Subanik

The Washington Post, October 8, 2008

• • Cuisine: Central/South American
• • Course: Main Course

Summary:

Subanik is a ceremonial dish of the Kaqchiquel Maya of Guatemala. It is traditionally steamed in a nest of about 6 to 8 large mashan leaves tied at the top with cibaque, or decorative rope. Because mashan leaves are not available in the United States, cooking instructor Militza de Leon recommends using a stainless-steel pot or cast-iron Dutch oven for cooking, then transferring the finished subanik to a serving dish lined with banana leaves, for presentation.

Though traditionally spicy, subanik can be toned down, depending on the amount of chili pepper used. In the Kaqchiquel language, any dish ending in "ik” will contain hot chili peppers. Subanik can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; discard the banana or plantain leaves used for serving. The sauce alone can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Banana leaves are available in any Latin or Asian market in the area, such as Panam International Supermarket in Langley Park, Bestway Supermarket in Mount Pleasant, Asian Grocery Market in South Arlington and Grand Mart in Centreville.

To make this a vegetarian dish, you may substitute roasted mushrooms and eggplant for the beef and chicken.

Serve with white rice or tamales.

8 servings

Ingredients:

For the sauce

• • 5 medium red bell peppers, cut in half from top to bottom, then stemmed and seeded
• • 12 roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• • 1 white onion, cut into quarters
• • 5 tomatillos, husks removed
• • 1 dried ancho chili pepper, washed inside and out, seeds and stem removed
• • 1 dried red chili pepper, such as chili de arbol
• • 1 to 2 Thai red chili peppers

For the beef and chicken

• • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• • 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• • 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
• • Freshly ground black pepper
• • 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
• • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed of excess fat, then cut into 1-inch pieces
• • 3 bay leaves
• • 2 sprigs thyme
• • 1 teaspoon sugar

For assembly

• • 6 to 8 banana or plantain leaves, for presentation (optional)

Directions:

For the sauce: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the red bell peppers on a baking sheet (no foil or oil); roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them once or twice, until their skins are blistered with black spots all around.

Lightly grease a separate baking sheet, preferably nonstick, with nonstick cooking oil spray. Place the tomatoes and onion cut side down on the sheet, along with the whole tomatillos, dried chili peppers and Thai red chili pepper(s). Roast for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are quite tender, with blistered skins.

(Alternatively, the vegetables can be roasted on a hot griddle.)

Working in several batches, transfer the roasted peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, onion and Thai red chili pepper(s) to a blender; pulse for 1 to 2 minutes for each batch, until a fairly smooth sauce forms. (Do not use a food processor, which can overprocess the mixture). Break off pieces of the dried chili peppers and add them through the top of the blender while the motor is running. Stop to taste, and add more of the dried chili peppers to achieve the desired level of spiciness.

Meanwhile, cook the beef and chicken: Have a large bowl ready.
Heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers.
Working in 2 batches, add the beef and start to brown it; season each batch with about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Sear the meat for about 2 minutes; it will not be cooked through. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the meat to the bowl as you work.

Add the water to deglaze the skillet, using a spatula to scrape up the browned bits, then pour the contents of the skillet over the meat.

Use paper towels to lightly wipe out the skillet, then return it to medium-high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil. When it is hot enough to shimmer, add the chicken in 2 batches, seasoning each with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Sear for about 1 minute on one side, then turn the chicken over and sear for about 1 minute; the chicken will not be cooked through. Use a slotted spatula to transfer the chicken to the bowl with the beef as you work.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium to medium-low heat. Add the bay leaves and thyme; cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, to flavor the oil. Add the pureed sauce, then the sugar, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste; cook for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice, then discard the bay leaves and thyme.

Add the beef and chicken. Increase the heat to medium or medium-high to slowly bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended and the beef and chicken are quite tender.

To assemble: When ready to serve, line a large serving dish with the banana or plantain leaves. Transfer the subanik from the Dutch oven to the dish and place at the table. (At this point, subanik cooked the traditional way, in a bundle of mashan leaves, is brought to the table in the pot, untied and served.)

Ladle the subanik from the dish into individual bowls, making sure to include equal amounts of chicken and beef. Serve hot.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from a recipe of the Antigua Cooking School in Antigua, Guatemala.

309 calories, 11g fat, 3g saturated fat, 111mg cholesterol, 547mg sodium, 11g carbohydrates, 3g dietary fiber, n/a sugar, 40g protein.