If you have ever been to Bolivia or Argentina, we are sure that you have tried empanadas because they are extremely common in these areas. Ranging from a variety of dough to filling, there are different empanadas in Latin American cuisine that promise to deliver a delicious experience to everyone. However, to enjoy the real flavors, it’s important to understand corn vs. flour empanadas comparison as these two are made from different types of dough!
Corn Flour Empanadas vs Flour Empanadas
Corn Flour Empanadas
The corn flour empanadas are extremely popular in Venezuela and Colombia and are served after frying. To make the empanadas, corn flour is used to make these snacks and has a fine texture that leads to a smooth dough. In addition, the corn flour is pre-cooked before it’s made into the dough for adding the filling. In most cases, the dried corn kernels are boiled and grounded.
The corn flour is available in yellow as well as white varieties. The corn flour empanadas are usually available in Colombia and are filled with ground beef, onions, and potatoes. On the other hand, the corn flour empanadas in Venezuela also have different types of fresh cheese stuffed into the empanadas, making them great appetizers or snacks.
In fact, the corn flour empanadas are also made with pabellón filling, which includes black beans, shredded beef, and sweet plantains. The texture of these empanadas is pretty smooth as corn flour has a smooth texture and is usually served with hot sauces. The exterior is crispy, and the inner texture is extremely tender.
For the most part, these snacks are served with tomatoes and onion sauce in Colombia, while the empanadas from Venezuela are served with guasacaca, which is made with avocado, herbs, milk-based hot sauce, and catara. In addition, this sauce has leeks, salt, and scallions, which complements the empanadas’ flavors.
Flour Empanadas
As the name suggests, these empanadas are made from wheat flour, and this variety is common in Argentina and can be flavored with a variety of fillings. These are basically hand-sized empanadas that are made from wheat flour and fat-based dough. The fat usually includes butter, beef fat, or lard. As far as the filling is concerned, the wheat flour empanadas have ground beef, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and onions.
These empanadas are baked contrary unlike corn flour empanadas that are deep-fried. In addition to ground beef, the wheat flour empanadas also have chicken, Caprese, cheese, humita, mushroom, and spices. This variety is more common and is available in three common fillings, including chicken, tripe, and beef. As far as baking is concerned, the wheat flour empanadas are baked in the clay oven.
Some people also add sugar to the dough, which helps enhance the flavor. Keep in mind that these empanadas have a meat-based filling, which is why it’s not suitable for vegetarians. In fact, some empanadas are made from seafood as well. Many people don’t know this, but the empanadas available in the US are made with wheat flour dough and have a beef, olive, and egg combination.
The wheat flour dough tends to be a bit hard, which is why more onions are added to the filling to make sure the dough comes out soft yet flaky. On top of everything, the wheat flour dough is folded over in a square form rather than being pinched.
Tips To Make Empanadas At Home
Irrespective of which type of dough you use to make empanadas, it’s important to be careful about the preparation and cooking, which is why we are mentioning some tips for you, such as;
- Always use high-quality dough. While it’s easy to make dough with corn flour or wheat flour at home, you can also purchase pre-made dough from the grocery store’s refrigerated section.
- Make sure that the dough isn’t too sticky if you make it at home.
- Frying the empanadas leads to a better flavor.
- It’s better to add cheese, beans, and vegetables along with meat to the filling as it diversifies the flavor.
- Never overfill the empanadas because excessive filling leads to difficulty in folding. In fact, it can also result in loss of shape during baking or frying.
- If you want to fry the empanadas, opt for vegetable oil or olive oil but always heat up the oil to ensure the dough becomes crispy.