Tamales Gisu: Red & White Tamale
Tamales Gisu: Red & White Tamale

Red and white tamales

Red portion:

  • ¼ cup bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup garlic, chopped
  • ¼ cup onions, chopped

Sauté ingredients above and set aside. Mix the following ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the red portion, making it into a paste. Set aside.

  • 2 cups achote water
  • 2 cups cornstarch
  • 2 cups of cornmeal

Achote water is extracted from achiote or annatto seeds. A powered form may be used.

White portion:

  • ¼ cup bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup garlic, chopped
  • ¼ cup onions, chopped

Sauté above ingredients and set aside. Mix the following ingredients and add to the white portion to make a paste.

  • 2 cups masa harina (Mexican corn flour)
  • 2 cups cornstarch water

Cut up foil into serving sized pieces and pour mixture (red and white portion side by side), fold foil, wrapping each tamale and freeze.

Steam before serving.

By Judith Guthertz

Editor’s note: This recipe is from Lepblon Fina’tinas Para Guam: Guam Cookbook, 1985. Reprinted with permission from Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Y Inetnon Famalao’an* (Women’s Association).

* Y Inetnon Famalao’an was a women’s organization composed of cabinet wives and women executives in the government of Guam.