This month, our English teacher, Erick, and his mom, Mirna, are sharing the recipe of one of their favorite Maya, vegetarian dishes, Brazo de Reina. Brazo de Reina literally means ‘the queen’s arm’. This recipe makes smaller, classic tamales, but the traditional Brazo de Reina is a long tamal the size and length of an arm which is served in slices. It’s a traditional dish from the Yucatan Peninsula dating back to prehistoric times. It’s based on corn, chaya leaves (a deep green local plant that grows wild and is full of vitamins and iron), hard-boiled eggs, ground pumpkin seeds and topped with a spicy tomato sauce. As it is a vegetarian dish, many enjoy Brazo de Reina during lent before Easter. Enjoy this yummy, traditional Maya-Mexican dish and let us know how you like it!

Makes approximately 20 tamales

INGREDIENTS:

• 15 chaya* leaves

• 3 banana leaves**

• 1 cup of ground pumpkin seeds (200g)

• 6 boiled and peeled eggs

• Salt to taste

• 8 1/4 cups of masa*** (1kg) (fresh ground corn meal)

• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (60ml)

• ⅕ cup water (50ml)

• Water for steaming in a large pot

*If you can’t find chaya, you can replace it with spinach leaves, chard or any other leafy green.**You should be able to find these in Mexican or international markets and stores. These are the leaves from the actual banana tree.***You can use one bag of Maseca corn flour (1kg) + 500ml of water mixed until it has a thick batter feel. You should be able to find Maseca in most grocery stores.INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE:

• 4 medium-sized tomatoes

• 2 spring onions

• 1 habanero pepper, with seeds removed

• Salt to taste

• 5 tbsp of vegetable oil

PREPARATION:

1. Chop the chaya leaves and put them in a bowl with the masa.

2. Add the salt, oil, and water. Then mix all the ingredients.

3. Cut the peeled eggs and put them in a bowl.

4. Take the dough, put it on a banana leaf and flatten it out until it’s about half a centimeter thick.

5. Sprinkle some ground pumpkin seeds on top of the dough.

6. Add some hard boiled egg on top. 

7. Once all the ingredients are ready, take one end of the banana leaf and fold it to the center. Do the same with all the ends of the banana leaves until it's entirely covered.

8. Repeat the process until all the ingredients are used.

9. Put all the Brazos de Reina in a steamer, add water, and cook them over high heat for 30 minutes.

PREPARATION FOR THE SAUCE:

1. Cut the tomatoes, chives, habanero pepper

2. Blend the tomatoes, chives, habanero pepper, and oil until smooth

3. Cook the mixture for 15 minutes on the stove

4. Remove the sauce from heat and set aside

5. Remove the Brazo de Reina from the banana leaf, place it on a plate, cover it with salsa, and enjoy!

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   The best way to experience the Mexican lifestyle is in person, with a Na’atik Immersion experience. Not only do you live with a local Mexican-Maya family, sharing home-cooked meals and free time, but also receive expert instruction in your chosen language at our school. Best of all, every immersion experience helps fund our subsidized and free local education program, helping local students to access opportunities and make their own futures.