Tamal tolimense

Step 1: Mix 6 spring onions, 5 garlic cloves, 1 ½ tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp ground achiote (annatto) and 2 ⅛ tsp salt into a paste. Rub it over 1 ⅓ lb pork ribs, 10 ½ oz pork belly and 4 boneless chicken thighs, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2: Drain 5 ½ oz dried yellow peas, cover with fresh water in a pan and simmer for 30 minutes, until tender but not falling apart. Drain.

Step 3: Boil 5 ½ oz long-grain rice in plenty of salted water for 8 minutes, until half-cooked with a firm centre. Drain and cool.

Step 4: Hard-boil 4 eggs for 10 minutes, cool in cold water, peel and cut each into 4 slices lengthways.

Step 5: Parboil 2 carrots and 2 potatoes together for 5 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Drain.

Step 6: Wipe the banana leaves clean and pass each one quickly over a gas flame or through boiling water for a few seconds, until it turns glossy and pliable. Trim off the hard central ribs.

Step 7: Make the dough: put 1 ⅛ lb precooked yellow cornmeal (masarepa) and ⅞ tsp salt in a large bowl, add 2 ⅞ oz lard or sunflower oil and work in 3 ¾ cups chicken or pork broth a little at a time, kneading for 3–4 minutes until soft, smooth and slightly sticky, like thick mashed potato.

Step 8: Lay 2 leaves crosswise, shiny side up. Spread 1/8 of the dough into a 15 cm circle in the centre. Top with a spoonful each of rice and peas, 2 slices of egg, a few carrot and potato slices, a piece of rib, a piece of belly and a piece of chicken, plus a little of their marinade.

Step 9: Fold the leaves up around the filling into a square parcel, pressing the dough to enclose the filling, and tie it firmly in both directions with 8 m kitchen string. Repeat with the rest of the 16 banana leaves and filling.

Step 10: Put a rack or a layer of spare leaves in the bottom of a large pot and add water to just below it. Stand the tamales upright, cover tightly and bring to the boil over a high heat.

Step 11: Steam over a medium-low heat for 3 hours, topping up with boiling water every 45 minutes so the pot never boils dry.

Step 12: Open one tamal: the dough should come cleanly off the leaf and the chicken inside must read 165°F, the pork at least 160°F. Steam 20 minutes longer if not. Rest for 10 minutes before serving. Cooked tamales keep for 4 days in the fridge; steam for 30 minutes to reheat until piping hot.