Guanimos salados (cornmeal and beef pockets) is one of two dishes with the same name, a traditional but not as well-known dish worth trying. Try my savory guanimo recipe today.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Feb 15, 2012
❝ Very tasty recipe, thanks. ❞
Why we ❤️ it
Try this tamal-like Dominican dish that I grew up with in the Northwest of the country, one of two dishes with the same name, but this is the savory version. Unlike tamales, this is made with cornmeal (we call it harina de maíz) and it's considerably easier to make in my estimation.
Unfortunately, it's not a very well-known dish, and it certainly deserves a spot on our list of lesser-known Dominican dishes.
Dominican guanimos
Guanimos are wrapped in corn husks and tied tightly to prevent water from entering them when they are boiled, which produces their peculiar shape and leaves indentations when they are untied. "Looks like a guanimo", a saying I heard from both my grandma and my mom, was used to refer to someone wearing clothes that were too tight.
Imagine my surprise decades ago when I found out that there's a very similar dish, with the same name, that is also cornmeal-based and made with coconut, but it's a dessert!
The sweet guanimo version is apparently also known as Gualimon in some regions.
Guanimo may be a Taino name by the sound of it (and based on nothing else, just speculating here). I came across this dish in my hometown of Montecristi, only to learn later in life, that it wasn't just a regional food.
A quick Google search shows this dish also exists in Cuba, and Puerto Rico too (there are differences between the dishes, and in Puerto Rico is spelled guanimes). This suggests that the dish, with its Taino-sounding name, may predate all three countries as separate entities and perhaps is just a remnant of times when the islands all belonged to Spain (again, just speculating).
If this is so, Guanimo should join casabe as one of our "ancient" foods.
Guanimos salados (cornmeal and beef pockets).
Serving suggestion
Guanimos is typically served as snack, or like Pasteles en hoja, as part of a larger meal, but I also love it as a weekend dinner brunch dish.
You can serve it with a Dominican fría in the afternoon, or any of our hot breakfast drinks for a late weekend breakfast.
Top tips
- Wrapping: I suggest that you wrap the guanimos in corn husks, then in parchment paper to make sure that they are sealed. When time comes to put them on the table remove the paper.
I love unwrapping them on the table as they look like little gifts. - Plantain leaves: Plantains leaves can also be used, and will give the guanimos a darker color and different taste when boiled. Use whichever you find.
About our recipe
The addition of Scotch bonnet peppers is my own. Usually this is served, like pasteles en hoja, with ketchup and hot sauce on the side, but I just decided to make it spicy inside.
So this is more like my own version of a dish that I grew up eating from street venders (especially on Patronales celebrations), and seems to have many incarnations.
Recipe
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Guanimos Recipe (Cornmeal and Beef Pockets)
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, without seeds, chopped (optional)
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 sprig parsley
- 1 sprig recao/cilantro ancho/culantro
- 1½ teaspoons salt, (or more, to taste)
- ¼ teaspoons pepper , (freshly-cracked, or ground) (or more, to taste)
- 1 pound minced beef, [0.45 kg]
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup tomato sauce
For the cornmeal dough
- 3 cups cornmeal, [420 g]
- 5 cups vegetable broth, or homemade vegetable broth [1.2 l] at room temperature
Instructions
1. Making the filling
Use the food processor to make a paste with bell pepper, scotch bonnet, onion, garlic, parsley, cilantro ancho, a pinch of pepper, and a teaspoon of salt.- Add this paste with the minced beef and mix until combined uniformly.
- Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the beef and cook and stir until it changes color throughout.
- Once the meat has browned, add the tomato sauce and cook and stir until the liquids have evaporated. Season with salt to taste.Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Soaking cornmeal:
- Mix the cornmeal and the broth and let it rest covered for an hour.
3. Cook the cornmeal
- Heat the cornmeal and broth over medium heat, stirring constantly until it starts to thicken. Lower the heat and cook and stir until it thickens enough that it sticks to the spoon. The cornmeal with not be entirely cooked but it will be done later on. Remove from the heat and let it cool down to room temperature.
1. Assemble
- Place two tablespoons of cornmeal on a corn husk and flatten. Add one tablespoon of filling and cover with two tablespoons of cornmeal.Make into an envelope shape and cover with one or more corn husks until it is waterproof. Tie with the string. See notes
2. Boil
- Heat 2 qt [2 lt] of water over high heat in a large pot until it breaks the boil. Once the water breaks the boil place the cornmeal in the pot and boil for 10 minutes.
3. Serve
- Remove from the water and the husks and serve. Garnish with ketchup.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More cornmeal recipes
Harina de maíz, or cornmeal is very popular in the Dominican republic as an ingredient, and you can find it used in many harina de maíz recipes in our collection. There's an eponymous dish, Harina de maíz that is a breakfast porridge.
It can also be made into our popular Pastelón de maíz casserole, and the lovely Arepita de maíz fritters.
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