Take out all the main ingredients prepared the previous day and make sure you have everything handy including the banana leaves, parchment paper or pastel paper and kitchen string to tie the pasteles.
Place a sheet of pastel paper on a clean surface, then a square of banana leaf. Add another paper on top and another banana leaf, continuing in this alternating manner until you form a stack. It will make filling the pasteles easier.
Then, on the top piece of banana leaf, spread about 1 teaspoon of achiote oil, then about 1/2 cup of masa mixture, forming a rectangle.
Next, add 2 tablespoons of filling in the center of the rectangle and the chopped pimentos on top.
Now begin folding the banana leaf over the filling and bring the ends together and fold over twice for a tight seal.
Tuck the ends under the parcel. Don't worry if the leaves tear a little during the wrapping process since they'll get wrapped again in paper. If you decide to skip the banana leaves, however, it might be a good idea to double-wrap the parcels.
Wrap the pasteles paper in the same way then tie them securely with kitchen string or butcher's twine, as you would a present.
You can proceed to cooking them immediately or if you're making them in advance this is also when you can freeze them for later.
To cook them, bring a large pot of water to boil, place your pasteles in the water and simmer for 45 minuntes (if you're preparing them from frozen, leave to cook for 1 full hour instead).
Alternatively you can also use a pressure cooker. Just let them steam for 30 minutes with 1 cup water.
Drain the cooked pasteles, cut the strings, and unwrap. Serve hot with arroz con gandules.