Hallaca

Hallacas (Venezuelan Corn Parcels)

Venezuela's Christmas hallaca: annatto-tinted corn dough spread on banana leaf, filled with a sweet-and-sour stew of beef and pork studded with olives, raisins and capers, then folded, tied and boiled. It's a labor of love usually made as a family assembly line, but a single cook can manage it in a day.

Prep

90 min

Cook

120 min

Total

210 min

Serves

10-12 hallacas

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1 lb 1½ oz) pre-cooked corn flour (harina P.A.N. or similar), or 600 g fresh ground corn masa if available
• •100 ml (3½ fl oz) annatto oil (aceite de onoto), see step 1; substitute 1 tsp annatto powder bloomed in warm oil
• •1.2 l (2 pints) warm beef or chicken broth, plus more as needed for the dough
• •400 g (14 oz) beef chuck, cut into small cubes, or stewing beef
• •400 g (14 oz) pork shoulder, cut into small cubes, or lean pork loin
• •150 g (5¼ oz) pork ribs or bone-in pork, for the stew base, optional, adds body
• •3 whole ripe tomatoes, grated or finely chopped, or 200 g tinned chopped tomatoes
• •2 whole white onions, finely chopped
• •1 whole red sweet pepper (ají dulce or bell pepper), finely chopped, ají dulce is traditional; bell pepper works
• •6 cloves garlic, minced
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp dried oregano
• •100 g (3½ oz) seedless raisins
• •80 g (2¾ oz) green olives, pitted, Manzanilla or similar
• •40 g (1½ oz) capers, rinsed
• •100 g (3½ oz) almond slivers or whole blanched almonds, optional but traditional
• •4 tbsp raisin syrup or sugar, to taste, for the sweet-sour balance
• •2 tbsp white vinegar or caper brine
• •12 whole large banana leaves, fresh or frozen; see step 2
• •1 bunch kitchen twine or soft cotton string, for tying
• •salt and black pepper, to taste

Steps

1. 1 Make the annatto oil: warm 100 ml neutral oil with 2 tbsp annatto seeds (or 1 tbsp annatto powder) over low heat for 5-8 minutes until deep red-orange. Do not let it smoke or burn. Strain and reserve. This gives the dough its signature colour.
2. 2 Prepare the banana leaves: if fresh, pass each leaf briefly over a low flame or dip in boiling water until pliable and glossy (about 10 seconds per side). If frozen, thaw and rinse. Trim the stiff centre rib with scissors. Pat dry. Set aside 12 of the best-looking pieces for wrapping and chop the rest roughly for lining the pot.
3. 3 Make the stew (guiso): in a heavy pot, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Season the beef and pork cubes with salt and pepper, then brown in batches until well coloured, about 5-7 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.
4. 4 In the same pot, add the onions, sweet pepper and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the cumin and oregano and stir for 30 seconds.
5. 5 Return the meat to the pot. Add the grated tomato, 250 ml water, and the optional pork ribs. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
6. 6 Stir in the raisins, olives, capers, almonds, vinegar and sugar or raisin syrup. Simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes more, until the stew is thick enough to hold its shape when spooned - it should not be runny. Taste and adjust salt, pepper and sweetness. It should be savoury with a clear sweet-sour edge. Remove the ribs and any bones. Let the stew cool completely.
7. 7 Make the dough: in a large bowl, combine the corn flour with 1 tsp salt. Add the annatto oil and 1 litre of the warm broth gradually, mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon. The dough should be soft, smooth and spreadable - like thick hummus - not stiff. Add more warm broth a little at a time if needed. It should not crack when pressed. Cover and rest 10 minutes.
8. 8 Assemble: lay a banana leaf on your work surface, glossy side up, with the narrow end pointing toward you. Spread about 120-150 g of dough into a thin, even rectangle roughly 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in), leaving a 3 cm (1 in) border all around. Spoon 3-4 heaped tablespoons of the cooled stew down the centre of the dough in a line. Add a few extra olives, raisins and capers on top if you like.
9. 9 Fold: bring the two long sides of the leaf up and over the filling so they overlap, forming a tube. Fold the top end down over the seam, then the bottom end up, so the parcel is fully enclosed. You should have a neat rectangular packet.
10. 10 Tie: wrap the parcel with a second piece of leaf if needed for strength, then tie with kitchen twine in a cross pattern - two loops around the width, one around the length - snug but not so tight that the dough is squeezed out. The hallaca should feel firm.
11. 11 Boil: line the base of a large pot with the chopped banana leaf scraps. Stand the hallacas upright or lay them in a single layer if they fit. Cover completely with water by at least 5 cm (2 in). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 60-75 minutes. The hallacas are done when the dough is firm to the touch and pulls away cleanly from the leaf when you press the parcel - no soft or mushy spots. If a hallaca floats, it is generally cooked through.
12. 12 Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack for 10 minutes. Serve hot, unwrapped at the table, with the leaf opened flat. Leftover hallacas keep, wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months - reboil from chilled for 30-40 minutes, or from frozen for 60 minutes.
13. 13 Safety notes: the stew must be fully cooked and cooled before assembly; the assembled parcels must reach a firm, set dough throughout with no raw or gummy centre. Keep hallacas refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking.