Vegan Pasteles with Lentils

Instructions

1. For dough, in a medium bowl combine masarepa, salt, and 3 cups hot water. Mix well. Cover and let cool 15 to 20 minutes.
2. For filling, in a large skillet combine onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over medium 10 to 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add the next 10 ingredients (through black pepper); mix well. Cook 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in lentils, tomato paste, and vinegar.
3. Trim banana leaves into 12-inch squares; trim away tough spines. If using fresh leaves, lightly toast them over an open flame to make them more pliable. (Thawed frozen leaves will be pliable.)
4. Prepare an assembly station with a cutting board, bowl of water, two platters, dough, filling, banana leaves, and kitchen twine.
5. Roll about ⅓ cup dough between your hands to form a ball; repeat until you have 10 balls, placing balls on a platter and covering with a clean cloth as you go.
6. Place a banana leaf on the cutting board. Dip your fingers in water and pat over banana leaf to moisten. Place one dough ball in the center of the leaf. Using your hands, flatten dough into a disk roughly 6 inches in diameter. (It should be as thin as pita bread.)
7. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling in the center of disk. Lift banana leaf at one edge and fold over so the dough covers at least half the filling, then gently peel banana leaf away from the dough. Repeat with the opposite side, ensuring the edges of dough meet in the middle to cover filling. Repeat this technique with the top and bottom edges of the banana leaf to fully enclose the filling in dough. Wrap the leaf all the way around the dough. Fold the top and bottom edges inward to seal. Place the pastel, folded side down, on a platter.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 with the remaining banana leaves, dough, and filling to make 10 pasteles. Tie each with kitchen twine like a package.
9. Bring a large pot of water to boiling. Using tongs, add packages to water. Boil 10 to 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove from pot. Transfer to a platter and let cool 10 minutes. Serve warm. Snip twine and remove banana leaves just before eating.