Santander Tamales Recipe
Tamales Santandereanos are a delicious and traditional Colombian recipe that stands out for its authentic flavor and careful preparation. These tamales originate from the Santander region in northeastern Colombia and have become a very popular culinary option throughout the country. Learn in this simple recipe how to prepare Santander Tamales easily and quickly.
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 1 pound pork leg
- ½ pound bacon
- 2 cold hogao cups
- 1 pound yellow corn
- 8 garlic cloves
- ½ cup of chicharrón fried and ground
- ½ cup lard or oil
- 1 cup of chickpeas soaked the day before
- 2 big-headed onions, red or white, large
- 2 long onion stalks
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 parsley sprig
- 1 red paprika
- ¼ cup seedless raisins
- ¼ cup of capers
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Cumin to taste
- annatto or color
- 10-15 roasted banana leaves and cut into squares
- Cabuya (pita, rope or thick thread)
Step by step preparation
- The first thing you should do is cook the yellow corn the day before, let it cool and then grind it and strain it with water. And he leaves it in fresh water from one day to the next.
- You should also prepare the meats the day before, cut them into small pieces and leave them marinating in 2 cups of hogao cold, along with salt, pepper and cumin to taste.
- Then the next day you must carefully remove the water and collect the corn dough. This dough must be mixed with previously fried and ground chicharon, chopped garlic, cumin, salt, annatto and lard. Then it is cooked, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking, until the dough is perfectly cooked. A traditional way to know if the dough is ready is to take it off the heat and insert a previously moistened finger, if it comes out clean it means it is perfect. If it is ready, cover them with banana leaves or a cloth and set aside.
- In a separate pressure cooker, cook the chickpeas along with previously chopped onion and salt for 45 minutes.
- Then, place 10 banana leaves on a table. Then form balls with the dough and place one on each banana leaf (do not use all the dough, reserve a little to close the tamales), with the help of another banana leaf, flatten these dough balls until forming hollowed-out arepas. the center, which are then filled with the cooked chickpeas, the previously finely chopped big onion as well as the parsley; Red pepper cut into sticks, bacon, pork leg, chicken, raisins and capers are also added.
- Then you must cover with more dough and then wrap with banana leaves, giving the tamales their particular rectangular shape with your hands, and then tie them with cabuyas (pitas or rope).
- Then in a large pot, create a bed of banana leaves and carvings that should occupy ¼ of the pot. Water is placed and the tamales are placed there on said bed so that they do not have contact with the water. Cook covered over medium heat for 4 hours, adding water around the edges when necessary.
Interesting Facts
- If you wish, you can replace the corn with corn flour, that will save you the first step process.
- One of the most special characteristics of Santander tamales is their rectangular shape, which usually differentiates them from the rest of the tamales prepared in other areas of the country, and also stands out for the use of chickpeas, raisins, capers or olives.
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