Tamales are a most to celebrate the holidays in Colombia. There are many different types of tamales in the country, this variation is popular in the Andean region of Colombia and my favorite tamal recipe because it’s the way my mom make them.
What are Tamales?
Tamal is a traditional dish in Many Latin American countries. Every cook, region and family has its own variation. They use different fillings, cooking methods, ways to wrap the tamales, but the principal is the same.
There are many variations of tamales in Colombia, but they all have something in common and is that Colombian Tamales are all wrapped in banana leaves. This is one of the most popular dishes to eat during the Christmas season in the country, but I also love making them all year round for breakfast with arepa and Colombian Ají.
I am going to post many types of tamales recipes in my blog but to start let me introduce you the Tamales Antioqueños, from the region Antioquia, my hometown. This tamales recipe is my mom’s and they are delicious. Nobody makes them as good as my mother, but these came pretty close :). It is a tradition in my family to make these tamales for Noche Buena, our traditional Christmas Eve celebration, although we eat them year round as well.
Tips to Make Tamales
I suggest making the marinade a couple of days before to make the process easier, then the next day marinade the meat and place it in fridge overnight for extra flavor.
Then the next day assemble the tamales and you can cook them the same day or keep them wrapped in the fridge and cook them the day after.
Colombian Tamales Recipe
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper chopped
- 4 scallions chopped
- 4 tablespoons ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons sazon Goya with azafran or Color
- Salt
- 2 cups water
Filling:
- 1 pound pork belly cut into 12 pieces
- 1 ½ pounds pork meat cut into 12 pieces
- 2 pounds bone in pork ribs cut into pieces
- 3 large potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- 1 cup carrots peeled and diced
Masa
- 1 pound yellow precooked corn meal masarepa
- 5 cups water
- Salt
- ½ cup marinade
- 2 tablespoons sazon Goya with azafran or color
Wrapping:
- 2 pounds banana leaves cut into pieces about 15 inches long
- String
- Water and Salt to cook the tamales
Instructions
Marinade:
- Place all the marinade ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. Reserve ½ cup of the marinade to prepare the masa.
- In a large plastic bowl place all the meat, add 1 ½ cups of the marinade. Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.
To prepare the masa:
- Place the masarepa in a large bowl, add the water, salt, sazon Goya or color and reserved marinade. Mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands.
To assemble the tamales:
- Wash the leaves well with hot water and set aside.
- Place 1 piece of the leaf on a work surface and place a second leaf on top, pointing in the opposite direction, like forming a cross.
- Spread ¾ cup of masa in the center of the banana leaves, at the point where they connect and form a cross. Place 1 piece of pork, 1 piece pork belly and 1 piece of rib on top of the masa and place about 1 tablespoon of peas, 1 tablespoon of carrots and 2 tablespoons of potatoes on top of the meat.
- Fold the banana leaves up, one of the four sides at the time, so that the leaves enclose all of the filling, like you’re making a package. Tie with butcher’s string. Continue the process until all the tamales are wrapped and tied.
- Bring a large pot with salted water to a boil. Add the tamales and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove the tamales from the pot and let them sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Cut the string and serve in the leaves. Serve hogao on the side if desired.
Notes
- Banana leaves are sold in Latin and Asian markets.
- Colombian tamales are made with precooked corn meal. You can find it at Latin markets or Amazon.
- Tamales will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month in a zip lock bag.
- To reheat the tamales: Steam your tamales for about 30 minutes or 45 minutes if if they are frozen or use the microwave for a faster method place one tamal on a plate, cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for about 10 minutes or until they are warm.
Nutrition
Some Colombian Tamales Variations
Tamales tolimenses, tamales Vallunos, tamales de pescado, tamales de pipian, tamales de Nariño, tamales Santandereanos and there are many more.
David
De verdad que tu mama hace tamales? porque yo creo que a Catalina no le ensenaron la receta... Se ven muy ricos Erika, un abrazo
Erica
David- Catalina tiene que aprender mas recetas familiares 🙂
Laura
Hola Erica
These tamales look sooo good!!! I just have a question. On the last step when you boil the tamales, how much water do I need? Do they need to be covered in water? If the water evaporates do I add more? Thanks!! I love your Blog.
Carol
HI Erica,
I'm from Bogota but live in northern new jersey. I was wondering where you get the hojas de platano, I would love to make tamales!!!
thank you!
Erica
Carol- You can I buy them frozen at a Latin or Asian market.
Rosita
Arepa flour: Also called masarepa, harina precocida, or masa al instante, this is made from finely ground, precooked corn and used to prepare dumplings and fritters in addition to arepas. You can find it in most Hispanic markets and on the Latin/ethnic-food aisle of some supermarkets. Be sure not to substitute the easier-to-find masa harina, a Mexican product used to make tortillas and tamales―your arepas won’t taste quite right.
Jenny
Good point Rosita , because that's probably what I would of bought, the Mexican one.
LA PAISA
HOLA OTRA PAISA COMO ESTAS??
TU DONDE VIVES????
Soy Paisa, pero vivo en Australia.....
Erica
La paisa-Yo vivo en Estados Unidos.
Lisa Castano Arango
Que rico tamal me entojo.. ahora quierooooooooooo...................
Jennifer
Hi! I lwas wondering if I could use chicken instead of the pork? Thanks!
Erica
Jennifer- Yes!
cristina
Yo estoy intentando hacerlos para mi cena de navidad.. vivo en Panama, aca venden algunos pero realmente no son de muy buena calidad...
soy de bquilla y alla les llaman trifasicos y llevan carne, pollo y cerdo.. hmmm yummy
saludos y felices fiestas!!
sandrita
Gracias por compartir tu receta...que suerte haber dado con tu pagina.. mi esposo es de medellin y quiero hacerle estos tamales para la cena de navidad... espero que me salgan igual que los tuyos! se ven riquisimos.
Erica
Otra paisa- Gracias por tu comentario. La verdad es que las hojas son las que le dan un sabor especial al tamal. En USA yo conpro las hojas cortadas en paquetes, entonces no se cuantas hojas exactamente me gasto. Yo normalmente hago de 12 a 15 tamales con 2 lb de hojas. En Colombia se compran las hojas frescas y es differente. Esperemos que alguien que lea este comentario te pueda ayudar mas.
Otra paisa
Qué bueno haber encontrado esta receta. Erica, cuántas hojas de plátano se necesitan para hacer un tamal? Donde vivo son carisímas, 1.20 euros la hoja y no se cuántas necesitaría por tamal o si las puedo reemplazar por algo más.
Felicitaciones por el blog!
Diana
Erica, I've been meaning to check these out! They are beautiful! I like how the colombian version uses cornmeal instead of masa harina without the use of lard. I'm going to have to try these this year as my family always eats tamales on Christmas Eve as well! Lovely!!!
Erica
Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments about my mom's tamales 🙂
girlichef
Oh my gosh, Erica...they are gorgeous!! I adore tamales...and would love to try this version...so different from the ones I'm used to. Thanks so much for bringing us these beauties 🙂
danielle
I think tamales are one of my favorite foods. I haven't gotten the nerve to make them yet but I do plan on it sometime...hopefully soon. Thank you for posting the recipe and the demo pics
Jhonny Walker
Hey Erica,
So basically I can do this simply substituting chicken breast for the pork...right?
BTW, You have an award at my place 🙂
Erica
Jhonny- Yes, you are right, but I prefer bone-in chicken for flavor.
Thank you!
Ruth Soto
Hello Erica, Thanks a million for your great and easy to follow recipes. I was born in Cali, Colombia but raised from the age of 4 in CALIfornia. I like to share that for the delicious chicken flavor, my beloved 96 year old aunt would use Drummets found at Smart and Final. This is the part of the chicken wing that looks like a mini drumstick. Each Tamal had 1 piece of the following Three Kinds of meat: Drummet for chicken flavor,
Baby pork ribs with bone in, and a piece of beef. She would put a spoonful of hogao on the plaintain leaf before adding the masa, then 1 piece of each meat, then 1 slice of raw patato, peas, carrots and one slice of boiled egg and top with more masa. Sharing is caring.