Traditional Venezuelan Hallacas Recipe

Venezuelan Hallacas Ingredients

To make 35 – 40 Hallacas, you’ll need:

• 5 kg banana leaves, smoked (I used 10 packs (500 g each) of frozen leaves)
• 4 cups (1 L) vegetable or corn oil
• 200 g onoto, annatto, achiote seeds
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• 2 leeks
• 4 green onions
• 10 oz (300 g) garlic cloves
• 6 yellow onions
• 3 green bell peppers
• 3 red bell peppers
• 18-20 sweet peppers
• 1 ½ kg beef, pork, and chicken (see notes in the recipe card)
• 3 oz (80 g) capers
• 1 bottle of red sweet wine (see notes in the recipe card)
• 3 packs (1kg each) Harina P.A.N
• 12 oz (340 g) black raisins
• 21 oz (600 g) Green Olives (see notes in the recipe card)
• 16 oz (450 g) Italian Mix Giardiniera pickles (encurtidos)
• 6 medium white potatoes
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cooking Twine (pabilo)

Process Overview: How to Make Hallacas

Making hallacas can be a haunting process; at least it’s for me! The recipe has so many components that is overwhelming. So my goal in sharing this recipe is to make it as simple and easy as possible for you. Here is a resume of the whole process:

1 – Buy all the ingredients. Make a list, and sure you have everything before you get started. Some ingredients can be hard to find, depending on where you live. So plan ahead and order online whatever is not available.

2 – Prepare the leaves. Clean and cut the leaves as instructed below. You can do this the day before. Make sure you buy frozen or smoked banana leaves. The fresh ones will break when wrapping.

3 – Make the Onoto Oil. The oil needs time to cool down, so I like to make it the day before. Make sure you don’t boil the oil, or it will be bitter.

4 – Make the Broth. Cook the meats with lots of veggies to produce a very tasty broth, which will be used to make the guiso and masa.

5 – Make the Guiso. Make sure your guiso is not too runny. Read my tip to thicken the guiso below.

6 – Make the Masa. To make the masa, you will need the onoto oil and the broth you cooked the meats in.

7 – Prepare the Adornos. This is when the traditions of each family come to light! Each region of Venezuela has its own version of adornos, which can range from slices of eggs, and bacon, to chickpeas. Feel free to add whatever your family likes. Having all the topping ready to go make the assembling process so much easy.

8 – Assemble the Hallacas. Make sure to check out my step-by-step photos below.

9 – Cook. You probably will need to cook the hallacas in batches. Make sure that the hallacas are fully submerged in water for even cooking.

Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial

Step 1 – Banana Leaves for Venezuelan Hallacas – Hojas 

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

The banana leaves are essential for elaborating hallacas since they are responsible for giving that unique and unmistakable smoky flavor to the hallacas. Fortunately, due to the presence of Venezuelans around the world, these leaves are easy to find almost everywhere.

You can find them in most major grocery stores in the USA, such as Walmart and Latin and Asian stores. When picking the leaves, make sure they are smoked; raw leaves will break when folding.

The leaves must be cleaned and cut before use.

How To Clean And Prepare Banana Leaves

Clean the banana leaves well with a damp cloth and then dry them with a dry one. Then, remove the center stem (la vena) from the leaves to make the folding process easier. When cutting the stem with scissors, be careful not to break the leaf.

Divide The Leaves into Three Types

• The main one (the biggest one) is where you have to place the dough and hallaca filling, approximately 12 x 12 inches or 30 x 30 cm squares.
• The second leaf (smaller than the main one) covers, encloses, and protects the hallaca while cooking. approximately 10 x 8 inches or 25 x 20 cm rectangles.
• The third (faja) holds in the hallacas, and all those previous leaves, together right before it is tied up with the cooking twine. approximately 10 x 4 inches or 25 x 10 cm rectangles.

Please, keep in mind that the measurements of the leaves are approximate, so you have an idea of how to cut them, but they do not have to be exactly those measures.

Step 2 – Onoto/Achiote Oil For Venezuelan Hallacas – Aceite Onotado

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

Onoto, achiote, or annatto is the favorite food coloring in Latin America! It helps to add color to your food and adds a delicious nutty, sweet, and earthy flavor. However, it has to be used in moderation since it has a strong flavor.  

To make hallacas, you will need the achiote oil for the meat filling-guiso and for the dought-masa.

How To Make Onoto/Achiote Oil – Aceite Onotado

Add oil to a medium saucepan at medium heat; when the oil is hot, add achiote seeds. Let achiote seeds render their color for 3-4 minutes. Don’t let the oil boil, or the achiote oil will be bitter.  Remove from the stove and let cool. When it’s cool, strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large container. Reserve the colored oil for later use.

Step 3 – Broth – Caldo

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

Cook the Meats

• Add water into a large pot. Add salt, black pepper, beef bouillons, leeks leaves, green onions leaves, garlic cloves, onions, bell pepper, and sweet peppers. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• When boiling, add the beef and pork; cook for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, add the chicken breast and keep cooking for 20 more minutes. Then turn off the heat.
• Remove the meats from the broth and place them on a large plate. Reserve the broth.
• Let the meat cool enough to handle. Then cut the beef, pork, and 4 chicken breasts (the other 2 breasts will be used as a topping) into small pieces. Make sure to remove any extra fat that the meat might have. Reserve.
• When the broth is cool, strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Reserve ALL the broth and discard the veggies.

Step 4 – Make The Venezuelan Guiso For Hallacas

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

The guiso, along with the masa, are the main stars of the hallacas! You really need to make a very flavorful guiso in order to make a good hallaca.

• Add the cut meats and enough broth to cover the meats (I added 8 cups) into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When boiling, reduce heat to medium-low.
• Add 1 cup of achiote oil to a large skillet. When hot, add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes; make sure the oil is not too hot that it is going to toast the onion. Then add the leeks and green onion; continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic; mix to combine and cook until fragrant and soft, about 3 minutes. Finally, add the bell pepper and sweet peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add the sautéed veggies (sofrito) to the pot with the meat and broth. Mix well and let it cook for 5 – 8 minutes. Add capers, mix and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the sweet wine and Harina P.A.N. Mix vigorously to prevent lumps from forming.
• Add the wine/harina mixture to the meats. You need to add the wine mixture and mix at the same time to prevent lumps from forming. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the guiso is too pale, you can add more achiote oil to add more color. Let the guiso cook for 5 – 8 more minutes. The guiso must be thick, not runny, so if needed, you can dissolve more Harina P.A.N in water or broth and add it to the guiso to thicken.
• Turn off the heat and let the guiso cool.

Step 5 – Dough – Masa

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

The dough–masa is made with the reserved broth from the meat cooking, achiote oil, and Harina P.A.N.

Unlike many recipes, my mom’s recipe requires a dough with a spreadable consistency. You don’t need to make dough balls and then flatten them for this recipe but just spread it with a spoon, so no more dirty and messy hands, YAY. According to my mom, this trick helps to keep the masa tender, soft, and thin.

Step 6 – Toppings – Adornos

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

Toppings – Adornos … this is when the traditions of each family come to light! Each region of Venezuela has its own version of adornos, which can range from slices of eggs, and bacon, to chickpeas. Feel free to add whatever your family likes.

Our family’s recipe calls for:

• Yellow onions, cut into rings
• Red bell peppers, cut into thin strips
• Black raisins
• Green Olives
• Italian Mix Giardiniera pickles (encurtidos), finely chopped
• Potatoes, cook and cut into slices
• Chicken breast, cut into thin strips

My mom also uses sliced almonds, which I didn’t add due to my daughter’s nut allergy.

Step 7 – Assemble Venezuelan Hallacas

(scroll down to the recipe card for amounts, instructions, and more detail)

Place the main banana leaf over a flat surface. Make sure the leaf vein is horizontal to make the folding process easier. 

Spread, in the middle of the leaf, with a spoon ½ cup of dough until it is 1/6 of an inch or 4 mm thick.

Add, in the middle of the dough, 1/3 cup of guiso (meat filling).

Then start adding the toppings of your choice. I did this: I sprinkled ¼ teaspoon of chopped Italian Mix Giardiniera pickles over the guiso. Then, I added a ring of onion, one strip of red pepper, a potato slice, 2 green olives, 5-6 raisins, and one strip of chicken breast.

Close the hallaca: Take the top and bottom edges of the leaf and attach them upward; make sure the top and bottom edges of the dough join together. Then create a fold until it is completely sealed. Fold the other two ends towards the inside.

Then place the fold perpendicularly on the second sheet and wrap it. Fold the ends towards the inside.

Finally, wrap around the fold with the third leaf (faja) just to hold everything together.

Tie the hallacas with cooking twine. Cross them three times in each direction (horizontal and vertical) and close with a knot or bow, almost as you would with a gift.

Step 8 – Cook the Hallacas

• Fill 3/4 of a large pot with water (I used a 24-qt pot). Add 2-3 tablespoons of salt. NOTE: Depending on the capacity of your pot, you might need to add more or less salt. The water is supposed to taste salty, so add the salt, mix, taste, and adjust if necessary. Bring to a boil.
• When the salty water is boiling, add as many hallacas as you can fit, they must all be completely submerged in the water and cook for 40 minutes.
• Remove and drain them, preferably in the vertical position. I like to place them side by side in the sink.
• Repeat the process with the other hallacas.
• Let them cool completely before refrigerating.

Storing Hallacas

Store cooked hallacas in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.

How To Freeze Hallacas

The best way to freeze hallacas is before you cook them. To freeze hallacas, assemble and wrap them as instructed, and then lay them flat in a freezer bag and freeze them for up to 6 months. When ready to eat, cook them frozen in a pot with salty water for 60 minutes.

Reheating Venezuelan Hallacas

To reheat cooked hallacas, add water and salt to a pot; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the hallacas you wish to reheat (make sure the water is covering them). Lower the heat to medium and cook; partially cover the pot with the lid for 20 -25 minutes. Remove the hallacas from the pot. Drain the hallacas, cut the cooking twine, remove the leaf and enjoy!

I want to share a trick, even though I am risking that my mom will disinherit me. LOL.

If you are short of time, you can reheat them in the microwave. Just place the Hallaca on a plate, reheat for 1 minute, then flip and reheat for 30-45 more sec. This works best for one hallaca at a time.

How To Serve the Venezuelan Hallacas

Hallacas, Pan de Jamon, Pernil, and Ensalada de Gallina (potato and chicken salad) are the traditional Venezuelan dinner on Christmas eve. However, Hallacas are eaten, on their own, throughout the whole month of December as a lunch or dinner.

P.S. a splash of hot sauce is highly recommended! Also, a glass of Homemade Ponche Crema,