Ok, my Mexican husband (I’m white) is no longer on speaking terms with his entire family, we are trying to recreate his grandma’s tamales. So far this is what he remembers. Please, please help with some recipes
by emuqueen1
Mexican Food
14 Comments
Hi, White. I am depressed.
That’s… Literally 0 to work on, what’s the filling, what region is he from, there are 1000 tamal styles.
Ok. Boil tomatillos and chilli Pequín ,once boiled drain water all of it. Put in blender add salt to taste. Boil pork butt or pork shoulder with salt ,garlic ,onion. Shred add to chilli verde sauce. Buy pot that are specifically for tamales. Only have 1 person mess with the maíz if you have more then one person mess with it. It won’t turn out good. Tamales are steamed ,leave corn husk leafs In water for like a hour before you put the maíz on them ,Sorry I’m bad at explaining things Good luck.
This is a very good recipe
https://youtu.be/Fwmbcg0c7WU
( I’m Mexican)
For the green chicken filling: tomatillo, onion, garlic, jalapeño (you use chile de árbol as well) salt and pepper to taste. Boil the tomatillo just until it changes color, blend everything in the mixer (without water), and throw the mix to a pot with hot oil, bring to boil, low the heat add your previously cooked shredded chicken and bring to a simmer for idk 10 minutes.
For the red pork filling: basically the same thing, boil the tomatos, guajillo(is not as spicy and tastes amazing), and dried chillis of your preference. Blend that with garlic, onion, cumin, bayleaf. Throw the mix to a pot with hot oil, add salt to taste and bring to boil. Add your previously cooked pork shoulder, low the heat and bring to simmer for a couple minutes.
For the masa mixture: masa, pork fat, chicken bouillon, salt to taste anddd some water until you have the preferred consistency.
I’m mexican who likes to cook a lot, though where I’m from, we make tamales a little different. We use banana leafs instead of corn husk. The masa mix is way way way WAY more liquidy than what some other states are used to and we cook the pork pieces with the tamal (we add it raw). If you have any further questions dont hesitate to ask
My abuelita used to do a mixture of pork and beef for her tamales. She would boil tomatoes, chile de arbol and guajillos, and some onion together until soft. Pour a little of the boiling water into the blender along with the tomatoes and the chiles and onion, and blend til smooth. If you’ve got a powerful blender you won’t need to strain, but if not, it’s best to strain through a fine mesh sieve.
Now for the meat, she always preferred the texture of shredded meat to cubed, so that’s how we ate ours. She slow cooked hers with her own blend of spices, onions, and garlic. (We *think* she used cinnamon, oregano, cloves, black pepper, and some knorr chicken powder. I’ll have to call and ask). She also used a can of beer; Modelo Especial was my Tio’s favorite, so it was always in the house.
Once the meat was tender and easily shreddable, she would add in the tomato/chile mixture, and cook for about 20-25 minutes. Then, we simply made the tamales as normal.
I hope that helps!
You need to add more salt to the masa even if it’s salted so it tastes oversalted raw when it’s steamed the flavor balances out, and the flavor is just right. If you’re masa isn’t salty then the tamales will come out a little bland. I also prefer soft airy tamales (not compact) so I like to add olive oil & beat the masa for minutes on end until it reaches a creamy consistency. Instead of water to your masa add chicken broth…even better if you have some homemade broth from the filling.
I like to soak the leaves in a clean sink in hot water until they soften. Remove all bugs & such. Also trying different masa from different tiendas until you find one you like best. Loads of videos on YouTube to help in English & Spanish
Watch this with your husband! I love this ladies recipes! She has other recipes for tamales too but this is a great base for the masa. [Tamales](https://youtu.be/h_kbN4cLmJI)
Also a good way to test your masa is to drop a teaspoon in a cup of water, if it floats then it’s ready to use. Don’t ask me why, it’s just what my parents do lol I think if it doesn’t float then you need to add more manteca.
Had no idea you could get masa pre-made – would try making now.
you can do this! congratulations on your journey to make this a part of your family’s home culture. before anything starts with the masa. add the husks into warm almost hot water and separate. then start work on the masa (this masa looks like it needs more preparation beyond whats in the bag, because if its premixed it’s usually labeled ‘ masa preparada’) if you have a stand mixer the masa and pork fat can be mixed that way; if not add the pork fat little by little to the masa and knead by hand until it seems integrated ( best thing to use is a dishpan/bowl/ pot that is big enough to knead the dough and lard together) you’ll know its ready because you’ll notice less lard chunks and a creamier spreadable mixture. you’ll also know the corn husks are ready because they become pliable and foldable. when your masa is mixed good enough you can spread onto the leaves add filing then fold the tamal or you can add a golfball size mound and make a little well for your filling, tie it up like a candy 🍬 on each side with string made from the husks themselves. experiment with different sizes and enjoy the process, its whats brought families together for centuries! If you have an instapot cook them in there ( theres a youtube on how and its super easy). if no instapot theres tons of tutorials on how people steam them. if you have any unmixed corn masa left there are recipes for ‘atole’ and ‘champurado’ which are thick corn drinks people enjoy with tamales. if you’ve made enough tamales and you have dough left… its perfect for making gorditas, sopes, or huaraches. much success to you and your partner!!
Something no one is telling you yet… the husk has a good “side” to put the batter and filling on. After you have soaked the husks in water, pass a finger and feel the texture. The smooth side is the one you put the batter on, and the rough, textured side goes on the outside. You will make long thin strips to tie the ends with.
It is a bit tricky to assemble, I recommend looking for a youtube video so you can see someone else do it and try to copy their technique.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll try to keep my tamale team small. Hopefully they won’t fight over the maíz!
Step 1. Have a nice tall glass of warm manteca de puerco to clam your nerves.
I have made tamales in different ways, but my most successful ones started and ended in my InstantPot. Did the meat in there, then performed the final steam in it as well. Speeds up the total time for making them by quite a bit. Have fun with it, if you have good masa, it is difficult to screw them up!