Rice Tamale (Pastel de Arroz)
Photo: Lgvanegas at English Wikibooks, Public domain
Pastel de Arroz is a rice tamale from Cartagena, Colombia, wrapped in leaves and boiled until the filling sets. The rice is seasoned with cumin, garlic and onoto, then left in the sun for a day, a step called orear. Each bundle hides pork, chicken, chorizo, sausage and bacon among pickles and chickpeas. Cartagena cooks make it for Sundays at the beach and for Christmas Eve.
Instructions
Mix the rice, vinegar, cumin, salt, onoto seeds, oil and garlic powder well in a large Pyrex baking dish, along with the remaining seasoning ingredients you are using for the filling.
Leave the dish to stand for one day under the sun. This step is called orear.
Lay one cabbage leaf on a clean work surface and spread ⅛ cup of the rice mixture over it. Set one piece of each meat evenly on the rice.
Top the meats with the pickles, chickpeas, capers, olives and pickled onions. Lay 2 slices of potato and 2 slices of tomato over the top, then cover with another ⅛ cup of the rice mixture.
Cover the filling with a second cabbage leaf to close the pastel.
Place one washed lobster claw or banana leaf on a flat surface and set the pastel on it. Roll firmly, cover with a second leaf, roll firmly again and tie the bundle with thread.
Put the bundles in a large pan and cover them with water, vinegar and salt. Cook for 2 hours.
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