Hallaca (Venezuelan Stuffed Corn Dough)
Hallaca (pronounced ah-YA-kah) is the main Venezuelan Christmas dinner dish. It was created by the slaves during the colony times, who put the left-overs of their masters' Christmas festivities in a bit of cornmeal dough, wrapped this with banana leaves and cooked to mix the flavors. As many things in Venezuela, the hallaca has the influence of three cultures: the white one (European ingredients like raisins, nuts and olives), the native one (the corn meal colored with annatto seeds), and the bl
- Prep
- 1 hr 4 min
- Cook
- 2 hr 30 min
- Total
- 3 hr 34 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Special equipment
1 roll of kitchen string
Special equipment
1 kg banana leaves
Procedure
With a damp cloth, wipe the banana leaves.
Procedure
Heat the banana leaves over a flame (gas cooker, camping fire, etc). The leaves should turn softer and darker, with a distinctive smoky smell.
Procedure
Cut the hard rim without shredding the leaves. Cut in 30 cm segments along the transversal veins
Procedure
In a small pan, warm 5 tsp olive oil with the annatto seeds for 20 minutes over very low heat. The oil should turn red. Strain to remove the seeds.
Procedure
In the meantime, fry the cumin, black pepper, and coriander seeds in 2–3 tsp olive oil in a deep pan.
Procedure
Add the white onion, 5 cups of boiling water, stock cubes, Marmite, chunked leeks, fresh herbs, three-quarters of the chopped spring onions, and garlic head.
Procedure
Simmer this broth for 15 minutes.
Procedure
Put the contents of the pot in a food processor and liquidise it. Strain the mixture very well, keeping the liquid and discarding the solids.
Procedure
Put the broth in a large bowl, then add the annatto oil along with the liquid from the olive and the caper jars.
Procedure
Add the polenta meal, 1 cup at a time, stirring very well. The consistency should be that of a smooth dough.
Procedure
Mix the mashed potatoes with the polenta dough.
Procedure
Test the consistency of the dough: Wrap 1 tsp dough with a small segment of banana leaf. Wrap it in aluminum foil and boil it in water for 15 minutes. If the cooked dough maintain the shape of the banana leaf "package", the dough is ready. If it crumbles or comes out half dissolved in water, then add more polenta meal. If it comes out rock hard, then add more water to the dough. Adjust the salt content as well.
Procedure
Rub olive oil on 2 red bell peppers and grill them all over to char the skin.
Procedure
Remove the skin and seeds and cut in 1 cm-wide strips. Set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Vegetables: Combine the carrot, Brussels sprout, and green beans. Set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Soak the vine fruit in cooking wine or replacement. Set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Soak prunes in cooking wine or replacement. Set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Drain chickpeas and set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Set pickles aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Blanch and toast the almonds, and set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Drain and chop the mock duck into 1 cm cubes and set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Put the olives in a small bowl.
Procedure
Put the capers in a small bowl.
Procedure
Drain the artichoke hearts, cut in quarters and set aside in a small bowl.
Procedure
Drain the asparagus and put it on a plate.
Procedure
Quickly stir-fry the red onion, chopped leek, and the remaining chopped spring onions.
Procedure
Using a food processor, liquidise the tomatoes, and peppers. Add to the cooking onions and leek, and stir for a minute.
Procedure
Add soy sauce, chili sauce, and ground cumin to season. Add some cooking wine if you want. Let it simmer for another minute.
Procedure
Add some flour to thicken. Set the sauce aside in a bowl.
Procedure
Cut a 35 cm-long piece of aluminum foil and put it over the table. Cover with a banana leaf, with the transversal veins along the horizontal axis.
Procedure
Rub oil on the surface of the banana leaf. Put a bit more than half a ladle of dough in the centre of the leaf. Spread with a spoon to make a 14 cm-diameter circle.
Procedure
Put 1 tsp sauce in the middle. Put 1½ tsp shredded vegetables over the sauce. Add 2 olives and 2 capers, one on each corner of the dough. Keep placing the rest of the fillings as in a collage: 1 tsp vine fruit, 1 prune, 2 tsp pickles, 1 tsp chickpeas, 3 cubes of mock duck, 1 asparagus, 2 strips of grilled pepper, and some leaves of parsley.
Procedure
Wrap the filling with the banana leaf (not against the veins). Fold the foil to seal the ends of the banana leaf packet. Then, fold the foil to wrap the whole packet. Tie it with kitchen string. Repeat for the rest of the dough.
Procedure
Boil the hallacas in a covered pot of water for 20–30 minutes. You may have to do this in batches unless you have a huge cauldron.
Procedure
Drain the hallacas and let them cool for 10 hours. Store them in the fridge or freezer if desired.
Procedure
Reheat the hallacas in boiling water, simmering for 10 minutes before eat them. Enjoy your meal!
Notes, tips, and variations
Hallaca tastes better once it has cooled.
Notes, tips, and variations
The banana leaves are not intended to be eaten; they are just for cooking!
Notes, tips, and variations
You can replace the carrots, brussels sprouts, and green beans with a similar combination of vegetables.
Notes, tips, and variations
For overseas expatriates and daring cooks, you can replace the banana leaves with 20x30cm piece of strong aluminium foil.
Notes, tips, and variations
For a more old-fashioned meat filling, you can add a whole leg of pork or 2–3 roasting hens.
Photo: Jdvillalobos · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 43 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Nutrition information is not available for this recipe yet.
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