Chilean pancutras con piures is a coastal soup of homemade flour and water dumplings cut into small squares and cooked for about 10 minutes in a broth of piures (red sea squirts), mussels, onion, bell pepper, grated carrot, cumin, ají de color, and parsley. It takes 45 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people.
It blends native and criollo cooking and is one of the many ways the Mapuche ate this distinctive red shellfish.
How to Make Pancutras with Piures?
Piures were eaten raw, cooked, or roasted in their own shell with boiled potatoes, and pancutras with piures became a popular dish in central-southern Chile. The dough is rolled and cut, the seafood broth is built, and the dumplings are cooked in it.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of pancutras with piures contains approximately 300 kcal, 45 g of carbohydrates, 7 g of fat, 22 g of protein, 7 g of fiber, 3 g of sugars, 45 mg of cholesterol, and 600 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Chilean Pancutras con Piures Recipe
Preparation: 45 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 15 fresh piures (red sea squirts)
- 10 mussels or cholgas
- 6 tablespoons of flour
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) of water for the dough
- 1 1/4 liters (5 1/4 cups) of water for the broth
- 1 carrot
- 1 tablespoon of ají de color (sweet paprika)
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 bell pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
- Oil
- Fresh parsley
- Fresh cilantro
- Fine salt
Instructions
- Sift the flour into a bowl, mix with a little water and a pinch of salt, and knead into a firm, non-sticky dough. Roll it out to about 1/2 cm (1/5 in) thick and cut into small squares of about 3 cm (1 1/4 in).
- Wash the piures and mussels very well in cold water, removing any grit. In a medium pot, heat a little oil and fry the onion cut into strips and the bell pepper in thin strips for about 5 minutes.
- Add the 1 1/4 liters of water, bring to a boil over high heat, and add the grated carrot, piures, mussels, cumin, ají de color, and chopped parsley. Bring back to a boil.
- Add the dough squares to the boiling broth and cook for about 10 minutes. Serve very hot in deep bowls, garnished with fresh cilantro, as a main course.
Additional Tips
Soften the piure flavor
Soak the piures in water with lemon for 10 minutes before cooking to mellow their strong flavor.
Add greens
Stir finely chopped spinach or chard into the broth just before the dumplings for extra fiber and minerals.
Do not overwork the dough
Knead just enough and let it rest a few minutes so the pancutras stay tender.
| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh piures | Dried piures, rehydrated | 1:1 | Stronger flavor |
| Piures | Mussels, clams, or cholgas | 1:1 | Milder |
| Water | Fish stock | 1:1 | Richer broth |
| Parsley | Cilantro | 1:1 | More herbal |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I use other shellfish instead of piures?
Yes. Use rehydrated dried piures, or try mussels, clams, or cholgas, which blend well into the broth.
2. How do I keep the pancutras from getting rubbery?
Do not overknead the dough, let it rest before cutting, and do not boil it for more than 10 minutes.
3. What should I drink with it?
A citrusy Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling from Biobío, or a light Pilsner or Weizen beer.
4. What are piures?
Piures (Pyura chilensis) are red sea squirts with an intense, iodine-rich flavor, eaten along the Chilean coast.
What Are Pancutras?
Pancutras, also called pantrucas, are simple flour and water dumplings cooked in broth, a humble staple of Chilean country cooking.
Harvesting Chilean Piures
Piures grow in clusters on rocks along the Chilean coast, and divers and shore gatherers cut them open to extract the red flesh.
Did You Know?
This combination is said to have become popular in the port of Talcahuano, where piures were so abundant that they replaced beef in the traditional pancutras.
