Plate 07 of 10

Tamales Colorados

Name: Tamales Colorados
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 150 min
Total time: 240 min
Yield: 16 large tamales
Cuisine: Guatemala
Ingredients: 1 kg Fresh nixtamalised corn masa, or 500 g masa harina whisked with 1.2 L rich broth; 1.5 L Rich seasoned pork or chicken bone broth, warm; 250 g High-grade rendered pork lard, melted warm; 20 g Fine sea salt, seasoned boldly into the masa; 4 pieces Dried chile guaque, stemmed, seeded and toasted; 3 pieces Dried chile pasa, stemmed, seeded and toasted; 800 g Ripe red plum tomatoes, charred on the comal; 300 g Green miltomates (tomatillos), husked, washed and charred; 60 g Raw pepitoria seeds, toasted golden and ground to a fine powder; 45 g White sesame seeds, toasted golden and ground fine; 1 large Yellow onion, charred on the comal; 8 cloves Fresh garlic, charred in the skin and peeled; 6 whole Allspice berries, ground; 3 whole Cloves, ground; 3 g Cinnamon, ground; 1 kg Boneless pork shoulder, or chicken thigh, cut into 16 uniform 60 g chunks; 16 whole Pitted green Manzanilla olives; 32 whole Dark seedless raisins; 1 large Red bell pepper, cut into 16 thin longitudinal strips; 16 large Fresh mashán leaves, or parchment sheets, as the inner layer; 16 large Smoked banana leaves, deveined and cut into 30 × 30 cm squares; 1 roll Cibaque reed strips, or unbleached kitchen twine

A red lantern outside the door on a Saturday night means fresh tamales. The difference from the Mexican kind is that the masa is cooked *before* it is wrapped — beaten with warm broth and lard until it falls off the paddle in ribbons — so it steams into trembling custard rather than a firm cake.

Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Cook: 2 hr 30 min
Serves: 16 large tamales
Difficulty: Hard

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A round terracotta plate holding an opened banana-leaf parcel of pale yellow masa topped with dark red sauce, a green olive and a strip of red pepper, with a second tied parcel behind it on a wooden table.

In Guatemala, red lanterns hung outside front doors on a Saturday night mean fresh tamales. Tamales colorados are the crown of holidays and weekend family dinners.

Unlike Mexican tamales, which whip raw corn masa, the Guatemalan version uses masa cocida — pre-cooked, silky and custard-like, worked down with rich broth and rendered lard until glossy. Inside each parcel is a chunk of pork shoulder submerged in a dark recado of toasted pepitoria, sesame, chile guaque, chile pasa and sweet allspice.

Garnished with a green olive, raisins and a strip of red pepper, wrapped in mashán and smoked banana leaves, it steams for hours until it sets into trembling silk.

Ingredients

Masa cocida
1 kgFresh nixtamalised corn masa, or 500 g masa harina whisked with 1.2 L rich broth
1.5 LRich seasoned pork or chicken bone broth, warm
250 gHigh-grade rendered pork lard, melted warm
20 gFine sea salt, seasoned boldly into the masa
The red recado
4 piecesDried chile guaque, stemmed, seeded and toasted
3 piecesDried chile pasa, stemmed, seeded and toasted
800 gRipe red plum tomatoes, charred on the comal
300 gGreen miltomates (tomatillos), husked, washed and charred
60 gRaw pepitoria seeds, toasted golden and ground to a fine powder
45 gWhite sesame seeds, toasted golden and ground fine
1 largeYellow onion, charred on the comal
8 clovesFresh garlic, charred in the skin and peeled
6 wholeAllspice berries, ground
3 wholeCloves, ground
3 gCinnamon, ground
Filling and wrap
1 kgBoneless pork shoulder, or chicken thigh, cut into 16 uniform 60 g chunks
16 wholePitted green Manzanilla olives
32 wholeDark seedless raisins
1 largeRed bell pepper, cut into 16 thin longitudinal strips
16 largeFresh mashán leaves, or parchment sheets, as the inner layer
16 largeSmoked banana leaves, deveined and cut into 30 × 30 cm squares
1 rollCibaque reed strips, or unbleached kitchen twine

Cook the masa first — this is the whole difference

Raw masa holds unhydrated amylose and amylopectin. Stirred continuously with warm stock and melted lard at 82–88 °C, those starches gelatinise fully *before* wrapping, and the hot lard emulsifies into the swollen gel. Steamed, it sets into a custardy pudding. Wrapped raw, it bakes into a chalky cake.

Do not skimp on the lard

Corn starch needs the fat for a velvety mouthfeel. Too little and the cooked masa is dry, rubbery and crumbly. Beat it in as a steady stream until the mixture is glossy and drops in heavy ribbons.

Two leaves, two jobs

Mashán inside gives the herbal, tea-like perfume and stops the masa sticking; smoked banana leaf outside is the tough, water-resistant structure that keeps condensed steam from diluting the masa.

Pass the leaves through a flame

Three seconds a side until they turn glossy and pliable. Unsoftened leaves crack along the fold and the parcel leaks.

Keep a kettle on the back burner

If the reservoir boils dry during two and a half hours the bottom leaves scorch and the whole batch is ruined. Top up with boiling water so the temperature never drops.

Passive time, counted separately

The chillies soak 15 minutes, the recado cools before assembly, and the steamed tamales rest 20 minutes to firm up before they are opened. None of that is active work.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is boldly seasoned into the masa and the meat recado. Fat is rendered lard dispersed through the corn starch matrix. Acid is charred miltomate and tomato against the dense lard. Heat is earthy guaque and pasa with sweet allspice. Umami is pork fond, bone stock in the masa, toasted pumpkin seed and green olive.

Equipment

8 qt Dutch oven, for the masa
Long wooden paddle
Cast-iron comal
Blender
16 to 20 qt stockpot with a steaming rack
Kitchen twine, and a kettle

Traditionally a large aluminium tamalera with an interior rack lined with corn husks and leaf scraps. A 16-to-20 quart stainless stockpot with an elevated wire rack works in a modern kitchen, with a kettle of boiling water ready to replenish the reservoir without dropping the steam temperature.

Method

Build the red recado30 min
Toast the guaque and pasa 15 seconds a side and soak them in 250 ml hot broth for 15 minutes. Char the tomatoes, miltomates, onion and unpeeled garlic on the comal until blackened.
Grind the toasted pepitoria and sesame to a fine powder, then blend everything with the allspice, cloves, cinnamon and 1 tsp salt for 90 seconds to an ultra-smooth dark-red recado.
Simmer it with 15 ml lard for 8 minutes until glossy and thick, then cool.
Toast guaque and pasa 15 seconds per side; soak in 250 ml hot broth 15 minutes. Char tomatoes, miltomates, onion and unpeeled garlic; peel garlic. Grind toasted seeds. Blend everything with allspice, cloves, cinnamon and 1 tsp salt 90 seconds. Simmer with 15 ml lard 8 minutes until thick and glossy; cool.
Cook the silk masa18 min
Whisk the masa with 1.5 litres warm broth in a heavy pot until completely smooth, and stir in 20 g salt.
Over medium heat, stir continuously in figure-eights. As it nears 75 °C it thickens fast — now pour in the 250 g melted lard in a steady stream, beating hard until fully emulsified and the masa is glossy and drops from the paddle in heavy ribbons. About 15 to 18 minutes. Off the heat.
Whisk masa with 1.5 litres warm broth and 20 g salt until smooth. Stir continuously in figure-eights over medium. Near 75 °C, stream in 250 g melted lard, beating hard. Cook 15–18 minutes to 82–88 °C, until glossy and falling in heavy ribbons; remove from heat.
Prepare leaves and meat20 min
Wipe the banana leaves and pass each over an open flame 3 seconds a side until glossy and pliable, then cut into 30 cm squares. Soften the mashán the same way.
Season the pork chunks lightly and toss them with 4 tablespoons of the red recado.
Wipe the banana leaves and pass each over an open flame 3 seconds a side until glossy and pliable, then cut into 30 cm squares. Soften the mashán the same way.
Season the pork chunks lightly and toss them with 4 tablespoons of the red recado.
Assemble25 min
Lay a banana leaf glossy-side down with a smaller mashán leaf set diagonally in the centre.
Spoon about 150 g of warm masa into the middle and make a shallow hollow. Set one piece of pork in it, spoon over 2 generous tablespoons of recado, and garnish with an olive, two raisins and a strip of red pepper.
Place banana leaf glossy-side down with a smaller mashán leaf diagonally inside. Add 150 g warm masa; hollow the centre. Fill with one pork piece, 2 generous tablespoons recado, one olive, two raisins and a red-pepper strip.
Fold and tie15 min
Bring the two side edges together over the filling and fold them down tightly in a double fold to seal the centre.
Fold the top and bottom flaps firmly underneath into a flat rectangular parcel, and tie in a cross with reed or twine. Repeat for all 16.
Bring side edges together and seal with a tight double fold. Fold top and bottom flaps firmly underneath into a flat rectangle; tie crosswise with reed or twine. Repeat for all 16.
Steam low and slow2 hr 30 min
Set a rack in the stockpot, pour in 1.5 litres boiling water just below the rack, and line it with leaf trimmings.
Stack the tamales flat, alternating directions, cover with more leaf scraps, crimp foil over the rim and clamp the lid on.
Steam over medium-low 2 hours 30 minutes, topping up with boiling water around the sides as needed. Rest 20 minutes before unwrapping.
Add 1.5 litres boiling water just below a leaf-lined rack. Stack tamales flat in alternating directions; cover with leaves, tightly crimped foil and lid. Steam on medium-low 2 hours 30 minutes, topping up with boiling water as needed. Rest 20 minutes before unwrapping.
07
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: unwrapped, a trembling glossy golden-yellow pudding holding a pool of dark red recado with pork, olive and pepper.
- Auditory: a rhythmic bubbling clatter from the bottom of the pot over low heat.
- Olfactory: hot banana leaf, sweet cooked masa, rendered lard, toasted sesame and cinnamon.
Check for glossy, trembling golden masa surrounding dark-red recado, pork, olive and pepper. Maintain rhythmic bubbling on low heat; expect banana leaf, cooked corn, lard, toasted sesame and cinnamon aromas.

Storing it

Keep them wrapped in their leaves, refrigerated up to a week or frozen for 3 months. Reheat by steaming 20 minutes, or 35 from frozen.

Troubleshooting

A chalky, firm, cake-like tamal.: The masa went in raw, Mexican-style. Guatemalan masa must be cooked on the stove until it ribbons before it is wrapped.
Dry, rubbery, crumbly masa.: Not enough lard. The corn starch needs it to turn velvety — beat it in fully.
A scorched, ruined batch.: The steamer boiled dry. Keep a kettle going and top the reservoir up with boiling water.

Substitutions

One-to-one global substitutions, with the technique adjustment each one requires.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Pork lard	Leaf lard, or refined vegetable shortening	Lard is traditional; shortening gives an authentic texture for a vegetarian version
Mashán leaves	Parchment paper under the banana leaves	One-to-one. The banana leaf is the wrap; the parchment is the non-stick shield
Fresh masa	Masa harina whisked with rich stock	500 g masa harina with 1.2 L stock replicates 1 kg of fresh masa

Scaling

Half, for 8 tamales

Halve everything. The steam drops only slightly, to 2 hours 15 minutes, so the pork cooks through.

Double, for 32 tamales

Double everything, cook the masa in two batches so it heats evenly, and use two steaming pots side by side.

What to serve it with

Warm pan francés, for swiping up the masa and recado
Fresh lime squeezed over the hot tamal
Highland drip coffee, or hot chocolate scented with cinnamon

Questions

Why two kinds of leaf?

Mashán inside gives a delicate herbal, tea-like aroma and keeps the masa from sticking; the outer banana leaf is tough and water-resistant and holds the parcel together.

Can I make them with chicken?

Yes — tamales de pollo are equally authentic. Use boneless thigh cut into chunks and assemble identically.

How do I store and reheat them?

Leave them in their leaves. A week refrigerated or three months frozen; steam 20 minutes to reheat, 35 from frozen.