How to make tamales

by Mikenzy D.

I recently overheard students at Airport talking about whose mom has the best tamale recipe, and even though I’m not a mom, my own tamales are the best you will ever have! Due to Airport being a school with a very high percentage of Central American students, I want them to know and understand how to make a simple yet delicious cultural dish.

Although people have different opinions and taste buds, I guarantee that you will like this recipe. For example, Akira J., A student at AHS says, “I’ve never tried tamales before but this makes me want to try it.” Another student, Odaliz W.., says, “I grew up eating tamales for every holiday, and this recipe should be a celebration on its own.”

An easy Central American dish is chicken tamales filled with tender pieces of chicken simmered in a delicious green chile sauce wrapped in a soft masa dough. Follow these simple steps to make your own authentic Mexican tamales at home.

One of the most popular kinds of Mexican tamales are green chile chicken tamales made from tender chicken that’s been simmered in a green chile sauce. The filling is enveloped in a light but addicting masa dough then steamed in corn husks or banana leaf on the stovetop for 4 - 7 hours.

Ingredients you’ll need

Given the delicious distinct flavor of tamales, you’d think they’d be made with millions of ingredients. But they’re not. All the ingredients used are very common in Mexican cooking. Here’s what you need:

• Chicken filling: For the chicken filling, you’ll need some boneless chicken thighs and some salt. You can always substitute this for pork, beef, turkey, beans, or vegetables.

• Green chile sauce: For the green chile sauce, you’ll need fresh green chiles, tomatillos, cilantro, onion, garlic, and stock (or water). You may also add flour for a thickener, but that’s optional.

• Masa dough: For the tamale dough, you’ll need Maseca, the water you used to boil your filling, chicken broth, and lard. You can substitute lard for canola oil.

• Corn husks (can be substituted with banana leaf): You’ll need about 40 - 50 corn husks, depending on how many tamales you are trying to make, to spread out your masa and fill it with your filling. You can find dried corn husks at your local grocery store or order them online.

How To Make Tamales

1. Prep the corn husks. Since you are buying dried corn husks you will need to soak them in water for about an hour until they are able to be folded without cracking. This makes it easier to wrap your tamales and makes it to where they do not fall apart while cooking.

2. Make the green chile sauce. In order to make green chile sauce, you will need to rehydrate your chile pods and tomatillos by simmering them on low heat until soft. After soft, you can blend them or mash them by hand but I recommend blending so their is no chunks. You want to add everything listed above to your blender and blend until desired consistency is achieved. This sauce is not very spicy so if you’d like to add some heat I recommend adding 4 - 5 fresh jalapenos with seeds.

3. Cook the chicken. Remove any access fat or white from the chicken then cut into bite sized pieces. This helps the chicken cook and get tender and cook faster. Once the chicken is done you can shred it with a fork or use a food processor to speed up the process. Add into green chile sauce and mix until all meat is coated.

4. Make the masa. This is by far the easiest step. Mix together the maseca and seasonings with lard and mix with your hands, a large wooden spoon, or a stand-mixer. You may also add some of the water from the meat that you boiled in order to make the masa your desired texture.

How To Assemble Tamales

Now that you’ve done all of the preparation needed to make tamales, it’s time to put it all together!

1. Dry the corn husks. Once you’re ready to start assembling your tamales you can take them out of the water and allow them to air dry or pat them dry with a paper towel.

2. Spread masa on corn husks. Grab a spoonful of masa and place it in the middle of your corn husk. As best you can, spread it all over your corn husk leaving about a quarter inch on each side clean so it does not leak. You want to have a thin layer of masa but not thin enough to where it is transparent. I recommend the width of a water bottle cap.

3. Fill with green chile chicken. Place a spoonful of filling and spread it vertically in the middle of the masa. You only need a little filling, probably less than you think, so try your best not to over stuff it. If you do end up overstuffing it you can always remove some!

4. Fold. Fold the corn husk almost like a burrito. First you want to start by rolling the bottom up so your filling does not leak out, then fold the sides inwards. Once folded, you can get a strip of an unused cornhusk to tie a loose knot.

How To Cook Tamales

You want to start by using a tamale steamer, the specific one I use is Stock Olla Tamale Pot on Amazon. You can start by filling the bottom with water so you can steam your tamales, then place your tamales tightly together on the plate above the water. This should be a tight fit.

Storing, freezing, and reheating

To store: Place tamales in an airtight container or a ziplock bag and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Place tamales in an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

To reheat: You can reheat tamales by steaming them for 15 minutes in the steamer pot, heat them up in the oven on 325 for 10 minutes, or microwave them in batches of 3 for 1 - 2 minutes on high or until hot.