Tamales are one of the most iconic foods of Mexico. These delicious treats were prepared and consumed centuries before the Spanish arrived in the Americas, where they probably started as unfilled balls of maize dough, known in Spanish as masa. They were wrapped in leaves, steamed, and eaten as a kind of bread dipped in boiled beans or chile sauces. At one point it must have been apparent that the sauces, meats, and vegetables could be enclosed in the dough. The rest, as they say, is history.
There are hundreds of regional varieties of tamales — as many as there are cooks that make them — from the Southern United States all the way to Central and South America, with families gathering to make them around the holidays. While they are relatively simple to make, these humble foods take preparation and practice.
“It’s fitting that tamales often come wrapped like presents because what’s inside when you peel back the corn husk or banana leaf is truly a gift,” says Mexico City native Roberto Santibañez, a cookbook author and the chef owner of Mi Vida in Washington D.C., and Fonda restaurants in New York City.
“On the street of Oaxaca City, the gift might be a pillowy, savory dough encasing midnight-black mole. In the zócalo in Mexico City, you find simpler fillings like the charred strips of poblano chiles called rajas and a little cheese.”
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“Of all the different types of tamales, stone tamales are my favorite,” says Santibañez. “They are unusually sweet tamales from Mexico’s Gulf Coast, flavored with anise and studded with raisins, were a specialty of my grandmother, one of the three varieties of corn-husk-wrapped treats that she’d make for us when I was little. Like that of any fine European cake, the secret to their deliciousness is sugar and fat, in this case, piloncillo and a combination of lard and chales — the crunchy bits left after cooking pork carnitas. They’re rich and wonderful.”
Yucatan native Alex Henry has brought the unique cuisine of his home state to St. Louis as executive chef and owner of Sureste and El Molino del Sureste, including his favorite tamales.
“If you haven't tried making cooked-masa varieties of tamales, give them a shot,” says Henry. “These varieties are more typical in Southern Mexico and Central America, and are typically wrapped in banana leaf as opposed to a corn husk. My favorite are tamales colados, which take it a step further by straining the masa to create an ethereally smooth, custard-like texture."
Eating and making these tamales sparks childhood memories for the chef. “I have a memory as a teenager of going with my abuelita to buy some tamales from a lady named Delta who, in my abuelita's opinion, made the best tamales colados around. We took the short trip to a nearby neighborhood in Merida. I remember being amazed at the long line waiting to buy Delta's tamales and watching as she prepared a massive batch of masa colada in a giant cauldron in her front yard, surely destined for the next day's tamales. They were the best tamales colados I've had to this day — and in my opinion, tamales colados are the best type of tamales. I wanted to learn to make this style of tamal ever since.”
Some important tips to successfully make tamales at home
- Wash the husks and banana leaves and allow them to dry completely.
- Whip the shortening thoroughly. Whipping aerates the lard and ensures tamales are light and fluffy.
- You’ll know the masa is ready when a small amount dropped in a glass of water floats and doesn’t dissolve.
- Don’t spread the masa all the way to the edges. Leave a good inch of leaf empty to fold the tamales.
- Pack your steamer well, and make sure there is enough water for the cooking time. Most tamales are ready after steaming 45 minutes to an hour, but recipes vary. They are ready when the wrapper peels off easily and the dough looks firm.
Tamales de Rajas con Queso
Makes about 25-30 tamales
These simple tamales are one of the most popular varieties. Rajas is the name for chile strips, in this case jalapeños. This recipe comes from chef Reyna Vazquez from Veracruz All Natural and Veracruz Fonda & Bar in Austin, Texas.
6.5 cups Maseca flour for tamales
.5 lb queso fresco cut into one inch strips
10 jalapeños cut into thin strips
½ tbsp baking powder
4 teaspoons salt
3 cups pork lard
9 cups water
30-40 corn husks
Place the corn husks with two cups of water in a small saucepan, set it over medium high heat and let it boil for 15 min. While the husks are softening up, in a large mixing bowl mix the maseca with the remaining cups of water, incorporating slowly to form a soft dough.
In a separate mixing bowl add baking powder, salt, pork lard and beat, making sure all ingredients are completely dissolved into the pork lard. Slowly incorporate the pork lard mixture into the masa, and beat until it no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl or your hand.
Take a husk and feel for the softer side. Take a tablespoon of masa and place it in the middle of the soft side of the husk. Spread it out on the husk with the back of a spoon, covering left to right. Make sure to leave room on the top and bottom of the corn husks to allow the tamal to grow; this will also allow you to fold the bottom of your tamal. Place one slice of queso fresco and one slice of jalapeño in the middle. Fold in each side of the husk over the masa and then the bottom. Repeat this step until all your tamales are ready.
Place a steamer on the stove with must enough water to steam the tamales, not boil them. Place the tamales vertically in a circular pattern. Cover them up and let them steam for about one hour and 30 minutes.
Chef Alex Henry’s Tamales Colados
Yields approximately 16 large tamales
To make the masa:
6 qts pork stock
5 qts fresh masa (white corn is preferred)
1/4 cup salt
1 cup lard
Blend together the masa, salt, and stock. Strain through a mesh strainer.
In a large saucepot add the lard over medium heat until melted. Add strained masa to the lard and continue to cook over medium/low heat, stirring constantly to avoid scorching until mixture has thickened enough to retain its shape some. Allow it to cool slightly.
To make the filling:
This is called cochinita pibil, and it is also excellent for tacos, tortas, and more. If it's available, use Seville orange juice in place of the juices and vinegar
1 pork shoulder
700g achiote paste (from El Molino if you are in St. Louis)
1 qt lime juice
1 qt grapefruit juice
1 qt orange juice
1 qt distilled vinegar
Banana leaf for lining pan
In a large braising pan lined with banana leaves, place cut up pieces of the pork shoulder. Blend all other ingredients together and pour over the pork. Top with more banana leaves and roast for 4 1/2 hours at 375F.
Remove meat from its juices and pour juices into a pot to reduce by half. Recombine juices with shredded pork.
To assemble the tamales:
Cochinita pibil
Masa colada
Banana leaves
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced onion
Epazote leaves
Combine a small amount of the masa with the cochinita pibil, just enough to bind it with its juices — this will be the main filling for the tamales.
Cut banana leaves into roughly 12×12 squares. On each leaf scoop about 5 oz of the prepared masa. Next scoop about 3 oz of the filling on top of the masa, and top each with one tomato slice, one onion slice, and a sprig of epazote. Top with another 5oz scoop of masa and wrap the banana leaf around the tamal. To avoid a mess, you can wrap each tamal in plastic film, then steam them for 3 hours. They take longer than other types of tamales because their much larger size and the very high hydration of the dough.
Allow them to cool for at least 30 minutes before unwrapping. Serve with a simple tomato sauce flavored with onion, epazote and habanero.
Tetamales or “Stone” Tamales
(Makes 22 to 24 tamales)
From the Nahuatl word tetl, meaning stone, their name refers to their shape (less oblong than round) and their deep brown color.
“Chales are crunchy, meaty pieces that settle to the bottom when cooking chicharrones and carnitas,” says Santibañez. “They have many names - biuses, tlales, tlalitos, shish, and asiento, just to name a few. You’ll find them in Mexican markets as a powder, or occasionally they will show up in small chunks. Either way, you’ll need to grind them to a powder in a spice grinder. I’ve even had success grinding them in a blender, though you end up with a paste, not a powder. After grinding ½ pound of chales, you should have 1 ¼ cups of powder.”
1 lb. or two 8-ounce pyramids piloncillo (unrefined whole cane sugar), coarsely chopped or grated
5 teaspoons aniseed
10 oz. (1 ⅓ cups) golden-colored pork lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
3 ½ cups corn flour for tamales (masa harina para tamales)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 generous tablespoon kosher salt
½ pound chales, ground
¾ cup small raisins
24 dried corn husks, soaked in warm water for ½ hour and drained well
Combine the piloncillo and aniseed with ½ cup of water in a small pot. Set the pot over medium heat and bring it to a strong boil, stirring and breaking up the piloncillo until the piloncillo melts. Take the pot off the heat and use a spoon to smash any remaining chunks of piloncillo. Let the mixture cool to room temperature.
Put the lard in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the lard on high speed until it’s white and fluffy, like vanilla icing, 7 to 8 minutes.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the tamale flour, a cup or so at a time, and the baking powder and salt. Gradually increase the speed to medium and keep beating until the lard and tamale flour have been beaten together for about 5 minutes.
Add the chales and continue to beat on medium until well distributed, then add 2 ½ cups of water, 1 cup or so at a time. Keep beating, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, for about 10 minutes.
Pour in the cooled piloncillo mixture in a steady stream, and beat for about 3 minutes. Add the raisins and beat just until they’re well distributed.
Tear the soaked and drained corn husks into long, thin strips for tying. You’ll need two strips per tamale.
For each tamale, put about ¼ cup batter in the center of the concave side of one corn husk and spread to flatten it evenly so it forms a rough square.
Fold the long sides of the husk to enclose the filling in the better, then one end at a time, gather the ends and tie each one tightly with a strip of husk to form a shape that looks like a large piece of candy. Repeat with the remaining batter, filling, and corn husks.
Fit the tamales in a dedicated tamale steamer or a deep steamer basket of a pasta pot. Fill the pot with about 2 inches of water, and place a coin in the pot so you can tell if the water has evaporated (you will hear the coin start to jiggle when the water boils and you’ll know you need to add more water when the jiggling noise stops). Bring the water to a boil.
Place the tamale-filled steamer basket in the pot, then cover the tamales with additional corn husks and a tight-fitting lid. (Covering the pot with two layers of heavy-duty foil, instead of a lid, will do, too.) Steam the tamales, adding more boiling water if you no longer hear the coin jiggle, until you can easily cleanly peel the husk from the tamal, about 45 minutes to 1 ¼ hours. Leave the tamales in the covered pot with the heat off 15 minutes before serving.
