Submitted by:
Irma Cal Cac
Category:
Lunch
Country of Origin:
Guatemala
Cook time:
3 hours
Serves:
15
Ingredients:
One small turkey
5 pounds corn
4 pounds tomato
3 large onions
2 tamarillos
1 head of garlic
7 dry chilies (small)
3 sachets seasoning
Steps:
1. Clean the turkey and cut it into pieces. Place the cut pieces in a large pot, cover them with water, and cook on medium heat. When the turkey is almost cooked, place a head of garlic in the pot with the turkey.
2. Season the turkey with salt to taste, let cook a few more minutes, and then remove the pieces and the head of garlic from the pot and set aside. Retain the broth in the pot.
3. Add the corn to a large saucepan and cook on medium heat. Be sure to cook the corn without salt (this is a very important step). Once the corn is cooked, grind it in a blender. Once ground, slowly add the ground corn to the reserved broth, stirring constantly to prevent the broth from sticking, smoking, and burning.
4. While the corn broth is cooking, blend the tomato, onion, tamarillo, and the dried small chili peppers. Add the blended mix, along with the two envelopes of seasoning, to the corn broth. Cook the corn broth on medium heat for 45 minutes. The broth will turn into a delicious white sauce (saq’ik).
5. Once cooked, add salt to the sauce, and pour the sauce over the turkey.
6. The turkey and saq'ik can be served with small tamales or tortilla shells.
To make tamales:
1. Mix together regular masa (corn dough) with a pinch of salt and lard to create dough.
2. Fill in corn husks or banana/plantain leaves with dough and wrap tight (approximately 3 grams or 0.11 ounces).
3, Place all tamales in a pot with some water and a steam basket (this will prevent the tamales from sticking, smoking, and burning) and steam until done.
What makes this recipe special?
This dish is originally from the poqomchies municipalities of Alta Verapaz in Guatemala. However, the municipalities make the dish in different ways. For example: the color of the sauce of the municipality of Santa Cruz is pale compared to the sauce of the municipality of San Cristóbal. In Tactic and Tamahú, they add cilantro to the dish. This recipe is from the municipality of San Cristóbal Verapaz, also known as "the Pupil of Heaven."