Tamale filling:
- 1 1/4 points pork loin
- 1 large onion, halved
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 dried California chile pods
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Tamale dough: - 2 cups masa harina
- 1 10.5oz can beef broth
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 cup lard
- 1 8oz package dried corn husks
- 1 cup sour cream
"I had been looking for a tamale recipe for years. One day I went to the international market and stood in the Mexican aisle till a woman with a full cart came by. I just asked her if she knew how to make tamales. This is her recipe with a few additions from me." (lol!)
Makes 16 tamales
- Place pork in a dutch oven with onion and garlic. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
- Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
- Soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water for an hour. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
- Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
- Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.
Best comment on allrecipes: "Masa is very bland, and there is no substitute for lard! It's better to boil the peppers and all the flavorings for 30ish minutes, and then cook the meat in that broth. The water should cover the meat in the pan and it needs to be cooked until it's crumbly to the touch. I use the leftover meat juice instead of broth for the masa, and still add lots of other spices. The masa should spread like creamy peanut butter. If it dries out, just add a little more meat juice. Also when steaming them, they need to be as close to standing upright as possible."
Notes
- This really only makes about 5-6 tamales: 1/2 cup lard, 1.5 cup masa, 1 cup broth, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder. Could maybe be a tad moister.
- Spread it really thin. 1/4 inch at max. It expands and the filling should be the star. - When the husks can fall away without sticking, they're done.
|