7 Chilean dishes to cook during the week

In this “7 days, 7 dishes”, we are travelling to Chile for finding 7 Chilean dishes to cook during the week.

It is a country characterized by its fusion cuisine. This is because it has many influences from European cuisine (Germany, Italy and France), especially from the Spanish one, and this cultural mix has formed the “Chilean Creole Cuisine”. Besides, the geographical characteristics of Chile have an important impact on its diet as, due to its long coastline, it has a significant quantity and variety of seafood.

Chile is also famous for its alcoholic drinks, more specifically for: chicha, pisco and Chilean wine. The last one is known worldwide for its aroma, quality and body. So now you know, if you want to enjoy a totally Chilean culinary experience, you must accompany the following recipes with one of these typical drinks.

1. Completo

This is one of the most famous street foods. Is it eaten transversally throughout Chile is accessible to all social groups due to it’s small, relatively cheap, list of ingredients. The most popular version is called “El Italiano”, and it consists of a long and fluffy bread, a frankfurter-style sausage, diced tomato and ground avocado topped with mayonnaise. It is a heavenly snack that lets you eat well, fast and cheap, since its usual price is €2. You can find the best Completo sandwiches in La Fuente Alemana, located in the capital, Santiago de Chile.

Recipe for 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 4 hot dog buns
• 4 hotdog sausages
• 1 large avocado (ground and seasoned)
• 2 tomatoes (small diced and seasoned)
• mayonnaise

Step by step:

Apart from “El Italiano”, there are more versions of this dish, such as: the “Simple”, which consists of frankfurter sausage, tomato and mayonnaise; the “A lo pobre”, which has egg, fried onion and cheese; and the “Alemán”, which has tomato, sauerkraut and mayonnaise.

2. Sopaipillas

It is the most consumed street-food, and one of the most famous Chilean snacks. Its ingredients are very simple and its preparation even more. A tip you should take into consideration: it is better to bake the pumpkin or cook it in the microwave without water, to reduce the moistur content.

Ingredients:

• 600 gr of mashed zapallo (pumpkin)
• 1 Kg of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of fine salt

Step by step:

3. Empanadas chilenas

We can find two types of traditional Chilean empanadas: the fried and the baked ones.

Fried empanadas can be filled with cheese and various seafood, such as shrimp, octopus or scallops, and its price varies between 2 and 4 euros. Baked empanadas have become, over the years, the breakfast preferred by most Chileans on Sunday mornings, after a good “carrete” (it’s the name given in Chile to weekend parties) The best recipe is the one stuffed with minced meat, onion, olives, raisins and eggs. Its average value is 2.5 euros. The best baked empanadas price-quality are the ones of Don Guille local, located in downtown Santiago.

The dough is the same for both recipes, the only difference is that the one of the baked empanadas is a bit thicker to prevent them from breaking.

Ingredients for the dough:

• 225 ml of warm water
• 2 teaspoons of fine salt
• 500 gr of flour
• 25 ml of white wine
• 100 gr of vegetable margarine
• 2 egg yolks (to brown the dough)

Step by Step:

For the filling there is not one specific ingredient, each person makes them in a different way, although the typical fillings are the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph. After dividing the dough into 10 portions, fill each patty with 120-150 grams of mixture, place on a baking tray, paint with the egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes at 220ºC.

4. Chacarero

It is, without any doubt, one of the most common Chilean sandwiches, competing with the Completo one. The difference is that this is not that much of a street dish, it is mostly eaten in restaurants, more specifically in “Fuentes de Soda”, places that exclusively sell sandwiches. Its usual price is 7 euros.

Ingredients:

• Hamburger bread
• Steak slices
• Sliced tomatoes
• Green beans
• Mayonnaise

Step by step:

5. Pastel de choclo

We can consider the “Pastel de choclo” (Corn cake) recipe as the most emblematic Chilean dish. This recipe has its origin in colonial times, and is considered a “mestizo” (mixed race) dish because it combines Spanish and Chilean elements. In the past, it was consumed mostly in rural areas, during peasant celebrations. At the beginning of the 20th century, migrations from the countryside to the city brought this recipe to Santiago de Chile, where it became very popular.

Ingredients for the dough:

• 2 spoons of butter
• 500 gr of frozen choclo (corn) or 10 cups approx. of sweet corn.
• ½ cup of whole milk
• 100 ml of heavy cream
• 1 bunch of basil (approx. 10 leaves)
• Salt, pepper and smoked chilli pepper

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 Kg of ground beef
• 1 cup of water or beef broth
• 3 onions, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder or paprika
• ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons of flour (optional)

• Roast chicken and raisins for serving, optional.

First of all we are going to cook the filling because we have to let it rest for a while in the fridge.

Step by step, Filling:

Step by step, Dough:

6. Cancato al papillote

In general, this dish is found in all restaurants in southern Chile. It can be prepared with almost any type of fish and its characteristic flavor is very different from other dishes, this is due to the fat that the sausage provides to it.

Ingredients:

• 4 pieces of salmon, 250 gr. each.
• 1 large onion julienned
• 1 longaniza cut into 2 cm thick slices
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 4 slices of chanco or buttery cheese
• Salt, pepper and dried oregano.

Step by step:

7. Ceviche chileno

This is one of the most consumed dishes on weekends along all the coasts of Chile. It is famous for its high vitamin content because it’s generally a dish made from white fish.

Ingredients:

• 1Kg of white fish
• 200 gr of fresh coriander
• 50 gr of green ají (chili)
• 400 gr of white onion
• 500 ml of lemon juice
• 500 ml of white vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

Step by step:

If you want to read more recipes, you should check:

• 7 Spanish dishes to cook during the week
• 6 of the best pumpkin recipes
• 7 recipes for welcoming autumn
• 7 traditional Irish bread recipes for all occasions