Easy Tamales Recipes

PORK TAMALES

Steps:

• Make the filling: Put the pork in a deep saucepan and cover with cold water (about 6 cups). Add 2 teaspoons salt, the onion, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and peppercorns; cover and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the pork is tender, 1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, 1 hour.
• Combine the pork, cumin, 1/3 cup chili powder, the garlic, flour, sugar, vegetable oil and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the dough: Mix the masa harina, lard, 2 teaspoons salt, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 2 2/3 cups of the reserved cooking liquid in a bowl until combined.
• Drain the husks and pat dry. Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end, spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough down a husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the pork filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling. Fold up the narrow end of the husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
• Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, cover and steam until the dough is firm, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.

CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Cover corn husks with cold water; soak until softened, at least 2 hours., Place chicken, onion, salt and garlic in a 6-qt. stockpot. Pour in 3 qt. water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 45-60 minutes. Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove bones and skin; discard. Shred chicken. Strain cooking juices; skim fat. Reserve 6 cups stock., For dough, beat shortening until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in small amounts of masa harina alternately with small amounts of reserved stock, using no more than 2 cups stock. Drop a small amount of dough into a cup of cold water; dough should float. If not, continue beating, rechecking every 1-2 minutes., For filling, heat oil in a Dutch oven; stir in flour until blended. Cook and stir over medium heat until lightly browned, 7-9 minutes. Stir in seasonings, chicken and remaining stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes., Drain corn husks and pat dry; tear 4 husks to make 20 strips for tying tamales. (To prevent husks from drying out, cover with a damp towel until ready to use.) On wide end of each remaining husk, spread 3 tablespoons dough to within 1/2 in. of side edges; top each with 2 tablespoons chicken filling and 2 teaspoons olives. Fold long sides of husk over filling, overlapping slightly. Fold over narrow end of husk; tie with a strip of husk to secure., Place a large steamer basket in the stockpot over water; place tamales upright in steamer. Bring to a boil; steam, covered, adding hot water as needed, until dough peels away from husk, about 45 minutes.

EASY TAMALE PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In 10-inch ovenproof skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in enchilada sauce, 1 can of the green chiles and the chili powder. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese.
• Meanwhile, make corn muffin batter as directed on box. Stir in remaining 1 can green chiles and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Spoon batter evenly over beef mixture.
• Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.

EASY CORN TAMALES

Steps:

• Working in batches, add the corn kernels to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale. Add the egg, salt, and baking powder. Mix to incorporate. Add the flour and pureed corn and mix until blended and forms a loose smooth dough.
• Put a corn husk lengthwise in front of you with the wide side closest to you. Spread 3 tablespoons of the dough all over the bottom half (wide side) of the corn husk, leaving about a 1-inch-wide border on the left and right sides. Pick up the 2 long sides of the corn husk and bring them together. Roll both sides of the corn husks in the same direction over the filling.
• Repeat with remaining corn husks and dough. Arrange the tamales, seam side down, in a steamer and add 1/2-inch of water. Cover with a tight fitting lid, bring to a simmer and steam for 1 hour, adding additional water, as needed to maintain 1/2-inch of water in the pan. Remove the tamales from the steamer to a serving platter and serve.

REAL HOMEMADE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and 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 warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the 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.

EASY TAMALES

Steps:

• Place the corn husks in a large bowl, fill with warm water and place a second bowl on top to weight the corn husks down so they are submerged in the water. Soak for 30 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place the corn husks in a large stockpot or pan and cover completely with warm water. Soak for 30 minutes or so until softened.
• Meanwhile, in the bowl of a large stand mixer, add masa marina, salt, cumin, baking powder, and whisk to combine. Add the oil, then beat on low speed until combined. Then gradually add the stock, and beat on low speed until combined. Once the stock is incorporated, increase speed to medium, and beat for 10 minutes until fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Toss together your desired filling(s) and sauce until combined. In general, you want enough sauce to coat and flavor the filling, but not so much that the filling is really juicy/watery.
• To assemble the tamales, follow these simple steps (visual included in the blog post above):
• About 1/4 cup (or a little more) will do. I highly recommend using a large cookie scoop to measure out the masa. Use a spoon or your fingers to spread it out into a rectangle large enough to enclose your filling. (I keep a little bowl of water nearby to dip my fingers regularly, which helps the masa from sticking to them.)
• Tamales use surprisingly little filling - just a tablespoon or two will do. Add it to the center of your masa.
• Then very carefully, fold the corn husk in half so that the masa wraps completely around the filling, maybe using your fingers to pinch it together just a little bit.
• Continue folding the corn husk completely over to one side so that it is a burrito/cylinder shape.
• The image above explains this best. One end of the tamale will be exposed, and the other will be folded over. (I like to fold my tamales to cover the side with the seam.
• I like to shred a few corn husks into long skinny strips to tie the tamales together (this is a perfect use for the husks that are too skinny!). But you can also use baking string.
• Add water to the bottom of a stockpot or Instant Pot. Then add a steamer basket, fill it with your tamales, and steam until the tamales are hot and cooked through and the masa separates easily from the corn husks, about 30 minutes on the stovetop or 20 minutes (high pressure, natural release) in the Instant Pot.
• Remove from the steamer and serve immediately. Or refrigerate in a tightly-sealed ziplock bag for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

EASY CHEESY TAMALE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Tamale sauce:In a medium pot fully combine chili powder, vegetable oil and flour and whisk until smooth over medium heat.Add beef stock, tomato paste and spices and continue stirring over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Making the Casserole:Place about 1 cup of the tamale sauce in a 9×13 baking pan. I use this baking pan as I like that is has easy grab handles. Remove corn husks from tamales and discard. Place tamales in the baking pan. I ended up using eleven tamales and saved the last one for a snack by itself. Wink Wink.Pour remaining sauce on top of tamales. It may look like too much sauce but it will be just perfect!Cover evenly with freshly grated cheese and sprinkle with green onions and cilantro.
• Bake:Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese has completely melted. Carefully remove from the oven and serve immediately. Sprinkle with cotija cheese if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers.

VEGAN TAMALES RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak corn husks in warm water for 30 minutes to soften.
• To make the dough, add masa, baking powder, salt and ground cumin to a large and mix well. Add corn oil and vegetable stock and mix with your hands until a dough is formed.
• To make the filling, heat diced onion, corn oil and minced garlic over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add cayenne, diced mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until mushrooms are tender, about another 3-5 minutes, then stir in the vegan cheese and set aside.
• Once corn husks are softened, drain and dry. Place a single husk down on a flat surface to begin making your tamales!
• Add about 1/4-1/3 cup of masa dough and gently flatten out in your hands. Place dough in the middle of the thicker end of the corn husk and continue flattening out until you create a roughly 1/4 inch thick rectangle.
• Add 2 tbsp filling to the center of the masa. Fold husk in half longways to cover enclose the filling inside the masa, then fold the other side over like a burrito and gently squish down.
• Fold the smaller end up and secure by tying a string of a corn husk twice. Place tamale in a steamer and continue with remaining filling and masa.
• Steam tamales for about 30-35 minutes, or until the masa pulls away from the husk. Take off corn husk and enjoy with salsa!

EASY MEXICAN PORK TAMALES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a slow cooker add pork butt, garlic, salt, pepper and water. Cook on low 5 hours or High 2.5 hours or until meat easily falls apart. Drain extra liquid out and save meat broth in separate container for masa. Shred pork with a fork.
• Stir in enchilada sauce and taco sauce. Set aside.
• In stand mixer with dough hook (or very large bowl), add masa, melted lard, enchilada sauce, taco sauce, salt, baking powder and meat broth. Slowly add more meat broth until you get a just slightly thicker consistency to hummus. Set bowl in the fridge covered for 30 minutes.
• Separate corn husks and soak in warm water in a large container for at least 30 minutes.
• Spread a thin layer of masa onto corn husk, fill with 1-2 Tablespoons of meat. Fold each side of the corn husk over the meat mixture. Fold in the tail portion to cover the seam. Place seam side down on the cookie sheet and you continue until all meat and masa is used to make the rest of the tamales.
• Tie tamales with cooking twine into batches of five.
• Use a 5 gallon pot with a lid and steamer insert. Pour remaining meat broth (or chicken broth) in pot just enough to set below the steam insert. Place tamale batches bottom/seam side down. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and steam for one hour.

QUICK AND EASY CHEESE TAMALES

Steps:

• Remove the tamales and serve warm. Enjoy!