Hallacas (Venezuelan Christmas Tamales)

About This Recipe

Hallacas are Venezuela's most celebrated dish and the crowning achievement of Venezuelan cooking. They are made exclusively for Christmas (Navidad) — the preparation begins in early December and spans several days as the extended family gathers to make hundreds of hallacas together. Each hallaca is a handcraft: corn dough (masa) tinted yellow with annatto and enriched with lard, spread on a banana leaf, topped with a spoonful of guiso (a slow-cooked stew of beef, pork, chicken, tomatoes, onions, raisins, capers, olives and sweet peppers), then wrapped and tied into a bundle and boiled for 45 minutes. The banana leaf wrapping imparts a subtle, herbal fragrance to the masa that is completely irreplaceable.

Ingredients

Serves 12

• 500 gmasarepa (precooked corn flour)(P.A.N. brand)
• 600 mlchicken stock(warm)
• 100 glard or butter
• 1 tspannatto (achiote) powder(for yellow colour)
• 1 tspsalt
• 300 gbeef brisket(boiled until tender and diced)
• 200 gpork shoulder(boiled until tender and diced)
• 2onions(diced)
• 2red peppers(diced)
• 3tomatoes(diced)
• 3garlic cloves(minced)
• 50 graisins
• 50 ggreen olives(pitted and halved)
• 2 tbspcapers
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 12 piecesbanana leaves(cut 30×30cm, cleaned)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make guiso filling

   Fry onion, pepper and garlic in oil until soft, 8 min. Add tomatoes, cook 5 min. Add cooked beef and pork, raisins, olives and capers. Simmer 15 min until thick and well-seasoned. Cool completely.

2. 2

   Make masa dough

   Mix masarepa with warm stock, lard, annatto and salt. Knead until smooth and pliable — like thick playdough. Rest 10 min.

3. 3

   Soften banana leaves

   Briefly pass banana leaves over an open flame or hot burner — they will turn brighter green and become more pliable. Pat dry.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Lay a banana leaf flat. Rub a thin film of annatto-coloured oil over the centre. Press a large ball of masa (about 100g) into a 15cm circle in the centre. Place 2 tbsp guiso in the centre of the masa.

   The masa layer should be thin and even — thick masa is the most common hallaca error.

5. 5

   Wrap and tie

   Fold the banana leaf over the filling to form a rectangular package. Fold the sides under. Tie with kitchen string into a neat bundle.

6. 6

   Boil

   Boil hallacas in a large pot of salted water for 45 min. Remove and rest 10 min before unwrapping.

Variations

• •

  Hallacas de pollo: chicken-only filling — lighter and faster

• •

  Sweet hallacas (hallacas dulces): sugar, cinnamon and dried fruit in the filling — a dessert variant

• •

  Dominican pasteles en hoja: a related Caribbean version using green banana dough instead of corn

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Cooked hallacas keep 5 days refrigerated and 3 months frozen. Reheat by boiling for 20 min or microwaving in the banana leaf.

Frequently Asked Questions