Hi @carolynstahl !
I felt super happy when I saw this recipe for vegan hallacas, and not only happy, but honored because you were motivated to make this super complex recipe and it turned out WONDERFUL, I think it's the best vegan hallaca recipe I've ever seen in my life.
Yesterday I was talking to mom about your post. I told her about the tamales you had previously shared, and she told me: "Remind her that hallaca is a job that requires love, that's why it's done as a family, and generally only at Christmas, because it's so laborious, which requires everyone to collaborate to make a unique dish." And yes, mom is right, this is a dish that we generally make as a family in Venezuela, because it is complex; but the laborious gives way to a unique family experience, in which we come together to celebrate and share that, our roots and our sense of family.
Regarding your recipe, it is PERFECT, and I don't think you tied the hallacas wrong, what's more, it was great to use the jute twine, because it is strong and they are better tied. For your first time making this dish, they have been super neat. As for the achiote, when you prepare it like this, heating the seeds in oil, the flavor is milder. We in Venezuela do not use achiote paste, only onotado oil, and if you pay attention, its flavor is a bit sweet, it is very particular. Another key ingredient in the preparation of the hallaca is "ají dulce", which only occurs in Venezuela, although I know that other South American countries have been able to cultivate it, but I know that it is very difficult to find.
I remember that when I was little, at home, every Christmas, we made about 600 hallacas, (of course, they were not vegan), and mom and dad gave gifts to the neighbors or to my uncles, my grandparents and cousins. We also froze them in the freezer, well wrapped in plastic bags and then we had hallacas to eat until February. It was always nice to open that package and discover a world of love expressed in such a special dish.
Thank you very much for having made this recipe so Venezuelan, and for having fully respected its essence.
I hope you have a great year 2023. A hug.