Improved Tamales

The first time I made tamales, I fell into the trap of thinking that it had to be difficult to make them, because they are delicious, and mysterious, and somewhat exotic to me. In hindsight, this was a pretty silly thing to assume, because like all really good comfort food, tamales are what poor people with few resources in terms of time or equipment make to feed themselves with. I'm sure the procedure outlined in my first attempt is just fine, if you want to make things hard on yourself, but this is easier, and comes out better. You do not need a mixer, just a big bowl and a spoon or spatula. You don't need to whip the shortening first, and then add little bits of this and little bits of that, just whack it all together. And for crying out loud, just use baking powder. No one in their right mind is going to turn their nose up at your tamale because it is too fluffy and delicious!

Start by putting half a package of corn husks in very hot water to soak. Weight them down with something so they stay submerged. This will make 10 to 15 tamales depending on how big you want them.

Then take

3 1/2 cups masa for tamales
2 1/2 cups nearly boiling water

Mix these 2 ingredients thoroughly, until the masa is evenly moistened. Cover and set aside for about 45 minutes to hydrate while you assemble whatever you want to put inside them. I used little sticks of cheddar and a half jar of roasted green peppers that was in the freezer. When you're ready to assemble things you will need:

More warm water
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2/3 cups shortening- I used about half butter and half bacon fat.
salt
Aluminum foil


Break up the hydrated masa and mix in the shortening and baking powder.. A wooden spoon or something else firm is good for this. When the shortening is well incorporated, gradually add enough water to give the mix a soft play-doh consistency. Salt to taste.

Take about half a cup of dough and squish it onto the center of a corn husk. Form it into a square about 4" across and put few bits of filling down the center. Roll the whole business up, fold over the narrow end of the husk and leave the other end open. Tear a off rectangle of aluminum foil and firmly wrap the tamale with it.

To cook, fill a stock pot or other deep cooking vessel with about 4" of water. Put the tamales in the pot so that the open ends of the tamales are pointing upwards. Boil for about 45 minutes or until the cheese explodes out of the wrapper and makes a mess.

 Notes:

1. Remember to keep track of which end is the open end of the tamale! I folded the foil wrappers so the ends were easily distinguishable.
2. Use fresh masa. Mine was rather old, and while the texture is great, the taste is a little disappointing.
3. You can use any type of shortening, even cooking oil, I bet.
4. Likewise, you could use stock instead of water. I was just trying to keep things simple.
5. Use enough salt. Tamales don't even have to have fillings, it's really about the steamed masa, so make sure that stuff is well seasoned.
6. Try to keep the filings well encased in the masa. Tamales expand significantly during cooking, which puts a lot of pressure on the insides. 

Expansion is why you leave one end of the tamale open in the first place. If you wrap the whole thing up as tight as possible, you're just setting yourself up to have the husks rupture and make a giant gloppy mess in the cooking pot. It's better to leave one end open to give it a little extra room at the outset. Foil wrapping helps too. It eliminates the need to use little strings to tie up the husks, and keeps excess water out of the tamales while they're boiling.

This recipe is so much simpler than the previous one that I am again considering making my own tamales regularly.

Tamales!

  

  
I have a powerful love for Trader Joe's green chili tamales. I love the fatty, puddingy, cheesey texture. I love how pillowy the dumpling part is. They're rich and fatty, and they aren't chewy at all, unless you microwave them until the cheese oozes out and gets stuck to the plate, but I like those parts too, so it's all good. But they cost 3 bucks for 2 tamales, so they aren't actually cheap.

I finally made some of my own. They aren't identical to TJ's, but the key factor, the fluffiness of the dough, is very close. Pete & Cynthia were out of town, so I went over to their house and borrowed their Kitchenaid mixer. It was awesome. I am so geeked. This  recipe made 19 tamales for me.

a bag of corn husks

Fill them like this

1 lb masa for tamales
2 1/2 cups hot water

1 1/4 cup shortening or lard or butter
2 cups broth or stock, cold or at room temperature

1/2 lb cheese, cut into matchsticks
roasted green chilis

Put at least 24 corn husks in a large pot of hot water to soak over night. They float, so you'll need to put a heavy bowl or something on them to keep them submerged.

Mix the masa with the hot water until it forms a thick paste. Cover it and set it aside for at least 30 minutes. I left mine over night.

When you're ready to make tamales, put the shortening in the bowl of the mixer, and beat it at high speed using the wire whisk attachment until it gets light and fluffy. Begin to drop 1" bits of the masa mix into the fat, allowing each piece to get somewhat broken up before adding more. Once half the masa is in the bowl, start alternating masa and broth or stock. When all the ingredients have been added, mix for a few more minutes to make sure there are no lumps.

At this point, the masa should look and feel like a rather light but stiff cake batter. Check to see if it's done by dropping a small dab of it into a cup of cold water. If it floats, it's got enough air beaten into it. If not, keep mixing. If it's too stiff, it won't hold air bubbles, so add a few spoons more water or broth.

They are a little messy

Drain the corn husks. Spread about 1/3 cup of masa on a husk, add a stick of cheese and a couple chilis, then roll the husk up. Fold the tail end of the husk up to keep the filling in, and tie a string around it. If you're freezing them, set them on a tray in a single layer until they get hard or the filling will ooze out. If you're going to steam them right away, make sure they sit upright in the steamer the whole time or again, the filling will ooze out. Fresh, they take about 25 minutes to steam.

Notes:

1. I would never even try this without a mixer. The ability to get the dough full of tiny air bubbles is all-important to get the fluffy texture.
2. Whatever kind of fat you use, it should be solid at room temperature, or it won't be able to keep air trapped in the dough. I used Crisco, because I was scared of the packages of lard sitting on the shelf. Not rational, but there you go.
3. Don't worry about rolling them up tightly. As they cook, the masa expands a lot. A bit loose is better than a bit tight, because you don't want the husks exploding.
4. The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups shortening, but I think just one cup would be enough. I'm going to try the smaller amount next time. I think a slightly stiffer dough would keep its shape better during cooking.
5. The tamales will taste like whatever broth you use, so make sure it is a kind you like. I used concentrated chicken bouillon, which is fine, but next time I may use plain stock.

These are most satisfying. I'm not sure they're good for you, but I don't care. I even cooked a few in the microwave, which was a little sloppy, but it still worked. And it made those crunchy chewy cheese gloops on the plate. I admit that one of the things I like best about the TJ's tamales is the convenience of being able to throw one in the microwave at the end of the day like the lazy-ass I am. Eat them with salsa. You need something to balance out the grease. Unless you take them with you on a 7 mile hike, in which case just eat them like a barbarian with your fingers and lick the husks when you're done. And don't throw the corn husks into the gorge, that's crass.