Tamales

You guys!  I made tamales!  They were time-consuming but so tasty!  Every tamal is a new reward, and honestly, I had fun putting these together.

Sunday was a real mix of emotions in the kitchen.  Each of us made something we'd been craving: Roommate M cooked up some Brazilian sweet rice, BF was on duty for a German cream-yogurt-fruit cake, and I: I made tamales.

M's rice came out lovely.  BF's cheesishcake, however, was not a success.  When he tried to whip the filling, it just ended up splashing everywhere.  No matter how long or hard the beaters worked, it wouldn't go.  We decided to add the fruit anyway, but it just curdled.  We had to throw it away untasted.

Such a disappointment.  

My dish worked out beautifully, though.  I hated to rub it in BF's face, but it really was awesome.

And he loved eating them - especially last night, a day after they were made.  He says they taste even better.  As for me, I'm saving my portion of the leftovers for Wednesday.

My friend and advisor on all things Mexican, Hugo of Cafe Azteca, had given me a recipe for the filling in December - the same time he sold me the corn husks you need to wrap around these parcels.  Yes, I've been sitting on those husks since then... Bad me, bad.  

This recipe needs a long time.  Set aside the better part of a day.  The meat should simmer for a couple of hours; the liquid you simmer in is left to cool then mixed with the dough; the corn-husk wrappers need to soak in hot water; assembly is pretty easy but time-consuming to a beginner; and THEN, when they've all been put together, they need at least an hour to steam.  Oof!

All things considered, though, these babies went down really smoothly!  I'd love to make more, but I'm out of dried corn husks and there aren't any Mexican import shops around here.  Shucks!

TAMALES

Recipe adapted from Alton Brown's Turkey Tamales and Cafe Azteca's Tamales

makes about 16 tamales

prep time: 1 hour

cook time: 2 hours (all told)

Ingredients

For the meat filling:

2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly toasted and ground cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 500g chicken fillets
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and finely minced

100-200g cheddar cheese, grated

half a can of raja peppers, chopped

For the wrappers:

• 2 dozen dried corn husks

For the dough:

• 250g masa harina (approximately 1 3/4 cups)
• 5g salt (1 tsp - adjust to taste)
• 20g baking powder (approximately 3 tbsp)
• 250g vegetable oil or margarine (approximately 1/4 cup)
• 1 to 2 cups reserved cooking liquid

Directions

For the meat filling:
Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 2 minutes. Add the garlic and chili and continue to cook for another minute.  Add the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt, and black pepper and heat for two minutes.  When the spices are fragrant, add the chicken, with enough water to completely cover the meat. Cover, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer.  (Alton Brown recommends 1.5 to 2 hours; I lasted about 45 minutes - also keep in mind I was cooking chicken rather than turkey.)
Remove the meat from the water, and set aside to cool. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Once the meat is cool enough to handle, shred with forks or fingers.  Mix in the cheese and rajas.  Set aside until ready to assemble.  

For the wrappers:

While the meat is cooking, place the husks in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.
If you don't have kitchen twine handy, find an extra-wide corn husk (or a broken one, should you have the misfortune) and tear off thin, quarter-inch lengthwise strips to tie the wrappers later on.

For the dough:

Place the masa, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the vegetable oil and, using your hands, knead together until the oil is well incorporated into the dry mixture. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 2 to 4 cups, to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.
Save the leftover cooking liquid for a soup, because it tastes amazing.

To assemble the tamales:
I've prepared a photo tutorial to accompany the instructions!  Excuse the untrained hand modeling.

Remove a corn husk from the hot water and pat to remove excess water. Lay the husk on a towel and spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. 

Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough.

Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat and fold the bottom under to finish creating the tamale.  

Repeat until all the husks, dough and filling are used. Tie the tamales around the center, using kitchen twine or strips of husk.

To steam the tamales:

Place a steamer basket in the bottom of an 11-quart pot and add enough water to come to the bottom of the basket. Stand the tamales close together on their folded ends and lean them in towards the center, away from the sides of the pot. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, then cover and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Check the water level every 15 to 20 minutes, and add boiling water by pouring down the side of the pot, if necessary. Steam until the dough is firm and pulls away from the husk easily, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve warm. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.  Yes, microwaving works too.