Learn more about the Guatemalan dishes you will prepare with El Frijol Feliz. Each class will prepare one main dish, two secondary dishes, and one dessert. When you book a class, you will be asked to select your dishes. Please contact us with any questions.

All of our menu options are subject to seasonal and market availability. We strive to ensure that every dish is offered every day, but our #1 priority is sourcing fresh, local quality ingredients.

MAIN DISHES

Pepián
Pepián is a popular Guatemalan dish, normally prepared for weddings, birthdays, or other special events.  Pepián is a simple stew with complex flavors.  Layers of flavor are enhanced by roasting each ingredient to bring out the full fragrance of each.  The base of the sauce is made from roasted ingredients such as pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tomatoes, chilies, onions, garlic, and cilantro.

Jocón de Pollo
Jocón is a thick spicy green stew that is often referred to as a soup.  The base of the sauce is made up of tomatillos, green onions, cilantro, parsley, garlic, onion, green bell peppers, and green tomatoes. Jocón is delicious while quick and easy to prepare.

Chiles Rellenos en Salsa de Tomate
Guatemalan chiles rellenos are different from the Mexican version of chiles rellenos.  This famous Guatemalan dish is made up of simple stuffed chilies.  Stuffed inside the chilies is a mixture of minced meat, carrots, green beans, and other spices. The stuffed chilies are then covered in an egg batter and fried.  Guatemalan chiles rellenos are often served with a tomato sauce on top.

Hilachas
Hilachas are a popular Guatemalan dish made shredded beef and potatoes that are simmered in a recado (tomato-based) sauce.  This typical dish is usually served with rice and tortillas.

Frijoles Colorados con Carne de Cerdo
This dish is very typical in Guatemalan households.  The red beans are cooked in a base sauce made from a puree of tomatoes, tomatillos, chilies, onions, and garlic.  They are typically prepared with pork.  This is generally served with rice and tortillas.

Tamales
There are many kinds of tamales in Guatemala and differ depending on the contents of the filling and the wrappers of the tamales.  There are typically three base fillings such as corn, rice, or potatoes.  These base fillings then include either meat, fruit or nuts.  And finally, they are wrapped in either leaves or corn husks.

El Frijol Feliz gives you the option to make one style of tamale.  A typical Tamale is made from corn masa and a red sauce made from red bell peppers, chilies, tomatoes, onions, and capers.  The filling is then enclosed in banana leaves.  Chuchitos are made from the same corn masa as the regular tamale but are much firmer and are wrapped in corn husks.  Paches are made from mashed potatoes mixed with the same red sauce as the traditional tamales.  The paches are then folded into tamales using banana leaves.

Tamales Negros

SECOND OPTIONS

Tortillas
Guatemalan tortillas are made from corn.  Almost all typical Guatemalan meals include either rice or tortillas.

Guacamole
Guacamole Guatemalan style uses fresh and ripe local aguacates.  Local guacamole is prepared with onions, lime, salt, and oregano.

Traditional Guatemalan Rice
Guatemalan rice is usually prepared with carrots and bell peppers shredded into the cooked rice.  It is traditionally served with beans, or dishes such as Hilachas, Pepián, or Jocón.

Picado de Rábano
This radish salad traditionally accompanies many Guatemalan meals.  This refreshing salad is composed of radishes, mint, salt, and lime juice.  It is called Chojín when you add chicharrones, which are fried pork rinds.

Chilaquilas de Güisquil
These Chilaquilas, not to be confused with the Mexican Chilaquiles, are made from güisquil a hard green squash. The güisquil are bolded and sliced and filled with cheese and fried in an egg batter.  They are usually served with a tomato sauce.

Frijoles Volteados
This is the Guatemalan version of refried beans.  These black beans take a while to prepare from start to finish.  The “volteado” or turned in Spanish signifies the final flip of the beans in the pan.  You can find frijoles volteados every day of the week on Guatemalan plates for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Tortitas de Papa
Tortitas can be made out of meat or vegetables and are common in Guatemalan cooking. Tortitas de Carne (meat), typically make up the main dish but when made from vegetables, they can make a great side dish.  Tortitas are small fried patties.  Tortitas de Papa are made by mashing up cooked potatoes with eggs and rolling the patty in flour before frying.

Tortitas de Arroz
These Tortitas de Arroz are small fried patties made up of rice.  Tortitas de Arroz are made by mixing cooked rice with eggs and rolling the patty in flour before frying.

Ponche
This Guatemalan fruit punch is served for Christmas.  Ponche is made by boiling finely diced fruits in water such as pineapple, apples, papaya, plantains, shaved coconut, raisins, and prunes.  Its spices include cinnamon and a touch of ginger.  This drink is traditionally served hot.

Tamalito de Elote

Tamalito de Loroco

Tamalito de Chipilin

DESSERTS

Rellenitos de Plátano
This delicious dessert is made from mashed plantains which are filled with sweetened refried black beans and chocolate and then fried to make this traditional Guatemalan treat.

Mole de Plátanos
This popular dessert is made from fried plantains mixed in the Guatemalan Mole sauce.  Traditional Guatemalan Mole is quite different from the Mexican version of Mole.  The Mole sauce is a base of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chilies, tomatoes, cinnamon and chocolate.  This rich sauce is a local Guatemalan favorite.

Camote en Dulce
This delicious dessert is made by boiling sweet potatoes in water, sugar, and cinnamon to make a sweet syrup.  Camote en Dulce is traditionally eaten November through January. (When in season)

Buñuelos Rapidos
Buñuelos are essentially deep fried bread served with syrup.  These golden brown desserts taste like a French bread and are also served around holidays or typically Christmas and the month of December.

Arroz con Leche
This traditional dessert is made from sweetened hot milk and rice and seasoned with cinnamon. Arroz con Leche can be eaten in the morning as a cereal or as a dessert.

Molletes Rellenos
Molletes are made using Guatemalan sweet bread, which are filled with manjar (custard) and soaked in sweet syrup.  It’s more traditional to eat molletes during fairs or holidays such as Easter Week, during Lent or All Saints Day, but can be eaten any time of the year.