Boxbol

Ingredients

Masa

• 600 gmasa harina, nixtamalised maize flour
• about 600 ml warm water
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 3 tablespoonslard or oil

Leaves

• about 30 chayote leaves, guisquil leaves
• or 30 large chard or vine leaves
• water, for blanching

Pumpkin seed sauce

• 250 graw pumpkin seeds, pepitoria
• 500 gtomatoes
• 2dried chillies, optional
• 1onion, halved
• 3garlic cloves
• 500 mlwater
• salt to taste

To serve

• the sauce, poured over
• extra toasted pumpkin seed, ground

Directions

1. Wash the leaves thoroughly in cold water. Trim off the thick central stems. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Blanch the leaves for about thirty seconds. Lift them out into cold water. That stops them cooking further.
2. Lay them out flat on a clean cloth. Blanching makes them pliable enough to roll. Put the masa harina in a large bowl. Add the salt to the dry masa harina. Pour in the warm water gradually. Mix it with your hand as you pour. Work in the lard or the oil with your hand.
3. Knead it in the bowl for three minutes. It should be soft, smooth and slightly tacky. Press a piece flat between your palms. If the edges crack, add more warm water.
4. Let the dough rest for ten minutes. Rolling them takes a little practice. Take a piece of dough about the size of a walnut. Roll it into a short thick log between your palms. Aim for about six centimetres long. Lay a blanched leaf flat on the board. Set the masa log near the stem end.
5. Fold the stem end of the leaf up over it. Fold both sides in toward the middle. Roll it up into a tight parcel. Use two leaves if one is not big enough. Set each roll seam side down on a tray.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Pack them in with the seam side down. Do not stack them too deeply in the pot. Boil them gently for about thirty minutes. The masa should be firm and cooked through. Cut one open to check that it is done. It should be set with no wet dough inside. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan. Shake the pan constantly over a medium heat.
7. Keep going until they are golden and smell nutty. That takes about six minutes of shaking. Tip them out and let them cool. Char the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a dry comal. Turn them until they are blistered and blackened in patches.
8. Toast the dried chillies briefly if using them. Let everything cool and peel the garlic. Put the toasted seeds in a blender. Grind them to a fine powder first. Add the charred vegetables and the water.
9. Blend it all into a smooth sauce. Pass it through a sieve if it is coarse. Pour it into a pan over a medium heat. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Stir it constantly as it heats. Give it about ten minutes on the heat. Season the sauce well with salt.
10. Add water if it becomes too thick. Serving it is done hot from the pot. Lift the boxbol out of the water and drain them. Arrange them on a plate or in a shallow bowl. Pour the pumpkin seed sauce generously over them. Scatter extra ground toasted seed over the top. They keep two days refrigerated.

Technique

• Alta Verapaz is a largely Q’eqchi’ Maya department in northern Guatemala with its own distinct cooking.
• Nixtamalisation, cooking maize with lime, is the process that makes masa and improves both texture and nutrition.

Substitutions

• Chard or vine leaves stand in for chayote leaves and are far easier to find.
• Masa harina is essential, since ordinary cornmeal will not form a workable dough.

Variations

• Some households add a piece of cheese or a bean inside the masa.
• A version with a plainer tomato sauce is made in some families.
• Similar leaf-wrapped masa dishes are made across the Maya region.

History

A Q’eqchi’ Maya dish of Alta Verapaz, wrapping corn dough in guisquil leaves and serving it with tomato and toasted pumpkin-seed sauce.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boxbol?

Boxbol is a main from Guatemala: masa rolled in chayote leaves, boiled and eaten with pumpkin-seed sauce. A Q’eqchi’ Maya dish of Alta Verapaz, wrapping corn dough in guisquil leaves and serving it with tomato and toasted pumpkin-seed sauce.

How long does Boxbol take to make?

Boxbol takes 45 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 24 rolls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Boxbol?

Yes, within limits. Chard or vine leaves stand in for chayote leaves and are far easier to find. Masa harina is essential, since ordinary cornmeal will not form a workable dough.

What is the most important thing to get right in Boxbol?

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Pack them in with the seam side down. Do not stack them too deeply in the pot. Boil them gently for about thirty minutes. The masa should be firm and cooked through. Cut one open to check that it is done. It should be set with no wet dough inside. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan. Shake the pan constantly over a medium heat.