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The Best Authentic Colombian Tamales
Forget dry, bland tamales. These are packed with juicy pork, chicken, and a secret marinade that brings the Latina love.
👥 12 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 2h 15m⏳ Prep: 1h🔥 Cook: 1h 15m👤 Karina Carrel📖 cafedelites
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- blender
- bowl
- pan
- whisk
- pot
📝 Preparation Steps
1
The Marinade
2
deseed
3
Remove the seeds from the bell peppers and cut them into large pieces.
4
chop
5
Roughly chop the green onions and the red onions then place garlic cloves, cumin, saffron powder, salt, chicken stock, jalapenos, tomato paste, ground coriander, dry oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and olive oil into a blender.
medium red onion1garlic4 clovesgarlic powder1 tspgarlic paste1 tbspground cumin1 tspsalt1 tbspSalt and pepper to taste1 pinch½ tsp salttomato paste1 tbspground coriander1 tbspfresh coriander (chopped)2 tbspdry oregano1 tbsponion powder1 tsp½ tbsp onion powderblack pepper (ground)1 tspolive oil1 tbsp
6
blend
7
Blend on high speed for about ⏱️ 1 min until you get a smooth marinade. Reserve.
8
The Meat
9
slice
10
Thinly slice the pork filet and bacon and cut chicken into small pieces.
11
mix
12
Place pork fillet, smoked bacon, chicken and 1½ cups of your already made marinade, mix and let it rest in the fridge for at least ⏱️ 30 mins.
pork fillet (pork tenderloin)10 ozsmoked bacon (hardwood smoked, naturally smoked or applewood smoked)7 oz
13
For the Veggies
14
stir
15
In a bowl stir the chopped onions with diced potatoes, peas, carrots and corn.
16
heat
17
Heat a pan with olive oil, then add the veggies.
olive oil1 tbsp
18
simmer
19
Add garlic paste, salt and pepper, mix well and cook for ⏱️ 2min.
garlic4 clovesgarlic paste1 tbspsalt1 tbspSalt and pepper to taste1 pinch½ tsp salt
20
add
21
Then add the diced tomato and tomato paste, stir, turn off the heat and transfer the veggies to a bowl.
tomato paste1 tbsp
22
cool
23
Let them cool in the fridge.
24
Corn Masa
25
masa
26
In a bowl, whisk corn meal, ground cumin, smoked paprika, parsley, coriander, onion powder, salt, tomato paste, garlic paste, chicken stock and milk. Pour 1 cup of your already made marinade whisk until you get a batter that holds together slightly. Reserve.
ground cumin1 tspsmoked paprika1 tspfresh parsley (chopped)2 tbspground coriander1 tbspfresh coriander (chopped)2 tbsponion powder1 tsp½ tbsp onion powdersalt1 tbspSalt and pepper to taste1 pinch½ tsp salttomato paste1 tbspgarlic4 clovesgarlic paste1 tbspmilk1 cup
27
Assembly
28
leaves
29
Prepare the banana leaves by removing the central rib and wiping them clean, if they are too tough to handle, you can soften them by dipping in simmering water before cutting and assembling. Cut them into rectangles around 9 x 12 inches.
banana leaves16 oz
30
layer
31
Take a banana leaf and spread about ⅓ cup corn masa in the center. Make a rough 4 inch circle.
32
meat
33
Add some meat filling in the middle so it covers ¾ of the corn masa, then place a bit of vegetables on top to cover the meat. Don't cram in too much filling as it will be harder to wrap and too much to eat.
34
assemble
35
Finish with a spoonful of corn masa over the filling.
36
Folding instructions
37
fold
38
Lift the long side of the leaf closest to you and fold it over the filling. For a full video of this process just watch it here.
39
fold
40
Bring the opposite long side up and overlap it over the first fold by about ½ inch (1 cm), creating a tight tube.
41
fold
42
Gently press the masa from the outside to ensure the filling is sealed.
43
fold
44
Fold the empty left and right ends of the leaf underneath the packet. You should end up with a neat, rectangular brick
45
flip
46
Flip the tamale over so the folded seams are underneath (the weight of the tamale keeps it sealed).
47
Cooking
48
steam
49
Prepare your steamer pot. Fill the bottom with water, ensuring it doesn't touch the rack. Line the steamer rack with leftover banana leaf scraps. This protects the tamales from direct heat and adds extra aroma!
50
stack
51
Place the tamales into the steamer. You can stack them in layers, but leave small gaps for steam to circulate. Cover the tamales with extra leaves or a damp tea towel, then place the lid on tight.
52
steam
53
Steam at approx approx 194°F / 90°C for ⏱️ 1 hour to ⏱️ 1 hour ⏱️ 15 minutes. Keep a kettle of hot water nearby. Check the pot every 20–⏱️ 30 minutes to make sure the water hasn't boiled dry!
54
rest
55
Once the tamales are cooked let them rest for about 15–⏱️ 20 min to cool slightly. This allows the masa to firm up and stop sticking to the banana leaf before serving.
56
eat
57
You can open the banana leaves and eat.
banana leaves16 oz
Nutrition Facts
calories
421 kcal
fat Content
14 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
8 g
sugar Content
9 g
sodium Content
1363 mg
protein Content
23 g
trans Fat Content
0.03 g
cholesterol Content
53 mg
carbohydrate Content
52 g
saturated Fat Content
3 g
unsaturated Fat Content
10 g
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