How Hard Could it be? Make your Own Tamales

When we lived in San Diego many moons ago, my dear friend Ana's mother, Mafalda,  taught me how to make the best tamales ever.  I am forever indebted to her for taking the time to pass on this wonderful tradition.  Usually right after the feathers have stopped flying after Thanksgiving I get in touch with my inner Latina self and start the tamale machine rolling.  Actually, that is not quite accurate.  I start forming my tamale brigade.  Most of the members of my brigade are indentured family members but I am not above accepting anyone who looks strong and up to the task.  Tamale making is not for wimps. It takes a village to make a bunch of these suckers.  

I only do this once a year which produces a few problems. First,  I have to read through my recipe and try to remember what I did last year.  Fortunately, I have made this easier on myself by writing helpful notes at the bottom of the recipe.  "2006- a bit too dry.  Use more broth in the masa."  Next, I have to figure out how to wrap them.  Yes, after years of making them, every year I still look at a corn husk and say "How did I do that last year?" I've come to the conclusion that it doesn't matter.  Just wrap those babies up however you want and steam them.  Still, It takes me a while to get in the groove.  Finally, after 10 minutes of trying to assemble 1 tamale at a time per person I remember that doing it assembly line is best.  After that, it's smooth sailing.  

The whole process takes 2 days.  The first day I cook 13-20 lbs of pork butt in the crock pot, shread it and make the chile sauce.  The second day I make the masa add the gravy to the meat and assemble the tamales with my friends and indentured relatives.  

Since it is so labor intensive I always make a ton of these things at once.  Usually at least 8 dozen.  It's our tradition to eat them on Christmas eve.  They keep for months in the freezer and they make great lunches, dinners and snacks.  You just pop them in the microwave for about a minute and voila!  They're usually gone by February.  

Of course, there is no recipe for Mafalda's tamales.  I wrote the instructions down as I spoke to her on the phone one year trying to remember the steps.  This is not an exact science and I am sure I don't do it all correctly.  I know I can't do them as wonderfully as Mafalda but this is how I make them.  Feel free to experiment and change things up. Mine never turn out magazine perfect but they usually taste great.  As my mom always says- "You are the boss in your kitchen!"  

 Tamales

Ingredients

2 or 3 (3 oz.) pkgs dried chili pods—California/ New Mexico, or Pasilla

1 square chicken bouillon

1 bulb garlic

Boston butt, pork roast or pot roast, beef shoulder roast- any shredding meat --2 lb per dozen tamales

Onions- a bag

chicken broth—buy the large cartons of chicken broth 3-4.  You’ll use a lot.

2 T flour

cumin as desired

salt &pepper

tamale masa—2 or 3 bags

oil or Crisco- 1-2 tubs

baking powder

corn husks

2 lb. meat =a dozen tamales

Chile Sauce

2 or 3 (3 oz.) pkgs dried chili pods—California/ New Mexico, or Pasilla

1 square chicken bouillon

2 cloves crushed garlic

Put on gloves.  Open and clean seeds out of chilies.  Rinse under cold water.  Boil water and add bouillon to it.  Add chilies. Turn water off and cool.  Put chiles and garlic and some salt in blender.  Puree (add water to make it into a sauce consistency if necessary).  This sauce can be frozen.

Meat:
Can use beef or pork—or both

Boston butt, pork roast or pot roast, beef shoulder roast- any shredding meat

2 lb meat = 12 tamales

Roast meat in oven bags or crock pot.  Add onion, garlic, salt and pepper. 

Save all juices for gravy!! 

Shred or chop when cool. 

Gravy:

Use meat juices

chicken broth

½ onion chopped

1 clove garlic crushed

2 T flour

chili sauce as needed—use plenty for flavor

cumin as desired

salt

Sauté onion and garlic in saucepan in oil.  Add flour.  Add chili sauce and some meat juices.  Add chicken broth as needed.  Wisk together till it makes gravy.  Correct seasonings.  Make sure it tastes the way you want the tamale to taste—add other seasonings if you think they’d taste good.  I like to add cumin.

Add the meat to the gravy.  It should be a wet consistency-not too dry!  Don’t freeze cooked meat and use since you will have to freeze tamales later.  Make the day before.

Masa

Buy the bags of tamale masa at the grocery store and follow directions or :

2 ½ c. masa

½ c oil or Crisco

½ t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 c. chicken broth or meat juice  (buy the big cartons of broth since you’ll be making a lot)

add a spoonful or so of chili sauce for color and flavor

Mix till fluffy.  This takes about 10 minutes.  You’ll need many batches of this stuff!  I’d buy at least 2 bags for a large tamale making party.

Corn Husks:

Buy dried corn husks- bigger is better --easier to work with. You need plenty because some will be rejects. 

Soak them in warm water and clean them.  Take all the strings off. 

Peel some ½ inch strips from the husks to use for tying the tamales together.  Set these aside.   I’ve also used raffia—but don’t get the colored kind because they bleed!

Putting them together: Corn Husk, Masa, Tamale Meat

There is no right way to do this so you can experiment:

The way I do it is:

For a large husk I use one

For small husks I put two overlapping together with large ends facing each other

Place the husk with the bumpy side down. Masa goes on the smoother side, which is curling up toward you.

then put a spoonful of the masa in the middle using the back of a serving spoon or spatula.  Spread the masa out like you are making a peanut butter sandwich (in a rectangle shape- not all over the husk). 

Next, put a spoonful of meat in the middle of the masa,  

Then roll it up like a tootsie roll and tie the ends with the husk strips (make a knot).  If the husk doesn’t’ go all the way around make sure to add another one to close the gap—there should be no tamale showing out side of the husks.  Other wise you’ll have problems with them leaking during cooking.  You want the tamale to be tight.

The tamales can be frozen like this or you can go ahead and steam them and then freeze them.  I cook first then freeze.

This is a 16" Chinese steamer with two levels.  They sell them in Chinatown in Honolulu for Maunapuas and other steamed dishes.  I love using it for tamales. This one can hold about 50.

To cook:

Use a large stockpot and put a veggie strainer in the bottom or something to keep them up off the bottom.  Add water to cover the bottom but not higher than the strainer—you don’t want tamales sitting in water.  Turn on the heat and start to boil slowly. Then place the talames in the stockpot.  Soak a washcloth and put it over the top.  You can put foil over this if you want—I don’t know if it helps, I just do it.   Put the lid on the pot.  Check it every once in a while and keep adding water down the inside edges of the pot so it doesn’t boil dry.  You want them to steam evenly.  (Careful not to get water inside the tamales). Steam for 1 hour. Eat immediately or freeze after they’ve cooled.  They can sit warming on the stove for a little while.  To eat after freezing: put in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.

2006 Hawaii- 20 lbs meat made 9 dozen tamales. Fed 20 people and had leftovers.  Most people eat 2 or 3 max. 

Nota Bene: This is what happens if you turn your back while your 15 year old son is making tamales.  He makes a peanut butter and chocolate chip one.  Yes, it ended up in the steamer.  Yes, I sent him fishing for it so it didn't leak on all of the other ones.