Pasteles en Hoja (Dominican Plantain Parcels)
A soft dough of grated green plantain, green banana and yautía, filled with stewed pork, wrapped in banana leaves and boiled. The essential Dominican Christmas dish.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Cook the pork filling
Season the pork with half the salt. Heat half the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the pork about 8 minutes, then lower the heat, add the onion, pepper and garlic, and cook 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano and water, simmer gently about 20 minutes until thick, then mix in the olives and raisins and let cool completely.
- 600 g pork shoulder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 100 ml water
- 12 pimento-stuffed olives
- 2 tbsp raisins
✅ Done when: the filling is thick, not watery, and fully cooled before filling the parcels
Grate the roots
Finely grate the green plantains, green bananas and yautía, or blend them in a food processor with a little water, into one smooth, thick paste.
- 3 green plantains
- 4 green bananas
- 500 g
- about 100 ml water, for blending
✅ Done when: the mixture is smooth, thick and holds together like a stiff batter
Season the dough
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Fill and wrap
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Boil
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Serve
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Cook the pork filling
Season the pork with half the salt. Heat half the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the pork about 8 minutes, then lower the heat, add the onion, pepper and garlic, and cook 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, oregano and water, simmer gently about 20 minutes until thick, then mix in the olives and raisins and let cool completely.
- 600 g pork shoulder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 1 green pepper
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 100 ml water
- 12 pimento-stuffed olives
- 2 tbsp raisins
✅ Done when: the filling is thick, not watery, and fully cooled before filling the parcels
Grate the roots
Finely grate the green plantains, green bananas and yautía, or blend them in a food processor with a little water, into one smooth, thick paste.
- 3 green plantains
- 4 green bananas
- 500 g
- about 100 ml water, for blending
✅ Done when: the mixture is smooth, thick and holds together like a stiff batter
Season the dough
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Fill and wrap
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Boil
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Pasteles en hoja are made across the Spanish Caribbean at Christmas, and in the Dominican Republic they're an essential part of Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) dinner.
Making them is a family event: one person grates, another seasons, and the whole family wraps and ties the parcels together.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Soft, savoury and fragrant from the banana leaf, they taste of Dominican Christmas.
💡 Fun Fact
Families often make dozens at once and freeze them, so there are pasteles to share with neighbours through the holidays.
All over the Dominican Republic
18.49°N, -69.93°W
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