Guatemalan Colorado Tamale

Tamal colorado is the quintessential Christmas tamale of Guatemala, made with corn masa dyed red with a tomato and achiote recado, filled with meat and wrapped in banana leaf.

It’s one of the most representative dishes of Guatemalan Christmas, traditionally made as a family in the days leading up to Christmas Eve.

Guatemalan Colorado Tamale

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• Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours
• Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 pieces
• Category: Main Course
• Cuisine: Guatemalan

Print Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 kg of corn masa (about 2.2 lb)
• 1/2 cup of lard
• 6 of tomatoes, roasted
• 3 of guaque chiles, toasted and soaked
• 1 of onion, roasted
• 3 cloves of garlic, roasted
• 1 tablespoon of achiote (annatto)
• 1 kg of pork and/or chicken, in pieces, cooked (about 2.2 lb)
• 12 of olives
• 12 of raisins
• 2 of red bell peppers, in strips
• to taste of salt
• 12 of banana leaves, for wrapping

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Instructions

1. Make the recado, blend the roasted tomatoes, soaked chiles, onion, garlic, and achiote until smooth.
2. Cook the recado, cook the sauce in a pot over medium heat until it thickens and reduces slightly.
3. Make the masa, melt the lard and mix it with the corn masa, gradually adding the cooked recado until you get a smooth, deep red masa.
4. Cook the masa, cook the masa over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and pulls away from the bottom of the pot.
5. Prepare the leaves, pass the banana leaves over a flame to make them more pliable.
6. Assemble the tamales, place a portion of masa on each leaf, add a piece of meat, an olive, raisins, and a strip of bell pepper.
7. Wrap, close each tamale into a well-sealed rectangular packet.
8. Steam, steam the tamales for 1 to 2 hours, until the masa is firm.
9. Serve, serve hot, inside the same leaf.

Tips for getting it right

• Cooking the recado well before mixing it with the masa is key to achieving the characteristic deep red color.
• Stirring the masa constantly while it cooks keeps it from sticking or burning.
• Passing the banana leaves over a flame makes them more pliable and easier to fold without tearing.
• Tamales colorados typically include olives, raisins, and bell pepper as a distinctive festive touch.

Traditional variations

• It’s the quintessential Christmas tamale of Guatemala, traditionally prepared as a family before Christmas Eve.
• Some families add almonds or capers in addition to the traditional olives and raisins.

How to serve

Tamal colorado is served hot, inside the same banana leaf it was cooked in.

It’s a central dish of Guatemalan Christmas celebrations, shared as a family.

Recommended sides

• French bread
• Coffee

Did you know?

Tamal colorado is considered the quintessential Christmas tamale in Guatemala, present in most homes during the year-end holidays.

Its preparation is often a family activity that brings several generations together in the kitchen in the days before Christmas.