Tamal Pisque

Maseca Centroamérica’s Tamal Pisque wraps a mashed-bean filling in masa and banana leaves. The filling combines cooked beans with chopped garlic, onion and green pepper, while supplied melted manteca enriches the dough.

The supplied cooked beans are crushed to a thick consistency. The garlic cloves, onion and green pepper are cut into small pieces and sautéed in hot oil. The same crushed beans are added with salt and pepper and stirred to make the filling.

The masa is prepared with the supplied melted manteca and salt, then kneaded until uniform. The banana leaves are boiled for about five minutes to soften them.

The leaves are cut into squares. One or two tablespoons of the prepared masa and a tablespoon of the bean filling are placed on each, and the same leaf wraps the tamal. The parcels are boiled for approximately fifty minutes.

The cooked leaf-wrapped tamales may be accompanied by prepared homemade tomato sauce. Their filling stays separate from the masa until each parcel is assembled.