The Tradition of Making Tamales
An annual tradition with family and friends
Hello, Explorers!
During the holidays, there isn't a better way to share in the convivial spirit than with a family tradition.Tamales are essential to celebrating Latin/Hispanic heritage during the holidays. It is the type of food assembly that requires an entire group of people, and and a full-fledged assembly line. Although I am half-Chinese and half-Mexican, my sister and I always make quite an effort to learn more about our heritage on both sides. We consider ourselves extremely lucky to be a part of two remarkable ethnicities that are especially known for their food. During my childhood in Mexico, I always loved getting together with others and making tamales. Tamales are delicious little bundles waiting to be opened! They are packed-full of flavor, can be adjusted according to your liking, and best of all, they are my favorite comfort food. Let me share with you my family recipe, and below is a lovely video of our annual Tamale Tradition. Let’s get started!
Tamales
-Makes 40 small tamales, can be made vegetarian!
-Prep Time: 30-45 minutes (depends how many people you have!)
-Cook Time: 1.5 hrs
-Total Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
For the filling (salsa verde):
2 lbs of chicken breast
2 bay leaves
4 pepper corns
3 tsp salt (optional)
1.5 lbs of tomatillos, peeled and washed
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded (optional)
4 garlic cloves
1/4 white onion
1 bunch of cilantro
1 avocado
You will also need:
1-2 packages of corn husks
1 big pot for steaming
Recipe:
Cover 40-45 corn husks with hot water, place a heavy item on top to make sure all the husks stay covered. Let them soak for 45 minutes. Soak the corn husks the day you are making the tamales.
Place chicken, garlic, onions, bay leaves, water, pepper and salt in a covered pot on high heat. Whichever method you choose, in the end, you will need to have very tender meat and at least 3 cups of broth.
Boil the tomatillos until bright green turns into a pale green.
When the meat is done, take it out of the broth and let it rest for a few minutes. Reserve the broth for the salsa.
Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
In a blender put the tomatillos, jalapeños, garlic cloves, onion, 1 teaspoon of salt, cilantro, and one cup of your broth...
Add your shredded chicken and blended salsa into a pot, once it starts boiling, leave on simmer.
Ingredients:
For the filling (salsa roja):
2 lbs pork meat like pork shoulder or pork tri tip
1 large can of tomato puree
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp of salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
4 cups of chicken broth
6 dried Guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried Ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried Pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 tsp of ground Cumin
2 tsp of dried Oregano
6 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
Recipe:
Place pork, garlic, onions, bay leaves, broth, pepper, chiles and salt in a covered pot on high. Whichever method you choose, in the end, you will need to have very tender meat and at least 3 cups of broth.
When the meat is done, take it out of the broth and let it rest for a few minutes. Reserve the broth for the salsa.
Shred the pork into bite-sized pieces.
In a blender put the tomato puree, spices, chiles and one cup of your broth...
Add your shredded pork and blended salsa into a pot, once it starts boiling, leave on simmer.
Make the Tamales
Strain the corn husks. You will see that they come in different sizes, use the bigger ones for the tamales and use a few smaller ones to make the ties.
Take one corn husk, spread 1-2 tablespoons of masa on half the corn husk, starting 1/2 inch from the top of the wider end and leaving 1 inch on one side. Add one teaspoon of the filling in the middle. Roll the side with the filling over the other to cover the filling, the side with no masa will be on top. Then fold the tamal in half and tie with one of your corn husk strips. Continue until you have finished with all the masa.
Pear Life's Pro-tip: take a small bit of masa and plug the top of your tamal to prevent the fillings from spilling out.
Pour water in the steamer, being careful to keep the water level low so as not to touch the tamales when the are placed in it. Cover the bottom of your pot with a few corn husks, and place your tamales vertically with the open side up facing up. Cover with more corn husks, then pour water on top of leaves to dampen. Cover and, over high heat, steam for 30 minutes. Always carefully open your steamer to avoid injury from the steam. Make sure to check on the water level of the steamer a couple of times so it doesn’t run dry or burn. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and let them rest for 10 minutes. Remove tamales with tongs, unwrap and enjoy!
I hope you enjoy watching as our family & friends make these delicious tamales. Try making them for your upcoming dinner parties. They are delicious, interactive, and our favorite comfort food. Happy Holidays to everyone!
(Pictures and videos by @thejourney.man)
Goodbye, Explorers!