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1
Marinate the pork
120 Mins
Room temperature, then fridge at 4°C (40°F)
Put the pork chunks in a bowl with 60 ml of the sour orange juice, the minced garlic, 3 g of the annatto, 3 g of the salt and the cumin. Turn to coat, cover and leave for at least 1 hour, or overnight in the fridge. The sour orange is what makes a nacatamal taste like a nacatamal.
Overnight marinating gives a deeper flavour — make the pork the evening before.
Done when: Pork coated all over, smelling of sour orange and garlic.
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2
Cook the masa
30 Mins
Medium-low heat, about 150°C (300°F)
Whisk the masa harina with the warm chicken stock, the remaining 60 ml of sour orange juice, 6 g of annatto, 6 g of salt and the baking powder. Stir in the melted lard and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the masa is thick, smooth and pulls away from the sides of the pot. It should spread like soft butter, not pour.
Keep stirring — masa catches and burns on the bottom fast.
Done when: Thick, smooth masa that holds its shape on a spoon.
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3
Build the parcels
30 Mins
Room temperature, work surface
Lay two banana leaf pieces in a cross, shiny side up. Spread about 160 g of warm masa in the centre. Build the filling in this order: 1 chunk of pork, 1 tablespoon of soaked rice, 2 slices of potato, 1 slice of tomato, a few onion and pepper rings, then the mint, 3 olive halves, a few raisins and a few capers on top. Fold the leaves over into a flat pillow, fold the ends under, and tie firmly with string — snug, not tight, so the masa has room to set.
Keep the layers in this order: rice next to the pork soaks up the juices, mint on top perfumes the parcel.
Done when: Six neat, flat parcels, tied snugly, no filling escaping.
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4
Boil the nacatamales
270 Mins
Gentle boil, about 100°C (212°F)
Line a large pot with leftover leaf trimmings, pack the parcels in seam-side down, and add boiling water to just cover. Put a plate on top to hold them down, cover the pot and keep at a gentle boil for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, topping up with boiling water so the pot never boils dry. The masa must set firm and the pork must be completely tender.
Check the water every 30 minutes — a dry pot scorches the leaves.
Done when: Leaves dark and soft, masa firm when pressed, pork tender.
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5
Rest and open at the table
15 Mins
Hot, straight from the pot
Lift the parcels out with tongs and let them rest for 10 to 15 minutes so the masa firms up. Serve each nacatamal still in its leaf, with the string cut and the leaf opened at the table like a present. Eat with crusty bread and black coffee.
Do not eat the banana leaf — it is the wrapper, not the meal.
Done when: Served hot, masa set, filling steaming.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Open the leaf at the table and eat the nacatamal while it is hot — the mint hits first, then the sour-orange pork, then the soft masa and potato underneath.
Nicaragua
35m
Vietnam
France