A tamale is a steamed bundle of tasty filling and masa, all covered in corn dusk. So probably you are thinking what is a tamale? How to eat a tamale? And what components are in tamale? A tamale primarily consists of three components: Masa, filling, and wrapper.
In Mexican cooking, masa is an important ingredient. It is a dough made from ground corn that has been served with lime and water. According to the expert chef’s every tamale should be about 40% filling and 60% masa.
Even if the chef stops at the masa tamale is still a tamale. Usually, the masa is filled with chicken or pork marinated in salsa or mole. It may also be filled with beans, cheese, or veggies.
Corn husks are wrapped tightly everywhere between the filling and masa.
How to make Tamales
As there are time labors of love, tamales are for at home. First, wash them and then soak the corn husk for resilience. Use masa to coat the inner side of the husk, after that use your favorite filling to coat the layer of the masa, after that cover tightly into a cylinder and fold it like a big egg roll.
After wrapping they are ready for the steaming process.
Adding more to it, you will need the following ingredients to add more crispiness to them:
- Use dried corn husk. You can get these in nearby stores, or you can also find them on Walmart or Amazon.
- Avocado oil or corn oil, use both of them or any one of them.
- Vegetable stock, beef, or chicken stock will work. It’s up to you, if you are like veg then go for vegetable stock, otherwise mix them both stock.
- Use ground cumin, baking powder, and salt season to season the masa.
- Black beans or refried pinto are delightful especially for vegetarian options, you can use them on their own or also mix them with roasted veggies or cheese. Some delicious options for veggies also include potatoes, peppers, squash, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, and onions.
- It is highly recommended to use extra sauces for your vegetarian or meat filling. You can use any kind of sauce you find delicious, appetizing, and loveable, I would recommend either red salsa, mole, green salsa( salsa verde), and enchilada sauce. Red salsa as spicy or mild as you prefer. Mole tamales would be yummy. And green and enchilada sauce is my all-time favorite.
- Once the tamales are cooked, it is very delicious, tasty, and yummy to load your tamales with lots of toppings. I’m a big fan of loading them up. I would recommend salsa: pico de gallo, green, or red. Chopped cilantro( always a winner), avocado( delightful), crumbled cotija cheese, or sour cream.
How to assemble tamales
Don’t freak out about assembling them in a modern way, it is a lot easier than you think. Simply, wet your corn husks. Find a large pan or stockpot large enough to fill the corn husk, after that fill it with hot water and put a lid. Wait for the corn husk to float on the top of the water, they will usually need for about thirty minutes, or until soft.
After that mix up your Masa, you can easily do this with a hand mixer but it is a bit messier, and with the use of hands but it requires lots of work, the easiest way to do that is by doing it in a stand mixer. It is right as rain.
Roll the dice by preparing your fillings and salsa. Whatever sounds good to you make both your salsa and fillings.
After that, you have to assemble the tamales, which will eat your little time, but I find it repetitive and relaxing. Put the wet corn on a cutting board or a simple plate. Lay your masa on the corn husk. Use a finger or spoon to spray it out and make sure that it covers the filling. After that add sauce or filling to the center of the masa. Just use a tablespoon or two to three. Wrap the corn dusk in half by using your fingers to pinch it. After that steam your tamales, to do the steaming you can either use an instant pot or the stove pot. You will need a large stockpot to make tamales. Add two cups of water, steam, and cover on average heat for about thirty to forty minutes.
Yes, you can easily make tamales in the instant pot. Quietly add one cup of water, put the tamales, and add two cups of water in the pot, steam, and cover on high pressure for twenty minutes.
How to eat a tamale
The first rule about how to eat tamale is to open the husk, disclose the masa and filling. Start eating by simply peel back one end of the wrapper. Be careful, you are not supposed to eat the wrapper, simply toss the wrapper in the trash.
The other way to how to eat tamale is to eat with a knife and fork. Uncover the tamale and remove the wrapper. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and put it on the plate.