Pasteles en hoja are made with many ingredients that, although common in the Dominican Republic, might be hard to come across in your own country. Plan this recipe ahead to give yourself time to hunt down all the necessary ingredients it will be worth it. If you find it impossible to get the banana tree leaves, don't despair; you can use parchment paper as a substitute.

Time: 70 Mins
Difficulty: Advanced
Serve: 4 people

Before starting to cook: Peel and grate the plantain, the malanga and the yam. Reserve. Cut the leaves into 8" x 8" squares and then wash them. Reserve.

Ingredients:

• 1 unripe plantain
• 1/2 lb of malangas
• 1/2 lb of yams
• 1 teaspoon of seasoning powder
• 3 banana tree leaves
• 2 leaves of basil, chopped finely
• 1/2 lb of ground meat
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 small red onion, diced into very small cubes
• 1 green pepper
• 1/2 cup of ketchup
• 1 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce
• Ground black pepper.
• String (the kind used for tying ham while cooking)

Preparation:

1. Cut the green pepper and get rid of the seeds. Chop the green peppers into small cubes about the same size as the onions. Put the ground beef in a bowl, mix the pepper and the onion, add a pinch of oregano, a pinch of pepper and a teaspoon of salt.
2. In a shallow pan heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the ground beef and stir so it cooks uniformly. Add two tablespoons of water and the tomato paste. Let simmer at medium heat. Adjust water when necessary. When the meat is ready let all the liquid evaporate, adjust salt to taste. Turn off the heat and reserve.
3. In a deep bowl mix in the malanga, yam, plantain, seasoning powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and ground pepper. Put 2 tablespoons of this mixture on the center of one of the leaves. Put 1 teaspoon of meat in the center, cover with two more tablespoons of the root mix. Tie with the thread very tightly. When all are done, put half a gallon of water to boil in a deep pot. When the water is boiling, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Put all the pockets in the boiling water and let boil at medium heat for 15 minutes.
4. Unwrap before serving. Serve accompanied with Tabasco sauce and ketchup on the side.

what is seasoning powder?

It´s sold by various companies, the best-known is Goya's "sazonador en polvo".

muy rico mi esposo es mexicano y que do encantado con la comida de mi pais me like it wow