Pinol de Rabinal, also known as K’aj, is a pre-Hispanic ceremonial dish from Rabinal, in Baja Verapaz, Guatemala: turkey cooked in a recado of tomato, miltomate, and bell pepper, thickened with pinol flour, the toasted ground corn made with sesame and chiles.
It’s prepared for the religious brotherhoods (cofradías) of Baja Verapaz, and the recipe was declared Intangible Heritage of the Nation in 2015. It’s a hearty stew, unlike the toasted-corn drinks called «pinol» in other Central American countries.
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Pinol de Rabinal (Guatemalan Turkey Stew with Toasted Corn)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Guatemalan
Ingredients
- 1 turkey of 3 pounds
- 2 liters of water
- 1 pound of tomatoes
- 6 ounces of miltomates (tomatillos)
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 pound of artisanal pinol flour (toasted ground corn with sesame, guaque chile, and pasa chile)
- Warm water, added gradually until the pinol flour dissolves with no lumps
- Salt, to taste
- Tortillas or small masa tamales, for serving
Preparation
- Cook the turkey, cut the turkey into pieces. Bring the 2 liters of water to a boil in a pot (traditionally a clay pot) and cook the pieces for 45 minutes.
- Make the recado, meanwhile, roast the tomatoes, miltomates, and bell pepper on a griddle, then blend them or grind them on a grinding stone.
- Add the recado, stir the recado into the pot and keep cooking.
- Add the pinol, dilute the pinol flour in warm water until there are no lumps, stir it into the pot, and let it boil for 25 minutes; if the mixture gets too thick, add water until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Simmer, season with salt to taste and cook over low heat for about 2 hours.
- Serve, serve hot with tortillas or small masa tamales.
Tips for getting it right
- Dilute the pinol flour in warm water before adding it so the stew doesn’t form lumps.
- Keep an eye on the consistency during the slow cooking and add water if it gets too thick.
- It’s traditionally cooked in a clay pot, though a regular pot works just as well.
Traditional variations
- In Baja Verapaz it’s often served with black corn tortillas.
- Other Guatemalan versions of pinol are made with hen instead of turkey.
How to serve
Pinol de Rabinal is served hot, in a deep bowl, with tortillas or small masa tamales.
Recommended sides
- Corn tortillas (black corn in Baja Verapaz)
- Small masa tamales
Did you know?
The recipe for pinol de Rabinal was declared Intangible Heritage of the Nation in 2015, and it’s a ceremonial dish of the cofradías of Baja Verapaz.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a ceremonial stew from Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, made with turkey in a recado of tomato, miltomate, and bell pepper, thickened with pinol flour (toasted ground corn with sesame and chiles).
No: in Rabinal, pinol is a hearty stew with meat; in other Central American countries, «pinol» is a toasted-corn drink.
It's toasted, ground corn; for this dish it's made by hand together with sesame, guaque chile, and pasa chile.
