Pastel de Carne com Queijo

The pastel is the quintessential Brazilian feira (street market) snack — a thin, blistered deep-fried pastry casing filled with seasoned ground beef and melting cheese. Originating in São Paulo's Japanese-Brazilian immigrant community in the early 20th century, it is eaten standing up, piping hot, often alongside a cup of cold sugar-cane juice.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Pastry

• 300g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 100 ml (6 1/2 tbsp) warm water
• 2 tbsp (30 ml) cachaça or vodka (makes the pastry blister)
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

Filling

• 250g (9 oz) ground beef
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil
• Salt, black pepper, and ground cumin to taste
• 100g (3.5 oz) mozzarella or catupiry cream cheese, sliced or cubed

For frying

• 1 litre (4 cups) vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Make pastry: mix flour and salt, add oil, vinegar, cachaça, and warm water. Knead 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.
2. Cook filling: heat oil in a frying pan over high heat, brown the beef breaking up lumps, about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and tomato. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook until moisture evaporates, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Divide dough into 8 balls. Roll each very thin (2 mm / 1/16 in) into rough rectangles about 15 x 12 cm (6 x 5 in).
4. Place 2 tbsp filling and a piece of cheese on one half of each rectangle, leaving a 1 cm border. Fold the other half over and seal edges firmly by pressing with a fork.
5. Heat oil to 180°C (350°F). Fry pastels 2–3 at a time for 2–3 minutes per side until golden and blistered. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: The alcohol in the dough creates steam during frying, causing the characteristic golden blisters — this is the hallmark of a great pastel. Do not over-fill or the seal will burst.