Tamales

Ingredients

Masa

• 1 kgmasa harina for tamales, or fresh masa
• 350 glard, manteca
• 1 litrewarm broth
• 2 tspbaking powder
• 2 tspsalt

Red filling

• 1 kgpork shoulder, cooked and shredded
• 6guajillo chillies
• 3ancho chillies
• 2chipotle
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 tsporegano
• the cooking broth

Green filling

• 800 gchicken, shredded
• 700 gtomatillos
• 3serrano chillies
• 1 bunchcoriander
• 1onion

Wrapping

• 50dried corn husks, soaked in hot water for an hour

To serve

• atole or champurrado
• salsa
• on Candelaria, 2 February

Directions

1. Beat it on its own for five minutes or more, until it is pale, doubled in volume and holds soft peaks. Use real pork lard if you can, since it has both the flavour and the structure for this. Add the warm broth a little at a time, still beating.
2. Use broth rather than water, and the broth from cooking the meat rather than a fresh one. Beat it for a further 10 minutes. It should become light, soft and spreadable, roughly the texture of thick buttercream.
3. Season it well and taste it, because bland masa is the most common fault and the filling cannot save it. Drop a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water. If it floats, enough air has been beaten in and the tamales will be light.
4. Soak the dried corn husks in hot water for at least an hour, weighted down. They must be fully pliable, since dry husks split as you fold them. Toast them for seconds only. Soak them in hot water for 20 minutes, then blend with garlic, cumin, oregano and a little soaking liquid.
5. Strain the sauce through a sieve, which removes the skins and gives a smooth result. Fry the strained sauce in a little lard for 10 minutes until it darkens and thickens.
6. Stir the shredded pork through it. Lay a husk with the wide end toward you and the smooth side up. Spread about 3 tablespoons of masa over the wide half, in a rectangle, leaving a border at the sides and the top. Spread it thin, about 5 mm. Too much masa gives a stodgy tamal, and the ratio should favour the masa only slightly over the filling.
7. Spoon filling down the centre. Fold so masa meets masa, which seals the filling inside a tube of dough rather than leaving it against the husk. Fold the narrow tail end up and leave the top open. Tie with a strip of husk if you like, though it is not required.
8. Stand them upright in the steamer, open end up, packed closely. Standing them upright with the open end up stops the filling running out, and packing them close keeps them from falling over.
9. Put a coin in the water underneath, an old trick: it rattles while there is water and goes silent when the pot boils dry. Cover with a layer of husks and a cloth, then the lid. Steam for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes. Do not lift the lid for the first hour, which lets the steam out and adds a great deal of time.
10. Top up with boiling water only, never cold. Take one out and let it rest 5 minutes, then open it. It is done when the masa peels cleanly away from the husk and is firm rather than sticky.
11. Let them rest 15 minutes before serving, which is when the masa sets properly. Serve them in their husks with salsa, and with atole or champurrado to drink. The husk is never eaten, which is worth mentioning to anyone new to them.

Technique

• The float test for the masa is a genuine density check and worth doing.
• Oaxacan tamales are wrapped in banana leaf and are flatter.
• They freeze extremely well cooked and are re-steamed from frozen.

Substitutions

• Vegetable shortening in place of lard, which works but loses flavour.
• Banana leaves in place of corn husks, in the southern style.

Variations

• Tamales verdes, with tomatillo and chicken.
• Tamales dulces, sweet, with raisins and pink-dyed masa.
• Oaxacan tamales in banana leaf with mole negro.

History

Maize parcels steamed in husks for over five thousand years in Mesoamerica; portable food for armies, they still mark Candelaria on 2 February.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tamales?

Tamales is a main from Mexico: masa steamed in husks or banana leaves with savory fillings. Maize parcels steamed in husks for over five thousand years in Mesoamerica; portable food for armies, they still mark Candelaria on 2 February.

How long does Tamales take to make?

Tamales takes 2 hr plus soaking of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 24. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Tamales?

Yes, within limits. Vegetable shortening in place of lard, which works but loses flavour. Banana leaves in place of corn husks, in the southern style.

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

Use broth rather than water, and the broth from cooking the meat rather than a fresh one. Beat it for a further 10 minutes. It should become light, soft and spreadable, roughly the texture of thick buttercream.