Tamales Colombianos
Colombian tamales are a labor of love and a centerpiece of holiday celebrations, especially during Christmas and New Year. Unlike their Mexican counterparts, Colombian tamales are large, generous parcels wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks, and the masa is made from dried corn that has been cooked with lye and ground into a smooth dough. Each tamal contains a treasure trove of filling: pieces of chicken, pork, sliced carrots, potatoes, peas, and chickpeas, all nestled within the soft corn dough. Making tamales is traditionally a family affair, with everyone gathering to assemble and wrap, turning the kitchen into a festive workshop. The steaming process melds all the flavors together into something truly magical.
Ingredients
- For the masa:
- 1 kg dried yellow corn or 1 kg masa harina for tamales
- 500 ml chicken broth, warm
- 100 g lard or vegetable shortening, melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon annatto powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- For the filling:
- 500 g chicken thighs, bone-in
- 500 g pork shoulder, cut into chunks
- 2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 scallions, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For wrapping:
- 20 large banana leaves, cleaned and softened over flame
- Kitchen twine for tying
Method
8 step-by-step instructions with timers and hands-free Cook Mode narration, in the OriginEats app.
- Portion scaling for any number of servings
- Auto-generated grocery list, grouped by aisle
- Add it to your weekly meal plan in one tap
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 16 g
