Traditional Venezuelan Hallacas

Add a taste of Venezuela to your Christmas table with these traditional Venezuelan hallacas! These Venezuelan tamales wrapped in banana leaf are prepared during the holiday season and feature an achiote-stained corn-based dough stuffed with beef, pork, chicken, capers, almonds, olives, bacon, and other drool-worthy ingredients for an outrageously good dish that is worth the time and effort it takes to prepare.
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Ingredients
20
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Preparation
2h 50 mins
1h 50 mins
Easy
  • For the sofrito: In a hot skillet with plenty of vegetable oil, cook garlic, onion, leek, chives, and parsley over medium-low heat until all ingredients turn bright. Season with salt and stir constantly to keep ingredients from turning too brown. Remove from heat, let cool, and set aside.
  • Mix beef and pork in a container. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Add whine vinegar and mix. Allow meat to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  • For the stuffing: In a deep skillet, fry garlic and leek until they turn bright. Add marinated meat, marinade, 3 tablespoons of sofrito, parsley, bell pepper, raw sugar, and white vinegar. Mix and add chicken broth, achiote oil, and red wine. Season with salt. Cook over medium-low heat for 40 minutes or until the stuffing thickens.
  • For the hallacas dough: In a bowl, mix precooked cornmeal, chicken broth, raw sugar, salt, and achiote oil. Mix with your hands until a smooth, oily, and compressed dough is formed. If the dough feels porous, add more oil. Cover hallacas dough until ready to use to keep it from drying out.
  • For assembling the hallacas: Brush a softened banana leaf with a bit of achiote oil. Place a small dough ball in the banana leaf and spread it with your hands until thin. Add a bit of sofrito, shredded chicken, bacon cubes, red and green bell peppers strips, onion, raisins, almonds, capers, and olives. Close the hallacas by taking the edges of the banana leaf and folding them to enclose the stuffing. Make a small package by placing another banana leaf on top and tie with kitchen twine to prevent any leaks while cooking.
  • Arrange hallacas in a pot with plenty of boiling water. Cook over medium heat for 40 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and serve Venezuelan hallacas hot.

Nutritional information

* * Information per 100g serving, percent daily values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
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