Chilean-Style Sopaipillas

11 Reviews

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Ready In: 1 hr

“This is a traditional Chilean snack, or maybe an appetizer. The truth is that it's a snack eaten during winter time, especially when it rains. It is typical to arrive home after walking through the rainy streets of Santiago and sit down to have a cup of tea and eat a couple of sopaipillas. You can also eat ones sold by street vendors, but they usually don't taste as good as home-made ones. If you can't find zapallo, pumpkin is a good substitute.” - by Makka

Ingredients

9 ounces zapallo squash
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups canola oil for pan-frying

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Metric US

Original recipe yields 12 servings

Directions

Peel, seed, and cut the zapallo into chunks. Place in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until zapallo is soft and easily pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and allow to cool slightly.
Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a mixing bowl, and set aside. Stir together the squash and melted butter. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until blended. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and satiny, adding a little more flour if necessary. Cover dough with a towel and allow to rest 15 minutes.
Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick, and cut into 3 inch diameter circles. Poke each circle a few times with a fork to make holes and prevent rising.
Pour vegetable oil into a large, deep skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot, 385 degrees F (195 degrees C). Place several of the dough circles into hot oil; cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cook remainder of dough circles in batches.

Nutrition

Amount Per Serving (12 total)

Calories
286 cal
14%

Fat
13.8 g
21%

Carbs
35.6 g
11%

Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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Reviews (11)

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YearOffMother

Oct. 15, 2007

"My Chilean husband had been asking for some sopaipillas for ages, so I tried these at the weekend and his veredict was "exquisitas"! I did have a little trouble with getting the correct consistency, ..." See morebut I think it's only because US and NZ cup measurements are different - next time I'll use the metric quantities I think. They also soaked up a lot of oil, so I cooked the last batch in the oven instead, they turned out like savoury biscuits, nice with cheese."

Caritosepu

Feb. 2, 2009

"Excellent! I am from Chile and I live in USA. I tried this recipe a few days before and It was just like being in Chile, with the difference of snowing outside instead of raining. But it was amazing. ..." See moreJust like being in Chile!. specially becaise I made some with "Chancaca" ! If you are a chilean, you know what I mean!"

jennhny

Jul. 25, 2008

"I made these for my Chilean boyfriend as a surprise and he loved them! The required squash was out of season so I used a sweet potato on a whim and they came out great!..." See more"

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