Sopaipillas con Pebre
Sopaipillas are a classic Chilean fried pumpkin bread that nearly every household has prepared at some point. You can find them on street carts across the country, feeding hungry students, as well as on family tables, where they are perfect for a mid afternoon snack with a cup of tea, a practise known as “once”. They are especially popular in cold weather, but enjoyed year round. I have yet to meet anyone who does not love this snack. They can be eaten on their own, with mustard or ketchup, and some people even eat it with powdered sugar or Nutella (which this author strongly disapproves of). My favourite way to eat them, however, is with pebre, a traditional Chilean preparation somewhere between a sauce and a salad.
6
servings40
minutes50
minutes30
minutes2
hoursIngredients
- SOPAIPILLAS
220 g 220 cooked pumpkin
500 g 500 all-purpose flour
Up to 100 ml pumpkin cooking water
5 g 5 dry yeast, or 15 g fresh yeast, or 5 g baking powder
2 tsp 2 salt
Frying oil
- PEBRE
1 1 yellow onion, finely diced
1 1 ripe tomato, peeled and finely diced
A handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 1 chilli pepper, finely chopped (optional)
2 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
Red wine vinegar
Vegetable or sunflower oil
Salt
Directions
- For the Sopaipillas: Peel the pumpkin, cut it into large pieces, and place it in a pot with cold water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cook for about 25 minutes with the lid on, until tender.
- Drain, mash the pumpkin, and pass it through a sieve, reserving some of the cooking water.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, yeast, and mashed pumpkin. Mix with your hands to form a dough, adding some of the reserved pumpkin water if needed.
- Lightly flour your work surface and knead until smooth. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough to about ½ cm thick. Cut into rounds using a bowl, glass, or cup, and prick each a few times with a fork.
- Fry in hot oil at 180 °C for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.
- For the Pebre: Finely dice the onion and peeled tomato. Finely chop the cilantro, garlic, and chilli pepper.
- Combine everything in a bowl and season with a splash of vinegar, oil, lemon juice, and a couple of pinches of salt (should be lightly salty).
- Let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Sieve
- Rolling pin
- Deep frying pan
- Mixing bowls
Notes
- The pebre is best made ahead – let it rest in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.
- They can also be eaten on their own, with mustard or ketchup.