Tamales are a traditional Mexican wrap made from masa, a corn dough, and fillings, then wrapped and steamed in a corn husk. Nili Olalde fittingly associates them with the wintertime, as they are served warm with a little spice that warms from the inside out.
“I love tamales because I would have them every winter growing up,” Olalde said.
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Ingredients
Method
- Get 1 bag of dried corn husks and put them in a pot of water for 15-20 minutes. Remove from water when they’re flexible to work with.
- While the husks are soaking, make the masa mixture.
- Add to a large bowl
- 4 cups of corn flour
- 3 cups warm water
- 1 cup of lard or shortening
- 1 ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- Add Chile sauce to the masa for flavor. Add about ⅓ cup or to taste.
- Mix the ingredients until the consistency is a soft dough-like. Add additional 1 cup of warm water if needed, make sure the mixture isn’t too runny.
- Have an assembly line of your bowl of masa, filling, corn husks, a plate to make the tamales on and a big pan to put them in.
- Grab a corn husk, have the smoother side facing up and the wide end facing you. Add 1 spoonful of masa and spread it halfway down the husk
- Add 1 spoonful of your filling, and place it in the middle of the husk and masa.
- Fold the husk vertically so all the masa and filling are encased. Then fold the husk horizontally. (If you are making multiple types of tamales at the same time, add a tie to the 2nd type so you can differentiate.)
- Get a tamale pot and add water until the ridge line.
- Add the tray that comes with the tamale maker; it’ll sit towards the bottom of the pot and has holes to allow the steam to rise.
- Add the tamales on top of the tray.
- When all the tamales are added, then put the lid on.
- Turn the burner onto medium heat and cook for 1-2 hours.
- Use tongs to take out the tamales. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes, then take the husk off and enjoy
