Chapaleles are the flat, round potato-and-flour dumplings of Chiloé — steamed among the layers of curanto, where they absorb the seafood-and-meat broth and become silky, savory, and deeply flavorful. The companion to milcao (already in this database), they are exclusively Chilote, found nowhere else in the world.
Chapaleles are exclusively Chilote — a bread/dumpling from Chiloé Island, always served alongside milcao (already in this database) as part of a curanto. They are made from boiled mashed potatoes mixed with flour (sometimes lard), shaped into flat round discs, and steamed in the curanto pot (or boiled separately). Unlike milcao (which uses a mix of raw and cooked potato with chicharrones), chapaleles are simpler: just mashed potato, flour, and salt. During curanto cooking, they absorb the broth from the seafood and meat above and below them, becoming intensely flavorful.
A flat, round, soft disc of potato bread, the outside slightly sticky from the broth, the inside fluffy and savory with the taste of the curanto. It is simple, hearty, and the perfect sponge for the rich broth. Eat it with a piece of meat and a mussel, all together.
The potatoes are boiled and mashed while hot, then mixed with flour and a little lard to a soft dough. The dough is shaped into flat discs (about 8 cm diameter, 1.5 cm thick) and placed between the layers of the curanto (or steamed separately for 20 minutes). The steaming in broth is what gives them their flavor — boiled in water, they are bland.
Variations
Some add lard to the dough; some add cooked chicharrones; the size varies; some are boiled rather than steamed.
On the Palate
Where Chapaleles sits in the Chilean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 25 min active + 20 min waiting
- 120 min
Boil 500 g potatoes until soft; drain; mash while hot.
Watch outMash the potatoes while they're still hot — hot flesh binds smoothly with the flour into a supple dough; let them cool and the mix turns gluey and stiff.
- 25 min
Mix with 150 g flour, 1 tbsp lard (or butter), and 1 tsp salt to a soft dough.
- 35 min
Shape into 6 flat discs (8 cm diameter, 1.5 cm thick).
- 420 min
To cook in curanto: place between the layers.
- 51 min
To cook separately: steam over boiling water 20 minutes until firm and cooked through.
Watch outSteam the discs until they firm up and cook through — a set, springy disc is done; if the center's still slack and pasty, give it more time.
- 61 min
Serve hot, with curanto or alongside any stew.
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