Tamales

One of the best ways to use your freshly made nixtamal is to grind it into a dough from which you’ll make tamales.  Traditionally, tamales are made using lard as the shortening.  Here we’re using some type of vegetable oil to allow the tamale dough to be vegan/vegetarian.  We were successful using either liquid oil or palm (dendê) oil which – like lard – is solid at room temperature.  The palm oil also had the added advantage of giving the tamale dough a rich orange-yellow color and subtle savory flavor. 

We present two fillings:  one a vegan spicy mushroom filling adapted from Rick Bayless' 1996 Mexican Kitchen, and the other a simple cheese and green chili filling of our own creation - evocative of New Mexico. 

While the recipe looks involved, once you get the hang of folding the tamales and packing them into a steamer, you’ll find that you can go from raw ingredients to a packed steamer in less than an hour.  And tamale-making is a great thing to do with friends and family! About 90 minutes of steaming later you’ll have the best tamales you’ve ever eaten.

Tamale Dough

20-24 dry horn husks (hojas)
1 pound coarsely ground masa dough (see nixtamal recipe)
½ cup canola or corn oil or 2/3 cup palm (dendê) oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt

Place the dry hojas in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.  Remove from heat and weight with a plate smaller in diameter than the pot to keep the husks submerged.  Let stand for an hour.

In a mixer beat the masa and baking powder with oil until the batter becomes light in texture (about 1 minute).  While continuing to beat the batter, slowly pour in the broth.  If not the consistency of a soft cake batter add in some additional broth.  Add in 1 teaspoon salt.  Continue mixing for another 2 minutes.  Let mixture firm up in the refrigerator while you make the filling. 

Spicy Mushroom Filling

½ pound fresh poblano (ancho) chilies
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
1 medium white onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon dry Mexican oregano leaves, crumbled
½ teaspoon dry thyme leaf
1 pound chopped tomatoes (if fresh, please blanch and skin)
12 oz sliced Crimini or white button mushrooms
1 teaspoon salt

First roast the poblano chilies over a hot burner.  Rotate the chilies until the skin is blistered and blacked all over.  Place the roasted chilies in a plastic bag to steam for 5 minutes.  Remove from bag and rinse under cold water to remove the charred skins.  Open the chilies and remove the seeds.  Cut into ¼ x 2” strips. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high.  When the oil is hot add in the onion and sauté, stirring frequently until translucent – about 5 minutes.  Add in the minced garlic, Mexican oregano and thyme and fry for another minute.  Now add in the prepared poblano, tomatoes, and mushrooms.  Continue sautéing for another 10 minutes until the mixture has reduced and thickened so that it holds it shape in a spoon.  Season with salt.  Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Green Chile and Cheese Filling

Slice a 1 pound of Muenster or Jack cheese into ¼” slices.  Coarsely chop 1 cup of roasted green chilies.   

Tamale Assembly and Cooking

Choose the nicest 18 hojas.  If you are using a canning kettle to steam the tamales, make sure that there is at least a 1” deep rack in the bottom, and then use ½ of the remaining hojas to line the bottom. 

Take a hoja, lay it in front of you, and pat if dry.  Spread ¼-1/3 cup of the tamale batter to an equal depth across the hoja, leaving at least a 2” clear border on all sides.  Spoon roughly 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of the batter. Fold the sides together to enclose the filling in masa dough.  To close the packet, fold the unfilled pointed bottom piece of husk up over the tamale, and pack tightly into the seamer, folded bottom end down and open masa-filled end up.  You can also consider tearing off 1/8 wide hoja strips and use these as string to tie together the folded uncooked tamale.  Stack into the steamer, open side facing up.

Once you have used all the tamale dough and filling, make sure that the raw tamales are tightly packed into the steamer as if not they will open and spill out all their contents during steaming. Consider using water-filled pint canning jars to fill up any extra space.  Cover the top of the tamales with the remaining unused soaked hojas.

Fill with enough water to come at least ½ way up the raw tamales.  Place the steamer over high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce to medium.  Cover and cook for at least 90 minutes.  When the tamales are done the hoja is easily peeled from the masa without tearing the tamale.  Remove from steamer and serve while still warm.       

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