How to Make Paches de Pollo, the Ultimate Guatemalan Comfort Food

1. Unfurl banana leaves on a counter. With scissors, cut away the tough outer vein from the sides of the leaves; discard. Cut 6 leaves into 14-by-11-inch rectangles. Cut 6 leaves into 11-by-9-inch rectangles. Reserve the remaining leaves. Turn a gas burner to medium-high and, working with one leaf at a time, pass it quickly back and forth directly over the flame just until it turns bright green and becomes pliable; set aside. (Alternatively, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the banana leaves to the pot; simmer until they turn olive-green, about 2 minutes. Drain and cool completely.)

2. To prepare sauce: Preheat the oven to 400°F.

3. Place tomatoes and onion, cut-side down, and garlic on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until softened and slightly charred, about 25 minutes. Peel the garlic; set aside.

4. Meanwhile, toast pepitas in a small skillet over medium heat, tossing often, until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Add sesame seeds to the pan; toast, tossing often, until golden, about 30 seconds. Transfer to the plate with the pepitas. Remove the pan from the heat and add guajillo chiles; toast for 20 seconds on each side (the residual heat will toast them). Transfer the chiles to a bowl and cover with 1 cup of hot (not boiling) water; steep for 10 minutes.

5. Combine the roasted tomatoes and onion, the peeled roasted garlic, the seeds, the chiles and 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid in a blender. Add achiote paste, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, allspice and cloves; blend until smooth. Set aside.

6. To prepare dough: Place potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and let cool at room temperature for 5 minutes. Peel and cube the potatoes.

7. Combine masa harina and 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix until combined. Add the potatoes, oil and salt. Mix at low speed for 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the sauce and mix at low speed until the dough is uniformly colored and mashed but still retains small chunks of potatoes, 1 to 2 minutes more.

8. Place a large banana leaf rectangle on your work surface and center a small leaf rectangle in the middle. Scoop about 1 cup of the dough in the middle of the banana leaves. Shape the dough into a 6-by-4-inch rectangle in the center of the small banana leaf. Press a piece of chicken and a bird's eye chile (or jalapeño strip) into the center of the dough. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make each pache. Pour about 1/4 cup sauce over the chicken in each pache (it will spill over to the sides a bit). Fold the long sides of both banana leaves over the filling; with the sides of your hands, press the leaves down to mark the perimeter of the pache. Fold the sides of the leaves over the filling (as if you were rolling an egg roll). Roll the pache upward and over to finish wrapping it. Tie each with a piece of twine in a crisscross fashion (as you would a present).

9. Place a wire rack or steamer basket in the bottom of a large pot and add 2 to 3 inches of water. Arrange one or two layers of the remaining banana leaves on the rack or basket (discard the rest) and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Layer the paches over the leaves snugly. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and steam the paches for 1 1/2 hours (add more boiling water to the pot every 30 minutes to prevent scorching).

10. Working with one at a time, remove a pache from the steamer and place on a clean cutting board. Cut off and discard the twine. Place the pache, seam-side up, on a plate and carefully open it. Use scissors to cut off the excess leaves that hang from the plate (always serve the paches still on their leaves; do not eat the leaves). Serve with limes and bread, if desired.

Equipment

Kitchen twine

Tips

Banana leaves can be used to wrap foods before barbecuing, baking or steaming, lending a subtle sweet flavor and aroma to whatever is folded inside them. They're sold frozen and fresh at Asian and Latin American markets.

Guajillo chiles are dried mirasol chiles. They add fruity heat to many Mexican dishes. Look for them with other dried chiles at well-stocked grocery stores and Latin American markets.

Masa harina is made from corn kernels that are dried, treated with lime and then ground into a fresh dough. The dough is dried and ground into a powder to make masa harina (which means dough flour). Look for it stocked with other flours or Latin ingredients at the grocery store.