Here’s a special Christmas FYCE – Costa Rican Tamales!

Most people in North America have had Mexican tamales. But Central American tamales are about as different from Mexican tamales as a Philly Cheese Steak is from a Danish open faced herring sandwich.

Both start with a base of nixtamalized corn — corn that has been softened in a solution of lime, then ground. But classic Mexican tamales are wrapped in corn husks and then steamed, while Central American are typically wrapped in banana leaves then boiled. And while Mexican tamales typically have minimalist fillings of meat, sauce, beans or cheese, Central American tamales often have a much wider range of things. Costa Rican tamales have similarities to those from nearby countries like Panama and Honduras, but each is a bit different.

This won’t be a recipe. To be honest, these are a big project, and you probably won’t want to make them. But take a look anyway. And if you want a recipe for them, look here. I’ve made them several times because my brother in law is a Costa Rican expat, and I wanted to have them for Christmas dinner as a nod to their tradition. He says I’m getting closer.

First Steps

You need a bunch of meat and broth. I used about three pounds of pork shoulder, which is most common, although chicken and occasionally beef is used too. I stewed it with a couple of carrots, a celery stalk, an onion, salt, pepper and cilantro.

After the meat fell completely apart, I pulled the veggies, strained out the broth and that left the pork.

Next I made a pot of rice. First diced onion, diced red bell pepper, diced carrot and minced garlic got sauteed with salt on low heat until they wilted. In went rice, water, and chopped cilantro, along with two specialty ingredients. Achiote is a yellow/orangish spice that gives the rice a distincive color. The other is Salsa Lizano, which is a Costa Rican condiment that tastes vaguely like Worcestershire Sauce, more savory than spicy. The rice was then steamed until done.

Next up — the masa.

I used an entire bag of Masa Harina, which is flour made from masa. It’s available in many US supermarkets in 4-5 pound bags like this.

It’s not interchangeable with regular cornmeal — the taste is different due to the lime treatment, masa forms much better dough, and interestingly the nutritional content of masa is better. The lime treatment also liberates niacin that isn’t available in regular cornmeal, and in previous centuries it greatly reduced the comparative risk of toxic fungus contamination.

The masa flour went in a big bowl with some salt, the pork broth, vegetable oil (lard is more common, but I didn’t have any on hand) and commercial chicken broth to get the dough even softer. I then mixed it all up by hand, like playing in mud.

Next, the banana leaves. I managed to find these frozen, and they’re huge. They need to be thawed, unfolded, and then cut down to squares about nine by nine inches. These two photos show them unfolded and then cut down to size.

Now it was time to assemble the fillings. All kinds of things can go in to tamales, and it really depends on family tradition and preferences. I think the goal is to have a bunch of different flavors and colors. In addition to the pork and rice I cooked, I went with cooked carrots, raisins, chopped olives and chickpeas.

You might also see things like cubed cooked potato, chopped prunes, red bell pepper, or sliced green beans.

Now it was time to assemble. I laid out a square of banana leaf and put about half a cup of dough in the middle. On top of that went a healthy spoonful of rice, a bit of pork, and a few bits of the rest of the filling.

Next I folded the sides of the leaf over and then folded over the top and bottom.

Finally I wrapped a second tamale, stacked it on top of the first, and then tied them together with twine. Why two? I don’t know, that’s just what the recipe said.

After I had dozens, they all went into a big pot of boiling water to cook for a good 45 minutes or so.

In the end, this is what a cooked, unwrapped tamale looks like.

The rest have been socked away in freezer bags and are now ready for defrosting and reheating at Christmas time. They usually get eaten with another dose of Salsa Lizano and a cup of coffee.

As you might guess, they’re a healthy dose of carbs, a bit of protein, and a mix of savory, sweet and salty bits. They’re kind of an acquired taste, to be honest, but they’re definitely different.