hallacas
Next Dish: Bami
Hallacas is a traditional Venezuelan dish often made during the Christmas season. It consists of a corn dough filled with a stew of beef, pork, and chicken, and often includes raisins, capers, and olives. Each hallaca is wrapped in a banana leaf, tied with string, and then boiled or steamed. The dish is known for its labor-intensive preparation and is typically made in large quantities for sharing with family and friends.
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 kg of cornflour
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 liter of broth (chicken, pork, beef)
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of onoto or annatto
1 kg of pork
1 kg of chicken
1 kg of beef
2 onions
4 bell peppers
6 cloves of garlic
1 cup of leeks
1 cup of chives
1 cup of parsley
1 cup of capers
1 cup of green olives
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of almonds
1 cup of prunes
12 banana leaves
Cotton thread
Instructions:
Prepare the filling by chopping the pork, chicken, beef, onions, bell peppers, garlic, leeks, chives, and parsley. Mix them all together in a large pot.
Add the capers, green olives, raisins, almonds, and prunes to the pot and stir well.
Cook the mixture over medium heat for about 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the flavors are well combined.
While the filling is cooking, prepare the dough by mixing the cornflour, vegetable oil, broth, salt, and onoto in a large bowl. Knead the dough until it is smooth and firm.
Once the filling is ready, spread a portion of the dough onto a banana leaf. Add a spoonful of the filling in the center of the dough.
Fold the banana leaf over the dough and filling, making sure to seal the edges well. Tie the hallaca with cotton thread to ensure it stays closed.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.
Once all the hallacas are assembled, boil them in a large pot of water for about 1 hour.
After boiling, allow the hallacas to cool before serving. Enjoy your homemade Venezuelan Hallacas!