Guatemalan red tamales
Guatemalan tamales made with cooked corn dough, a tomato, chile, and seed recado, pork, and maxán and banana leaves; they are steamed in parcels tied with cibaque.
This version brings together the pot-cooked dough, red recado, and leaf-wrapping method described for Guatemalan tamales colorados. Guatemalan recipes vary: some include rice, bacon, or extra garnishes; this version does not. The listed quantities make approximately 10 tamales.
Method
- 01
Prepare the leaves and cibaque
Wash and dry the maxán and banana leaves. Soak the cibaque in water until it bends easily and can be tied without breaking.
- 02
Cook and strain the recado
Toast the pepitoria and sesame seeds in a dry pan, watching closely so they do not burn. Cook the tomatoes, guaque chile, pasa chile, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a pot with 1 cup water. Blend the cooked vegetables with the toasted seeds and miltomates, then strain the mixture. Heat the lard for the recado, add the sauce and dissolved annatto, and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
15 min - 03
Cook the dough
Mix the corn dough with 2 cups water until dissolved. Transfer it to a pot and cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until it thickens and becomes cohesive. Remove the pot from the heat, add the lard for the dough, and stir until fully incorporated. Let the dough cool before assembling the tamales.
- 04
Prepare the pork
Cut the pork into 10 pieces. Add the pieces to the recado and mix to coat them well.
- 05
Assemble the tamales
Place a banana leaf over a maxán leaf. Put a portion of dough and one piece of pork with recado in the center. Fold the leaves into a closed parcel and tie it with cibaque. Repeat until the dough, pork, and leaves have been used.
- 06
Steam the tamales
Line the bottom of a pot with leftover leaves and pour in 4 cups water. Arrange the tamales in the pot, cover them with more leaves, and put on the lid. Cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 hours, checking that water remains in the pot.
180 min
Ingredients
Sources and review
Content researched, cross-checked and automatically validated. Sources consulted:
- Conservación de Alimentos y Cadena del Frío 2026 manipulador-de-alimentos.com/lecciones/conservacion-y-almacenamiento/
- SEGURIDAD ALIMENTARIA INFORME DE AESAN - IDELABINGENIERIA idelabingenieria.com/seguridad-alimentaria-informe-de-aesan-sobre-el-tratamiento-termico-de-…
- Combinaciones tiempo-temperatura para el cocinado seguro de los alimentos - ELIKA www.elika.eus/es/combinaciones-tiempo-temperatura-para-el-cocinado-seguro-de-los-alimentos/
- Temperatura de conservación de alimentos: tabla completa por producto anukys.com/temperatura-conervacion-alimentos/
- Tabla de temperaturas de seguridad alimentaria | Alimentia www.alimentiaformacion.com/blog/tabla-temperaturas-seguridad-alimentaria
- \r\n \n Temperaturas de conservación de alimentos: SAIA las detalla en TVE\n \r\n www.saia.es/temperaturas-conservacion-alimentos
- Informe del Comité Científico de la ... www.aesan.gob.es/dam/jcr:93104ea0-6546-4e98-ba54-6862810e4049/TIEMPO-TEMPERATURA.pdf
- Receta de tamales colorados o rojos de guatemala www.petitchef.es/recetas/plato/tamales-colorados-o-rojos-de-guatemala-fid-1102528
- Luis’ Tamales from Guatemala – Familia Kitchen familiakitchen.com/es/luis-tamales-from-guatemala/
- Receta: el tamal de Guatemala, su historia y cómo prepararlo republica.com/vive-guatemala/2021-5-6-18-45-0-receta-el-tamal-de-guatemala-su-historia-y-com…
- Tamal colorado | CulturaGuate culturaguate.gob.gt/2023/06/15/tamal-colorado/
- Loja (Ecuador) - Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loja_(Ecuador)
- Tipos de Tamales Guatemaltecos: De Salados a Dulces growingupbilingual.com/es/tipos-de-tamales-guatemaltecos/
State: Published after documentary validation; no “Tested” label is shown.