Karla Vaszquez's Pastelitos de Hongos
Karla Vaszquez's Pastelitos de Hongos

May 20, 2024
For our May Chef en Residencia's final installment, Karla Tatiana Vasquez is sharing her take on a Salvadoran classic, pastelitos. Pastelitos salvadoreños, similar to Mexican empanadas, are a perfect handheld snack: deep-fried masa turnovers typically stuffed with beef or chicken. The version Karla makes in The SalviSoul Cookbook has a plant-based filling, but you won't miss the meat — finely chopped mushrooms take on deep flavor when sautéed with aromatics and a host of other veggies. Leave out the chicken bouillon for a fully vegetarian version, and top the pastelitos with salsa de tomate and curtido for brightness.
All Comments
Hi Kevin! Thanks so much for your question. The baking soda in this recipe helps make the dough a bit lighter and softer. It doesn’t need an acidic ingredient to work here. The small amount of baking soda just helps improve the texture, making the pastelitos a little more tender when fried.
Recipe looks amazing, but I’m completely confused about the baking soda in the dough. Doesn’t baking soda need an acidic ingredient to work? In theory the Masa should be alkaline, yes? Please explain.