Nacatamales: HUGE Central American Tamales Recipe!

Cut 2.5 pounds of pork butt into bite-sized pieces.

Soak 3/4 cup of rice in warm water for 1 hour.

Prepare the marinade by blending 1/2 red bell pepper, 2 tomatoes, 1 small onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of bitter orange juice, and 1-2 teaspoons of cumin until smooth.

Add the marinade to the pork and season with salt to taste.

In a bowl, combine 4 cups of instant masa, the pureed vegetable mixture, 1/2 cup of melted lard, and 3 cups of chicken stock until a play-dough-like consistency is achieved.

Prepare banana leaves by thawing, washing, and drying them.

Lay down a double layer of banana leaves, placing them in opposite directions to prevent tearing.

Place a heaping cup of masa dough in the center of the banana leaves.

Add a handful of marinated pork on top of the masa dough.

Layer in tomato slices, onion slices, prunes, a pinch of rice, potato slices, and mint leaves.

Wrap the banana leaves around the filling and tie with butcher's twine.

Set up a stock pot with a rack and add water until it reaches the level of the rack.

Place a layer of banana leaves in the pot and stack the wrapped tamales on top.

Cover the tamales with more banana leaves and weigh them down with cans.

Steam the tamales for 4 hours at medium heat.

After steaming, let the tamales cool for a couple of hours to firm up.

Equipment Needed

Allergens