Tamales: Ancient Food On Your Table

Hello everybody! Today we are going to show you how to prepare the famous and magnificent tamales.

First, a little history. Tamales were foodstuff in the Aztec and Maya civilizations as far back as 7000 BC. Since a tamal is individually wrapped, it was the perfect portable food. They were often carried by warriors, hunters and travelers as a sort of meal on the go. Tamales could be reheated over the fire or eaten cold.

The Aztec had their favorite fillings like turkey, flamingo, frog, axolotl (salamander), pocket gopher, rabbit, fish, turkey eggs, honey, fruit, squash or beans.

The Maya often had tamales filled with toasted squash seeds, squash flowers, beans, iguana, turkey, deer, and fish. Often the tamales were wrapped in chaya instead of banana leaves or corn husks.

Today tamales are filled with meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste, and usually wrapped in banana leaves or corn husks.

Today we’re going to show you how to prepare chicken tamales. So, let’s get down to work! 🙂

This recipe is for 6 people. For 12, double the amounts!

What will you need:

CHICKEN FILLING

• 1/2 lb tomatillos (green tomatoes), stemmed, rinsed and peeled
• 2 large garlic cloves peeled and chopped
• 1 to 1 1/2 fresh jalapenos stemmed
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken (roasted chicken from the supermarket works well)
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon of salt

DOUGH / BATTER

• 1 1/4 cups of melted pork lard
• 3 1/2 cups of masa harina, corn flour or Maseca, mixed with 2 cups of warm water
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

You will also need:

• 8.5 oz package of dried corn husks

How to prepare them:

THE HUSKS

1. Place the husks in a large bowl. Fill with warm water and weight the husks down with heavy pot(s).
2. Let soak for at least 2 hours.

THE CHICKEN FILLING

1. Place the tomatillos and jalapenos in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil then lower to a smooth simmer for 20 minutes.
2. Add the cooked veggies, plus the garlic in your blender, and process to a smooth puree.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Once the oil is hot, add the puree all at once and stir until thicker, for about 10 minutes.
5. Add 2 cups of the stock and simmer over medium heat until thick enough to coat a spoon, about another 15 minutes.
6. Season with salt, about 1 teaspoon.
7. Stir in the chicken and cilantro, remove heat.

DOUGH / BATTER

1. Get a large pan, and add the wet masa (make sure you’ve already added the hot water to the masa) salt, and baking powder, and mix with your hands.
2. Pour in the melted lard, and continue to mix with your hands.
3. Now, add in the broth, one cup at a time.
4. Incorporate with your hands. The consistency should be like a cake batter…but not runny. It should hold it’s shape in a spoon.
5. Add more stock if necessary.

FORMING THE TAMALES

1. Take a corn husk, and pat it off with a dishtowel.
2. Flatten the husk, and with a spoon, scoop out about 1/4 cup of the batter.
3. In the upper, wider portion of the husk, spread the batter to the size of about a postcard. With the short side of the rectangle at the top of the husk, and the body of the rectangle running down the length of the husk. Leave about an inch of space on each long side of the husk. Don’t worry about making the batter thick…it will expand as it steams.
4. Now, scoop out about two tablespoons of the chicken mixture and spread it down the middle of the batter.
5. Fold over the right third of the husk, then fold in the left side.
6. Fold up the bottom.
7. Place uncooked tamales on a large baking sheet.

STEAMING THE TAMALES

1. Place unused corn husks on each layer of your steamer. Place corn husks over the top of the tamales.
2. Add water to the steamer and cover.
3. Heat and steam over constant medium heat for about 1 and 1/4 hours.
4. Watch carefully to make sure that all the water doesn’t boil away, add more water as necessary.
5. Tamales are done when husks peel away from the masa easily.
6. The tamales will need to stand for at least half an hour for the dough to firm up.

You can also let them cool completely, then steam again or use a microwave to warm. They also are very good to freeze and eat later.

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