Chef Lupita
Brazo de Reina (Dzotobichay)
Yucatan's chaya tamal, masa kneaded green with the leaves of the Peninsula, stuffed with hard-boiled egg and ground pepita, wrapped in banana leaf and sliced into rounds for the Cuaresma table.
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Empanadas de Chaya Yucatecas
Created by
Yucatan's chaya empanadas, with masa kneaded green from blanched chaya leaves, stuffed with refried black beans, fried until the jade shell crackles open over salsa xnipec and pink pickled onion.
Appetizers & Snacks
Mexican
Potluck
Budget Friendly
Picnic
40 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr 15 min total
Yield12 empanadas (4 to 6 servings)
These empanadas are from the Yucatan Peninsula. Not from Mexico in general. From the Peninsula, where chaya, a sturdy leafy green the Maya have been eating for thousands of years, grows in every backyard and along every roadside from Merida to Valladolid to Campeche. If a Yucateca sees a chaya bush, she sees lunch.
The masa is what makes this dish. You blanch the chaya, squeeze it dry, and knead it into the masa until the dough turns the color of jade. You cannot taste each individual leaf in the finished empanada. You taste something deeper: a vegetal, almost mineral note that runs through the masa and stains the inside of the shell green. Spinach is the closest compromise outside the Peninsula. It is not the same. But a green empanada made with spinach is honest. A yellow empanada called chaya is a lie.
The filling is usually refried black beans. Sometimes pork picadillo if there is leftover cochinita. Sometimes a little queso de bola, the Dutch wax-rind cheese that came to the Peninsula through Campeche's port and stayed. The empanadas fry in lard until the shell is crisp and the inside is hot. They get topped with cebolla morada, those bright pink pickled onions in sour orange and oregano yucateco, and a spoonful of salsa xnipec, the habanero salsa whose Maya name means dog's nose because it makes yours run.
My mother never made these. She was from Jalisco and the Peninsula was as foreign to her as France. I learned them in a cocina in Izamal from a senora named dona Concha who picked the chaya from the bush behind her kitchen while I was still asking her questions. She told me chaya is the Maya's spinach, the Maya's medicine, the Maya's reserve against hunger. Saber cocinar es saber vivir, and on the Peninsula, knowing how to cook chaya is part of what saber vivir means.
Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius), also called tree spinach or in Maya 'chay,' is a domesticated leafy green that the ancient Maya cultivated for at least two thousand years and that remains a daily staple in Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and parts of Chiapas. The plant is more nutritionally dense than spinach, containing higher levels of iron, calcium, and protein, but the raw leaves contain hydrocyanic glycosides that must be neutralized by cooking, which is why every traditional preparation begins with blanching or simmering. Chaya empanadas are part of a broader Peninsula category of antojitos that integrate chaya into masa, including panuchos de chaya and tamales colados de chaya, and the practice reflects the Maya principle of mixing leafy greens into corn dough as a way to extend nutrition during the dry season when other vegetables were scarce.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
masa harina (nixtamalized)
Quantity
2 cups
Maseca or Bob's Red Mill
warm water
Quantity
1 1/2 cups, plus more as needed
fresh chaya leaves
Quantity
1 1/2 cups (about 30 medium leaves)
stems removed, finely chopped
kosher salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon
manteca de cerdo
Quantity
1 tablespoon
softened
refried black beans (frijoles refritos negros)
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
preferably homemade
queso de bola or queso fresco (optional)
Quantity
1/2 cup
finely crumbled
manteca de cerdo or vegetable oil
Quantity
4 cups
for frying
red onion
Quantity
1 medium
sliced into thin half-moons
naranja agria juice
Quantity
1/2 cup
or 1/4 cup orange juice plus 1/4 cup lime juice
dried Mexican oregano
Quantity
1 teaspoon
preferably oregano yucateco
kosher salt (for onions)
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
chile habanero
Quantity
2 to 3
finely chopped (seeds and ribs removed for less heat)
naranja agria juice (for salsa)
Quantity
1/4 cup
or lime juice
kosher salt (for salsa)
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
banana leaf (optional)
Quantity
1
for lining the comal
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| masa harina (nixtamalized)Maseca or Bob's Red Mill | 2 cups |
| warm water | 1 1/2 cups, plus more as needed |
| fresh chaya leavesstems removed, finely chopped | 1 1/2 cups (about 30 medium leaves) |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon |
| manteca de cerdosoftened | 1 tablespoon |
| refried black beans (frijoles refritos negros)preferably homemade | 1 1/2 cups |
| queso de bola or queso fresco (optional)finely crumbled | 1/2 cup |
| manteca de cerdo or vegetable oilfor frying | 4 cups |
| red onionsliced into thin half-moons | 1 medium |
| naranja agria juiceor 1/4 cup orange juice plus 1/4 cup lime juice | 1/2 cup |
| dried Mexican oreganopreferably oregano yucateco | 1 teaspoon |
| kosher salt (for onions) | 1/2 teaspoon |
| chile habanerofinely chopped (seeds and ribs removed for less heat) | 2 to 3 |
| naranja agria juice (for salsa)or lime juice | 1/4 cup |
| kosher salt (for salsa) | 1/4 teaspoon |
| banana leaf (optional)for lining the comal | 1 |
Equipment Needed
- •Tortilla press lined with two squares of plastic cut from a freezer bag
- •Deep heavy skillet, cazuela, or 6-quart Dutch oven for frying
- •Thermometer for monitoring the frying fat
- •Slotted spoon or kitchen spider
- •Wire rack set over a sheet pan
Instructions
- 1
Pickle the red onions
Place the sliced red onion in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water for thirty seconds, then drain. Return to the bowl. Add the half cup of naranja agria juice, the dried oregano yucateco, and half a teaspoon of salt. Stir and let sit at room temperature for at least thirty minutes. The onions will turn bright pink. This is the cebolla morada that belongs on every Peninsula plate. Make these first because they only get better as they sit.
If you cannot find naranja agria, mix equal parts fresh orange juice and lime juice with a small splash of white vinegar. Bottled sour orange from a Latin market is also a fair compromise. - 2
Prepare the chaya
Fresh chaya leaves contain compounds that must be neutralized by heat. Never eat them raw, and never chop them with your bare hands without rinsing first. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the chopped chaya and blanch for two minutes. Drain immediately and rinse under cold water. Squeeze out as much water as you can with your hands. You should have about half a cup of tightly squeezed greens. The blanching sets the color and makes the leaves safe to use.
If you cannot find chaya outside the Peninsula, fresh spinach is the closest compromise. It is not the same. Chaya is sturdier, deeper, more grassy. But blanched spinach will give you the green masa and an approximation of the dish. Tell the truth about what you are making. - 3
Knead the green masa
In a wide bowl, combine the masa harina, salt, and the tablespoon of softened lard. Add the squeezed chaya and the warm water, a little at a time. Knead with your hands for five to seven minutes. The masa should be smooth, soft, and pliable, the color of jade. If it cracks when you press it, add water by the tablespoon. If it sticks to your palm, add a little more masa harina. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let it rest for fifteen minutes. The masa needs to hydrate fully or it will crack when you press the empanadas.
- 4
Press the discs
Divide the masa into twelve equal balls, about the size of golf balls. Keep them under the damp towel as you work. Line a tortilla press with two squares of plastic, cut from a freezer bag. Place one ball in the center of the press and flatten it into a disc about five inches across and the thickness of a US quarter. Too thin and the empanada tears in the oil. Too thick and the masa stays raw inside. Asi se hace y punto.
- 5
Fill and seal
Peel the top plastic off the disc. Place a heaping tablespoon of refried black beans on one half, leaving a border of about half an inch around the edge. Scatter a little crumbled queso de bola on top of the beans if using. Lift the plastic underneath to fold the masa over the filling into a half-moon. Press the edges firmly with your fingertips, then crimp with a fork or your knuckles to seal. Set on a tray lined with banana leaf or a clean cloth. Repeat with the rest of the masa.
Do not overfill. The masa cannot stretch around too much bean and the empanada will burst in the oil. A heaping tablespoon is the limit. Save the rest of the beans for the second batch or for breakfast. - 6
Heat the frying fat
In a deep heavy skillet or wide cazuela, heat the lard or oil over medium-high until it reaches 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a thermometer, drop a small piece of masa in the fat. It should sizzle steadily and rise to the surface within a few seconds without browning instantly. If the fat smokes, it is too hot and the masa will scorch before it cooks through. La manteca es el sabor, and the right temperature is the difference between a crisp shell and a greasy one.
- 7
Fry the empanadas
Slide three empanadas at a time into the hot fat, away from your body. Fry for two to three minutes per side, turning once with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider. The shells will puff slightly and turn a deep jade green darkened to almost emerald, with little blistered spots where the masa caught the heat. Lift them out onto a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Do not drain on paper towels. Paper traps steam under the empanada and the bottom goes soggy. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.
- 8
Make the habanero salsa
While the last empanadas fry, combine the chopped habanero, the quarter cup of naranja agria juice, and the quarter teaspoon of salt in a small clay bowl. Stir and let sit for ten minutes. This is salsa xnipec, what they call dog's nose salsa in Maya, because it makes the nose run. A spoonful on each empanada. No more. The habanero does not play.
- 9
Serve immediately
Pile the empanadas on a platter lined with banana leaf if you have it. Spoon the pickled red onions across the top and pass the habanero salsa at the table. Eat them with your hands the moment they are cool enough to hold. A cold cerveza or a glass of agua de chaya on the side. This is potluck food, picnic food, cantina food. Peninsula food. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
Chef Tips
- •Chaya is rare outside the Peninsula. If you live in southern Florida, parts of Texas, or have a Maya-run grocery nearby, ask. Some Latin markets in major US cities carry it frozen. If you cannot find chaya, use mature spinach blanched the same way. The dish is honest as long as you do not lie about what is in it.
- •Never handle raw chaya leaves and then touch your eyes. The sap can irritate the skin. Always blanch before doing anything else. Two minutes in boiling water deactivates everything that needs deactivating.
- •Queso de bola is the wax-rind Edam cheese that arrived in Campeche through colonial trade and became a Peninsula ingredient. If you cannot find it, queso fresco is a fair compromise. Do not use cheddar. Cheddar has no business on this plate.
- •The pickled onions and the habanero salsa belong on the table at every Peninsula meal. Make extra. They keep for a week refrigerated and they make leftover beans taste like dinner again.
Advance Preparation
- •The pickled red onions should be made at least thirty minutes ahead and keep for one week refrigerated. They get better with time.
- •The green masa can be mixed up to four hours ahead. Keep it tightly covered with a damp kitchen towel at room temperature. Refrigeration dries it out.
- •The empanadas can be pressed and filled up to two hours ahead and held on a tray covered with a damp cloth. Fry them just before serving. Reheated fried empanadas are never the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 290g)
Calories
455 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
8 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
23 mg
Sodium
1150 mg
Total Carbohydrates
56 g
Dietary Fiber
10 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
12 g
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