Oaxacan Black Bean Tamales Recipes

BLACK BEAN TAMALES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the lard, either by hand or using an electric mixer until it changes to a whiter color.
• Add the cornflour and mix well. Before adding the pork cracklings, place them inside a plastic bag, and using a kitchen mallet or wooden rolling pin, slightly smash them. And add them to the dough mix. Then, stir in the black beans, and with your hands or a wooden spoon, mix them with the corn dough
• Once you have the corn flour, lard, beans and pork crackling integrated, slowly pour the chicken broth into the mixture. Mix using your mixer or with your hands, now taste to check if it needs salt. Season with salt if needed. Since the beans and pork cracklings are already seasoned, you have to be careful when adding salt. Remember that steaming the tamales reduces a little bit of the saltiness. Your dough will look a little bit like cookie dough when ready.
• To prepare the banana leaves for wrapping your black bean tamales, first, you need to remove the ribs of the banana leaves using some kitchen scissors, cut the leaves into pieces. To soften them, we will place them, one by one, over an open flame on your stove. The shiny side of the leaf will be facing down, and at the contact with the flame, the upper side will start changing to a bright green color. Make sure you move the leaf all over to soften it completely. Once all the leaves are ready, rinse them with warm water to clean, and pat dry with a paper towel.
• To form the black bean tamales, Place 4 tablespoons of the dough mixture in the center of the banana leaf if you are using the Hoja Santa, add a little piece on top of the dough. Wrap the tamal, fold the first one side of the center, and the other side towards the center, and do the same
• process with the ends of the banana leaf in order to form a small rectangular package.
• Place already formed tamales into Tamal Steamer or big pot. If you don't have a Tamal Steamer, you can improvise, by placing large pieces of crinkled aluminum foil at the bottom of the pot and then adding some of the leftover banana leaves or ribs to form a barrier to avoid contact with the bottom of the pot.
• Add 2 1/2 cups of hot water to the pot, cover the tamales with more banana leaves or with aluminum foil. Place the lid and cook and medium heat for one hour and 15 minutes. Wait at least 20 minutes before serving, to allow the tamales to cool down, and the dough to firm up. These tamales are usually served with a tomato sauce. Cook 1 large tomato and 2 habanero peppers until soft, discard cooking water, place tomatoes and peppers in your blender, process until smooth, season with salt.Enjoy your black bean tamales with a tomato sauce.

BEAN TAMALES (TAMELES DE FRIJOLES)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for a few hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Place ancho chiles in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Combine ancho chiles, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and a little water in a blender; blend salsa until smooth. Strain through a sieve.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 the salsa and cook, 3 to 5 minutes. Add refried beans, stir well, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Beat lard with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add masa and beat until well combined. Add remaining salsa and continue beating until dough has a uniform red color.
• Select 1 wide corn husk. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Place 1 tablespoon of beans and 1 jalapeno slice in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

TAMALES DE FRIJOL (OAXACAN BLACK BEAN TAMALES)

Steps:

• Make the filling: In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by about 2 inches and soak overnight. The next day, drain the beans and transfer to a large pot. Add the onion, garlic, avocado leaves, salt and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Cook, skimming any foam, until the beans are very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Cool for 15 minutes, then set a large strainer over a large bowl and drain. Transfer the beans, onion, garlic and 1 cup cooking liquid to a blender or food processor. Blend, adding more liquid as needed to get the machine going and to form an almost smooth puree. The consistency should be soft and spreadable, but not soupy. Season to taste with salt and cool to room temperature. Discard the avocado leaves and any remaining cooking liquid.
• While the beans cool, prepare for tamales: Heat the oil in a small saucepan until just smoking, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. If you don't have plastic rounds for a tortilla press, cut off the edges of a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag to form two 10-inch squares of plastic. If you don't have a press, get out a heavy flat-bottomed large skillet.
• Heat a banana leaf on a griddle or large flat pan over high heat, turning and pressing flat until pliable and shiny, 15 to 30 seconds. Transfer to a work surface. Repeat with the remaining leaves, stacking them to keep them all warm and soft.
• In a large bowl, tear the masa into smaller chunks then add the salt and gradually add the cooled oil while kneading in. Continue kneading with both hands by punching down the mixture, then squeezing it between your fingers before gathering it into a mass and pushing it back down. Knead until the oil isn't visible and the masa is very smooth and soft.
• Assemble the tamales: Roll a 1/3 cup masa into a ball and flatten between the plastic by hand into a 1-inch-thick disk. Press in a tortilla press or against the counter using a skillet to form a tortilla-thin round (scant 1/8-inch-thick). Peel off the top plastic, keeping the masa on the bottom piece. Spread the bean filling evenly over the masa's entire surface in a thin layer (about 3 tablespoons). Using the plastic, lift the left edge and fold an inch in towards the center, then peel back the plastic and flatten it against the counter. Repeat on the right. Spread filling over the folded edges (about 1 teaspoon per side). Using the plastic, lift up the bottom third and fold it over the center as if folding a letter. Cover with filling (about 1 teaspoon), then use the plastic to lift the top and fold it over to enclose. Center an avocado leaf on top. Place the tamal upside down on a soft banana leaf and place another avocado leaf on top. Trim the leaves to fit if needed. Wrap in the banana leaf, folding in one long side, then the bottom, then the other side and rolling to enclose the end. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Fit a steamer or colander into a large, deep pot and add enough water to almost reach its bottom. Stack the tamales flat in the steamer, leaving an empty space in the center. Cover with the reserved remaining banana leaves and then the lid. Bring the water to a boil and steam, replenishing with hot water as needed, until the masa is cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours. To test, unwrap a tamal and cut through the center to make sure there's no raw masa.
• Keep warm in the steamer off the heat until ready to serve. After unwrapping, the avocado leaves should be discarded before eating. The tamales can be cooled completely, then wrapped individually and frozen for up to 6 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then resteam in the banana leaves or unwrap and pan-fry in oil until hot and crisp.

BLACK BEAN AND OAXACA CHEESE EMPANADAS | EMPANADAS DE FRIJOLES NEGROS Y QUESO OAXACA

Steps:

• You'll need to prepare the mashed beans before beginning. Also it's important that they not be hot and preferably look warm or even cold out of the fridge is fine. Additionally pull the Oaxaca cheese apart -- it comes in a ball so you'll need to unravel it then pull and break up the long strings into smaller strips. Lastly, do prepare any salsa topping that you'd like to use. I used my tomato and arbol chile salsa and you can print that recipe from here.
• Heat up a comal/griddle or pan and when hot place the tomatoes on it and char evenly on all sides. Once they are blackened carefully remove from the heat and set aside. Now cut open the chiles and remove all of the seeds and veins, then place them on the hot surface and toast on both sides just for a couple of minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Once cooled place the tomatoes and the toasted chiles in a blender and add a splash of water just to get the blades going. Blend the ingredient until you achieve a smooth sauce consistency, set aside.
• In a large bowl combine the masa harina, salt, and baking powder -- stir well to distribute the ingredients. Make a well in the centre and pour in the tomato sauce. Use a wooden spoon or your very clean hands to work the sauce into the flour mixture. Once all of the tomato sauce has been incorporated begin adding some of the water onto the dough and continue to mix. Keep adding the water until the 1.5 cups has been used. At this time you may or may not need more water to achieve the smooth dough consistency. You want the dough to not stick to your hands any more, and to keep its form when you ball it up -- the consistency is like that of play-dogh. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Take the large clear sandwich bag and cut it so that you it can be large enough to cover the entire inside of the tortilla press. (If not using the press then you'll need two bags to place the dough balls in between and roll them out with the rolling pin) Once the dough has sat for 10 minutes divide it into either 10 large balls, set aside and do cover them so they don't dry out. Now take one ball and place it in the centre of the plastic bag covered tortilla press. Close the top press lid then use the little handle to flatten into a disk. You don't want to make it too thin otherwise the stuffing may spill out. Now take the disk and place about one heaping tablespoon of the mashed black beans into the centre, then add some strands of the cheese. Bring the two ends of the disk together to form a half moon and pinch the edges to seal. Set aside and repeat the whole process until all of the dough has been used.
• Line a large plate with a few paper towels and set it aside, also have a set of tongs ready to use. Heat the oil in a frying pan, I head the oil over medium heat and dip a wooden spoon into it to test the temperature. I know it's ready when the submerged spoon has bubbles forming around it -- the more technical way is to heat the oil to 365°F or 185°C. I used half of one regular sized bottle of vegetable oil for frying, you just need enough oil to submerge at least half of the empanada. Once the oil is hot enough, very carefully place an empanada into the oil. Depending on the size of your pan you may be able to fry two or more at a time. Fry on both sides until the empanadas are more golden and feel a bit crispy around the edges. Carefully remove from the hot oil and allow to drain off any excess oil on the paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool for a bit before serving. Serve with your salsa of choice as an appetiser or a light meal.

OAXACAN BLACK-BEAN TAMALES

Steps:

• Reconstitute the corn husks.
• In a small saucepan, combine the black beans, avocado leaves, lard, onion, and 3 cups water. Set saucepan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. With lid slightly ajar, simmer until the beans become very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add additional water as necessary if the beans begin to dry out during the cooking process.
• Remove and discard the avocado leaves from filling. Generously season filling with salt. Remove pan from heat, and set the filling aside to cool.
• Using a potato masher or a large spoon, coarsely mash the filling until it becomes thick enough to easily hold its shape when placed in a spoon.
• Assemble 16 tamales with the tamale batter and the black-bean filling, using large husks for wrappers and ties, and reserving smaller ones to line the steamer basket and cover the tamales.
• Prepare the steamer, and steam the tamales. Let the tamales stand until the batter has firmed. Serve the tamales warm with the chopped-tomato-and-serrano salsa.

RECIPES

Steps:

• For the masaSoak the dried corn husks in a large bowl filled with hot water. Place a heavy pot on top of the corn husks to submerge them in the water, and soak them for at least one hour prior to using them. Once pliable, rinse each corn husk under running water to remove debris.In a large bowl, mix the masa harina, baking powder, and sea salt together, then add the warm vegetable broth to the flour mixture. Mix in the broth using your hands to incorporate the broth into the flour to make a firm dough. In a mixer, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy, then add the masa dough little by little into the mixer until well mixed. Continue mixing the masa at a low-medium speed for about 5 minutes, scraping the masa off the sides of the mixing bowl during mixing. Add 2 tablespoons of TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce to the masa and mix sauce in with your hands until completely mixed in. Set masa aside while preparing the filling.For the fillingIn a medium pan, heat the olive oil and add the cooked black beans with some of its broth. Once beans begin to boil, add sea salt and mash the beans until creamy. Transfer the beans to a bowl and let them cool.To assemble the tamales, take each corn husks and using a spoon or spatula, spread two tablespoons of the masa onto the wide end of the corn husk. The masa should extend across the corn husk, except for 1 inch on the sides, and about 3 inches from the narrower top. Next, scoop about 1 tablespoon of the black bean filling and place in the middle of the masa from top to bottom. Add ½ ounce of Oaxaca cheese on top of the beans, then add 1 teaspoon of TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce on top of the filling. Then, fold the right side of the corn husk over the filling, and seal with the masa on the side and top of the filling. Fold over the left side of the corn husk tightly around the other side, and fold the narrow end of the corn husk up. You may cut strips from the corn husks to tie around each of the tamales for a more secure wrapping.Place the tamales in a steam pot with enough water to steam for about 40-45 minutes. The tamales should be placed into the pot standing tightly upright, filling-side up. You can secure the tamales with crumpled up aluminum foil so they don't fall over in the pot. Cover the tamales with extra corn husks to trap in the steam, and place the lid on top of the pot. The tamales are ready once the masa separates easily from the husk. If they need more time to cook, make sure to add more water to the pot before steaming longer.Let the tamales rest for about 10 minutes before unwrapping them. Remove corn husks from tamales and enjoy!