easy guatemalan recipes

This lightly-spiced chicken dish is the ultimate Guatemalan soul food. You&#039;ll find this velvety Mayan stew served at typical restaurants throughout the country. It&#039;s also a staple at family get togethers.

Pepián de Pollo - Chicken Stew in Red Sauce

Whole Chicken (4-5 pounds,

Water (or more as needed)

Fresh Tomatoes (Roma)

Chile Pasa (Pasilla) (dried, seeds and stem removed)

Chile Guaque (Guajillo) (seeds and stem removeddried)

White Onion (medium)

Sesame Seeds

Shelled Pumpkin Seeds (pepitas)

Cinnamon Stick

tsp Dried Achiote

Cilantro

Corn Tortillas (or pieces of French bread)

vegetables (optional) (pre-cooked green beans, huisquil (chayote) and potato)

Cut the chicken into  serving-sized pieces and simmer it in 5 cups of water (just enough to cover the chicken) with salt for 30 minutes. Skim off and discard any grey scum that may form while cooking. Drain and reserve the broth for the sauce.

Meanwhile, toast the cinnamon stick, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds separately in the dry skillet (no oil) until browned but not burned. The pumpkin seeds will pop when they&#039;re fully toasted.

Dry roast (toast ) two corn tortillas (or two pieces of crusty French bread) in the same dry skillet, remove from pan, pour small amount of water over to moisten and set aside.

Char the Roma tomatoes, chiles (seeds and stem removed) and onion over a dry skillet (with no oil)  in batches until very well browned.

Process the toasted seeds and cinnamon stick in a spice grinder or food processor until they are a very fine powder. You&#x27;ll need to pulse several times to get the mixture fine enough.

Add the charred tomatoes, chiles and onion to the food processor. You don&#039;t need to peel the tomatoes or onions as you want the charred skins included in the sauce.

If you processed the seed mixture in a spice grinder, add it to the food processor now. Add the achiote, cilantro and a half teaspoon of salt. Process for several minutes until very smooth.

Add the toasted corn tortillas (or French bread) and four cups of reserved chicken broth to the tomato, spice and seed mixture and process until very smooth.

Pour the sauce into the pot, bring to a low boil. Add the chicken. Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes or longer until the sauce is very thick and a deep red colour. Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency. Add any chopped, pre-cooked vegetables (if using, see note below) at this time.

Serve with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and with white rice and wedges of fresh avocado on the side.

This delicious sopa de albondigas (meatball soup) is a traditional Guatemalan dish that&#039;s easy to make and low in carbs. Serve it with rice, avocado and homemade corn tortillas for a meal the whole family will love.

Sopa de Albondigas - Healthy Meatball Soup

tbsp Vegetable Oil

Tomato ((chopped, with seeds and liquid removed))

Onion ((chopped))

Lean Ground Beef

Mint Leaves ((chopped, reserve 1 tbsp for garnish))

Egg ((beaten))

Soft Breadcrumbs (toasted)

Salt

Pepper

Beef Broth ((homemade

Huisquil

Carrot ((julienned))

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Fry the tomato and onion until softened, but not browned. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Mix the softened vegetables with the ground beef, mint, cilantro, egg, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Allow it to cool in the refrigerator while you slice the vegetables.

Form meat mixture into small, firm meatballs.

Meanwhile, bring beef broth to boil in a large Dutch Oven or soup pot and reduce heat to a simmer.

Drop meatballs gently, one at a time, into the simmering broth.

When the meatballs have floated to the top, add the sliced huisquil and julienned carrots, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Sprinkle with reserved cilantro and mint.

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Top 2 easy guatemalan recipes recipes from across the web

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Pepián de Pollo - Chicken Stew in R...

Sopa de Albondigas - Healthy Meatba...

The most viewed easy guatemalan recipes recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine