Beyond the idyllic beaches, majestic landscapes and a beautiful culture, Mexico is popular for its exquisite cuisine. Tamales, carnitas, mole, tacos, huaraches, pozole … Endless dishes! Many of which you can taste during your visit to the Bahia Principe Riviera Maya resort.
This time we share a popular recipe from Yucatan, prepared by many during the Day of the Dead festivities. This is one of the most popular celebrations of the Mexican culture. If you feel hungry and anxious when untying the strands of a tamale, then we recommend trying this variation of the Tamal Pib.
If you are familiar with the dish you will notice we have tweaked the list of ingredients a little bit, suggesting a variation as accurate as the original recipe. Which includes local foods from Yucatan.
Ingredients:
1.5 kilograms corn dough
500 grams Small black beans
125 grams of lard
2 Achiote paste or “recado rojo”.
450 grams of Chicken
Banana leaves
3 Tomatoes
4 dried bay leaves
Onion
Garlic
Pepper
Chile Habanero – optional
Direction:
Cook the chicken next to the previously sliced tomatoes, the bay leaves, a box of red recado and salt to taste.
Halfway, remove from heat as the cooking will end later. At this time you can choose to shred the chicken.
Following the Yucatan tradition, proceed to elaborate the “kol”, which is the seasoning used for the meat. Use the broth that was left over from cooking the chicken and dilute it with a fist of corn dough, making sure it is thick.
Mix the dough with butter until it reaches a greasy consistency.
Add the beans, the remaining red recado and salt to taste.
Wipe the banana leaves with a cloth napkin, carefully remove the edges and then spread them over one another.
Place a portion of the dough and proceed to shape it to the form of a pie.
Pour the meat scattering on all sides and bathe with the “kol” that you prepared before.
Place a layer of dough to cover the meat and wrap the result with the rest of the banana leaves.
Once ready, bake it for an hour and a half at 200 degrees and then enjoy!
Tip: If you’re not in Latin America, you can visit Latin markets and try your hand at finding indigenous Yucatan ingredients.
Did you know…? The word “pib” is mayan and means “oven”. It is a technique of pre-hispanic origin that is applied to the food cooked in an oven that is made underground. Therefore, the word also defines a product “baked in”, in this case under the ground. Ever heard of “cochinita pibil”?
