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Add a photoTamales are among my favorite dishes, it's said that there are around 500 diferent types in Mexico alone. From South to North, most of the times based on corn dough or "masa", some yummy filling, wrapped in corn husks or banana/maguey/avocado leaves and cooked in a tall steamer or outdoor traditional ovens, tamales are part of the daily diet and special celebrations as well.
This recipe is traditional from Mexico City, where are sold since early in the morning throughout the streets, available in many different flavors and eaten as an on-the-go breakfast accompanied by a cup of coffee with milk, chocolate or fruit flavored atole.
I chose to include Rojo (red) and Verde (green) fillings but please bear in mind that you can use beans, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, jalapeño, cheese and almost anything imaginable to fill the up and make them your own favorite.
Ingredientes
- Verde:
- 1 lb shredded pork butt well cooked in boiling with water, onion, garlic, whole peppercorns and salt. Reserve broth for later use
- 2 lbs cleaned tomatillo
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 Tbsp light flavored vegetable oil
- 1 finely chopped Spanish or White onion
- 2 finely chopped Serrano or Jalapeño peppers (add more for spicier)
- Salt to taste
- Rojo:
- 1 lb shredded chicken meat (thighs or breasts) well cooked in boiling with water, onion, garlic, whole peppercorns, bay leaf and salt. Reserve broth for later use
- 5 ancho dried chiles
- 3 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp light flavored vegetable oil
- Salt to taste
- Dough:
- 14 oz of leaf lard or any good lard available
- 2 lbs masa (fresh or reconstitued from Maseca using broth)
- 2 cups of broth from cooking either meat
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt (just a pinch if using a sweet filling)
- 50 corn husks
Direcciones
- Verde:
- Peel and wash tomatillos
- In a medium saucepan cook tomatillos with 1/2 cup of water and salt until soften. Set aside to cool down
- When still warm, process in blender tomatillos and cilantro adding just enough liquid to make a thick sauce.
- In a frying pan, sweat the onions and chile with oil until onion is translucent.
- Add tomatillos mix and bring to a simmer.
- Add shredded meat, add broth as needed, let simmer for 5 more minutes. In order to be able to work with the filling without making a mess, the result must be thick (very much like pulled pork)
- Rojo:
- Split open the dried chiles (use gloves if sensitive skin), take out seeds and veins. Soak in one cup of hot water. Set aside to cool down
- Blend chiles adding just enough of the soaking water to make a loose paste.
- Saute garlic in frying pan with oil
- Add chile paste and bring to simmer.
- Add shredded meat, add broth as needed, let simmer for 5 more minutes. In order to be able to work with the filling without making a mess, the result must be thick (very much like pulled pork)
- Husks:
- Wash the husks with water. Place them on a large bowl or bucket filled with clean water until they soften up. Take them out and let stand on a clean towel.
- Dough:
- Using a stand mixer, beat lard until fluffy
- Add baking powder and salt
- Add small amounts of masa alternating with 1 cup of broth. You will be adding more water as needed to make a smooth dough that keeps it shape when using a spoon to drop some of it into the bowl. Keep beating until fluffy... the dough will be good when a spoonful of it floats when dropped in a glass full of water.
- Assemble:
- Fill your steamer with water. Place some husks over the bottom of the section of the steamer that will hold the tamales.
- Place one husk on your open hand with top end over your fingers and bottom end over your palm
- Spread one large spoonfull of dough over the surface
- Add 1-2 Tbsp of filling in the middle of the spreading
- With a rolling move cover the filling and close the husk watching that one end side lies on top of the other
- Place vertical in the steamer, place them in such way that they hold each other on place.
- When all the tamales are in, cover steamer. If lid does not fit tight, arrange a damp cheesecloth over the tamales and put a weight (brick or heavy utensil) over the lid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and let simmer 60-80 minutes.
- Tamales are done when separates from husk without leaving dough stuck on it. Serve hot or let cool down/freeze in ziploc, they reheat well in micro or small steamer.
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Nutrition Facts
| Amount Per Serving | %DV |
|---|---|
| Serving Size 142g | |
| Recipe makes 25 servings | |
| Calories 353 | |
| Calories from Fat 189 | 54% |
| Total Fat 21.14g | 26% |
| Saturated Fat 7.24g | 29% |
| Trans Fat 0.05g | |
| Cholesterol 32mg | 11% |
| Sodium 265mg | 11% |
| Potassium 379mg | 11% |
| Total Carbs 32.18g | 9% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 5% |
| Sugars 1.53g | 1% |
| Protein 9.78g | 16% |
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