Tamales Tolimenses
Colombian tamales the Tolima way: corn masa with rice and peas, chicken and pork, all steamed in banana leaves. Weekend breakfast at its best.
- prep
- 1 h
- cook
- 2 h 50 min
- total
- 3 h 50 min
- serves
- 8
- level
- hard
In Colombia, tamales are breakfast. On Sunday mornings they come to the table still tied in their banana leaves, with hot chocolate on the side, and you unwrap yours like a present.
The tolimense style folds rice and yellow peas into the corn masa and hides chicken, pork, potato and carrot inside. They take a morning to make and three hours to cook, which is why Colombians make them by the dozen. So does this recipe.
Tamales are number 7 on our list of the top 20 famous Colombian foods.
method
The night before, season the chicken and pork with the spring onions, garlic, cumin, half the sazón, salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
Mix the masarepa, rice, peas and the rest of the sazón. Work in the warm broth until you have a thick, spreadable masa. Season it well.
Pass each banana leaf briefly over a flame or steam until it turns glossy and flexible, then wipe it clean.
For each tamal, overlap two leaves into a cross. Spread a thick layer of masa in the center, then top with a piece of chicken, a piece of pork, and a few slices of potato and carrot. Cover with a little more masa.
Fold the leaves up into a tight packet and tie it with twine like a parcel.
Stand the tamales in a large pot, add boiling water to come a third of the way up, cover with leftover leaves and a lid, and cook at a low boil for about 2.5 to 3 hours, topping up with boiling water as needed.
Rest for 10 minutes, then serve still wrapped, to be opened at the table. Hot chocolate on the side is not optional.
chef's tips
- Tie the packets firm but not strangled. The masa swells as it cooks and needs a little room.
- If a leaf tears, just wrap the tamal in a second one. Nobody will know.
- Tamales reheat beautifully: 20 minutes of steaming in the leaf and they taste freshly made, so cook the full batch.