Tamales are eaten like the American sandwich and sold as street food throughout most of Central America. The dish is made up of ” masa “, that is, corn paste stuffed with meat, vegetables, or fish enclosed in a banana leaf or in the absence of a cob leaf. In this article, we read about How to make tamales?
They are eaten as a quick snack or as a real lunch accompanied by a tortilla and a sauce of your choice. Below I show you a recipe that can be cooked with different variations of filling, chosen according to your taste.
The ingredients to make tamales
The Masa to make tamales
- 6 cups of cornmeal
- 5 cups of chicken broth or water flavored with spices and vegetables
- 1 tablespoon of cumin
- 1 and a half tablespoons of salt
- 30 grams of butter
The Stuffing to make tamales
- 3 cups of meat of your choice
- 1 pepper cut into slices, peeled, and removed the seeds
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- olives
- raisins
- tomato sauce
- various spices of your choice
- pepper
- Salt to taste
- chili pepper
- spicy chili
- olive oil
Preparation to make tamales
For the masa:
In a saucepan, pour the cornmeal and gradually add the water or broth so as not to form lumps. Bring everything to a boil while continuing to mix until it reaches a fairly compact consistency.
Then add the butter, cumin, salt, and other spices if desired. Once amalgamated, pass the contents into a container and let it rest in the fridge until the mixture is used.
Banana leaves or corn cob leaves:
Place the leaves in a saucepan and cover with warm water. Leave to rest and cover each leaf with water. Once softened, remove them and let them dry but not completely.
They need to stay a little wet so that it is easy to fold and handle the leaf.
For the stuffing:
Brown the onion, garlic, and pepper with a little olive oil. Once the desired cooking is reached, blend reducing the mixture to a sauce. Add the ready-made tomato purée and heat over low heat.
Take a kitchen aluminum foil and lay it on the work surface. Above this is the leaf. Over the leaf, put a generous spoonful of masa and stuff with the filling. Add a piece of meat (still to be cooked), an olive, and three or four raisins.
Take the leaf and close it like a gift package and do the same with the aluminum foil. Continue with all the other leaves until the mixture used up.
Cook everything in a steamer or place the tamales in a high pot and fill with water. Let it cook for about an hour, also calculating the cooking time for the type of meat chosen.
Serve the leaves with the tamal inside and add a little tomato sauce, if leftover, to taste. Good provecho!
Also read: how to clean a cast-iron pan
