Ready Made Masa For Tamales Recipes

REAL HOMEMADE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
• Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
• Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
• Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.

MOM'S TRADITIONAL MEXICAN TAMALES RECIPE

Steps:

• Tamale Meat
• Cook meat, garlic and salt in a slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours on high. Place in refrigerator and chill. Remove meat from refrigerator and remove solidified fat from top. Drain off liquid, reserving one cup to use in masa. Shred meat with a fork.
• Tamale Sauce
• Lightly brown the flour in the oil in a stockpot over medium high heat. Stir in tomato sauce, red chile sauce and salt, cook until thickened. Cool to room temperature before using. Stir sauce into meat.
• Tamale Masa
• Beat lard with a stand mixer to the consistency of whipped cream (takes about 15 minutes on highest setting). Add masa a little at a time in small, golfball sized pieces. Sprinkle salt and baking powder over the masa and mix well while adding more masa. Slowly add the beef broth into whipped lard and masa mixture. Continue whipping the mixture until a small spoonful of masa floats in cold water.
• Tamale Assembly and Cooking
• Spread ¼ to ⅓ cup masa on corn husks, a little thicker than ¼ inch thick. Spread a rectangle that covers husks except 2 inches at bottom and 1 inch at top. Place about 2 tablespoons of filling in center and add one ripe black olive. Roll together so that masa completely encircles filling. Fold bottom end up and place upright in a steamer, folded side down. Steam for about 40 minutes when fresh, or 90 minutes when frozen.

VEGAN TAMALES RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak corn husks in warm water for 30 minutes to soften.
• To make the dough, add masa, baking powder, salt and ground cumin to a large and mix well. Add corn oil and vegetable stock and mix with your hands until a dough is formed.
• To make the filling, heat diced onion, corn oil and minced garlic over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cayenne, diced mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are tender, about another 3-5 minutes, then stir in the vegan cheese and set aside.
• Once corn husks are softened, drain and dry. Place a single husk down on a flat surface to begin making your tamales!
• Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of masa dough and gently flatten out in your hands. Place dough in the middle of the thicker end of the corn husk and continue flattening out until you create a roughly 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
• Add 2 tbsp filling to the center of the masa. Fold husk in half longways to cover enclose the filling inside the masa, then fold the other side over like a burrito and gently squish down.
• Fold the smaller end up and secure by tying a string of a corn husk twice. Place tamale in a steamer and continue with remaining filling and masa.
• Steam tamales for about 30-35 minutes, or until the masa pulls away from the husk. Take off corn husk and enjoy with salsa!

FRESH MASA FOR TAMALES

Steps:

• Note: If you are using a hand mixer, divide the ingredients in half and mix in 2 batches. This amount of masa and lard will burn out a hand mixer.
• Beat lard with a stand mixer (or a hand mixer and two large bowls) to the consistency of whipped cream (takes about 15 minutes on highest setting).
• Add 1/3 of masa a little at a time in small, golfball sized pieces.
• Sprinkle baking powder and salt over the lard mixture. Beat until well combined.
• Add remaining masa a little at a time in small, golfball sized pieces.
• With the mixer on slow speed, add the beef broth into whipped lard and masa mixture while the mixer is going.
• Turn the mixer to high and continue whipping the mixture until a small spoonful of masa floats in cold water.

CHICKEN TAMALES WITH SALSA VERDE RECIPE

Steps:

• First you'll soak the corn husks so they soften up and will be easier to fold. Place the corn husks in a large pot of hot water.
• Press the husks into the water to ensure they're completely covered.
• Soak the husks for 20 minutes, drain and set aside to dry.
• Thinly slice the white onion. Stack a few slices at a time, cut slices into quarters and set aside.
• Slice and dice the garlic.
• Cut the chicken breast into 1-inch chunks.
• Heat a pot over medium-high heat and pour in the olive oil.
• Add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Add salt, then the garlic and cook until onions are soft.
• Sprinkle the chicken with salt. Stir and cook over medium heat until the chicken has browned.
• Next, pour in the water to cover the chicken and vegetables completely. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The broth will darken as the chicken cooks.
• Drain the chicken and vegetables and reserve the chicken broth for use in the masa.
• Separate the chicken and the vegetables into different plates and finely shred the chicken with your hands.
• Set aside the chicken and onions for the filling.
• Slice and quarter the tomatillos.
• Slice the Poblano chili lengthwise, remove the veins and seeds, and cut into 1-inch slices.
• Place the tomatillo quarters and the Poblano chili slices into a pot of water and add salt.
• Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables change color.
• Once cooked, drain the veggies by pressing into the strainer to be sure you remove all the broth. Reserve the broth to use in the Make the Masa step below.
• Pour the drained vegetables into your blender and blend until smooth.
• Pour the shredded chicken into a large bowl and add the onions.
• Next, pour the salsa over the chicken and onion mixture and stir to combine. Your filling is now ready!
• Place your room-temperature vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Alternatively you could use a hand mixer or beat by hand.
• Beat until light and fluffy.
• Pour the baking powder into the bowl with the shortening.
• Then add the corn flour.
• Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of salt and mix until combined.
• Pour in about ½ cup of the reserved vegetable broth from the Make the Salsa step above and mix until combined. Note that the liquid measurements are just a guide. Keep an eye on the dough to ensure it's not too wet or crumbly.
• Pour in ½ cup of the chicken broth little by little, being careful not to add too much liquid.
• Mix until combined. The dough should be spongy, not wet. Follow the next step to test the texture of your masa. If you've added too much liquid, you can balance out the dough with more corn flour.
• Fill a glass with warm water and take a small chunk of the masa from the mixing bowl.
• Drop the masa into the glass of water. If it floats, your masa is perfect! If not, beat in a little more shortening for about a minute and then test again.
• Take your corn husks and cut straight across the top or bottom edge.
• When you unfold the husk, the top edge should be wide and straight, and the bottom edge longer.
• Lay a corn husk flat in your hand with the straight, wide edge facing toward you. With the other hand, scoop about 2 to 3 tablespoons of masa into the husk.
• Spread the masa evenly about ⅔ across the straight edge of the husk and halfway down. You'll need the empty space to fold the tamales over.
• Scoop about a tablespoon of chicken filling and place on top of the masa in the husk. Spread evenly in the center of the dough.
• Fold over one half of the corn husk toward the center to cover the filling, then fold over the other half.
• Fold the bottom of the corn husk under your tamale. You now have a perfectly folded tamale!
• Place your folded tamale in a plate and repeat with the remaining corn husks.
• Add a few cups of water to a steamer pot and heat until the water is hot.
• Tip: Once the water is hot, drop a few coins in. If you hear the coins rattling as you heat your tamales, that means there's enough water in the pot. Once the coins stop rattling, it's time to add more water to the pot.
• You're now ready to place the steamer rack in the pot and heat your tamales. Alternatively you could use a stockpot with a steamer basket as long as you can get a good seal when you cover your pot.
• Place your tamales into the steamer upright with the open part of the husk at the top, being careful not to crush them.
• Once you've added all of your tamales to the steamer, cover and steam over medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until cooked. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
• Your tamales are now ready to eat! Serve with a side of white rice or beans, or eat them as they are. Enjoy!