough with a small ice cream scoop, spacing them 2-inches apart (12 per baking sheet). Dip your scoop in water between scoops to prevent sticking.

• Bake for 15 minutes then rotate the baking sheets from front to back. Bake for another 10 or 15 minutes until until the puffs have puffed and the bottoms turn golden-brown on the bottoms.