Large banana-leaf-wrapped tamales filled with corn dough, chicken, rice, vegetables, olives, and raisins — the essential Costa Rican Christmas tradition.
Ingredients
4 cups masarepa or corn masa
4 cups chicken broth
500g chicken thighs, cooked and shredded
1 cup cooked rice
2 carrots, sliced
1 cup green beans, cut small
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup raisins
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp annatto
Banana leaves, cleaned
Salt and pepper
Kitchen twine
Instructions
1Mix masa with warm chicken broth, annatto, cumin, and salt into a smooth, spreadable dough.
2Saute onion and garlic. Mix with shredded chicken, cooked rice, carrots, green beans, bell pepper, olives, and raisins.
3Soften banana leaves over a flame or in hot water until pliable.
4Spread a thick layer of dough on a banana leaf rectangle. Place filling in the center.
5Add a few olives and raisins on top. Fold banana leaf into a tight rectangular package and tie with twine.
6Steam tamales for 2.5-3 hours until dough is firm and pulls away from the leaf cleanly.
Did You Know?
Making tamales in Costa Rica is a family event called a tamalada, where three generations gather in the kitchen with assembly-line efficiency.