Traditional tamales are a snap to prepare
This week, I'm sharing a very simple recipe for traditional pork tamales.
PORK TAMALES
Ingredients
For the filling:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-1⁄2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into small chunks
1 cup chopped onion
6 dried mulato peppers
About 2 cups water
2 garlic cloves
2 cups chopped tomatillos
Pinch of cumin powder (or more, to taste)
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the dough:
6 cups tamal maza flour
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon baking powder
1⁄2 cup sour cream
Salt, to taste
Water (just enough to achieve the right consistency)
For assembly:
About 24 corn husks, soaked in water to make them easier to fold
Putting it together
Prepare the filling: In a large pan over medium heat, add the oil and pork and cook until the meat is golden brown on all sides. Add the onion and cook for about two minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the dried peppers for about one minute, then place in a blender with the water, garlic and tomatillos. Blend until smooth.
Add the cumin to the pork mixture and cook for a few seconds to wake up the flavor. Add the blended tomatillo mixture to the pork. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 60 minutes, or until the pork is soft and the sauce is thick.
While the pork cooks, in a large bowl, add all of the dough ingredients and mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to assemble the tamales.
Let the cooked pork cool to room temperature, then assemble the tamales. Add a spoonful of dough inside a corn husk and spread it around evenly. In the middle of the dough, add some of the pork mixture. Fold the corn husk closed to form a small pocket of dough around the pork filling. Repeat procedure until you run out of ingredients.
Tamales are steamed on a rack over boiling water to cook them. In a large pot of simmering water, place the assembled tamales on a rack over the water and steam them over low heat for about 90 minutes. The cooking time varies based on the level of heat and the number of tamales you are cooking.
After an hour, test the tamales for doneness by touching one of them carefully. (Be careful not to burn your fingers!) The tamales should feel firm to the touch.
When the tamales are done cooking, peel off the husks, top them with some salsa and/or cheese and enjoy.
Antonio Villagomez is head chef and owner of Cilantro's restaurant and catering in Yuba City, Calif. Contact him at 530-844-2111. His website is cilantros.us.
