Venezuelan · main

Hallaca Caraqueña

Hallaca Caraqueña reads umami 5.9, richness 4.3 and salinity 4.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Venezuelan main, about 12 hr 15 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.9 · Richness 4.3 · Salinity 4.2 · Sweetness 4.0 · Fruity 3.7 · Sourness 2.7 · Funk & Ferment 2.4 · Allium 2.2 · Marine & Briny 2.1 · Floral 1.8 · Herbaceous 1.7 · Bitterness 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Earthy 1.3 · Heat 0.8 · Citrus 0.8 · Nutty 0.6

What's in it (18)

Time & effort: about 12 hr 15 min (4 hr 15 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 103.5 kcal, 5.1 g protein, 7.4 g fat, 3.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

  1. The hallaca is Venezuela's Christmas, and it is a family production line rather than a recipe: someone makes the guiso, someone the dough, someone spreads, someone wraps, someone ties. Make it over two days. The guiso must be made the day before and chilled, because a warm filling will not sit properly on the dough and the flavours need the night.
  2. Day one, the guiso: cook the onion, leek and spring onion in 4 tbsp of the onoto oil over medium heat for 15 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the diced peppers for 5 minutes, then the pork and beef and cook 10 minutes until they lose their colour. Add the chicken, the wine, 500 ml of the broth, the salt and pepper and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick enough to mound on a spoon. Cool and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Day two, the leaves. Pass each banana leaf briefly over a gas flame or a hot dry griddle, 10 seconds a side, until the surface goes glossy and deep green and the leaf turns pliable instead of brittle. Wipe each one with a cloth and a film of onoto oil.
  4. The dough: this is masarepa, the precooked corn flour sold as harina P.A.N., and it is not the same as Mexican masa harina, which is nixtamalised with lime. The two are not interchangeable and the difference shows immediately in taste and texture. Knead the masarepa with the warm broth and the remaining onoto oil for 5 minutes until it is smooth, deep orange, and soft enough to spread but not sticky.
  5. Spread a ball of dough about the size of a small orange onto an oiled leaf and flatten it with your oiled palm into a 20 cm circle 4 mm thick — thin, thinner than feels safe.
  6. Spoon 3 tbsp of cold guiso into the centre and decorate the top with a strip of pepper, a few olives, capers and raisins. The garnish sits on top and is not mixed in; you should see it when the hallaca is opened.
  7. Fold the leaf over so the dough closes over the filling, fold the ends in to make a rectangular parcel, wrap in a second leaf the other way round, and tie firmly in both directions with string like a parcel.
  8. Boil the hallacas in plenty of salted water for 45 minutes to 1 hour, in batches, weighed down with a plate. Lift them out and drain on a rack. Serve in the leaf, untied at the table, with pan de jamón and ensalada de gallina — never unwrapped in the kitchen, because the opening is half the pleasure.
  9. Substitutions: chicken broth can stand in for the warm beef broth.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.