Tamale Dough Recipes

TAMALE DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix masa harina, lard, salt and baking powder in large bowl with wooden spoon until well blended. Gradually add just enough of the hot water to make a smooth stiff dough, stirring constantly.
• Assemble tamales, using about 2 Tbsp. of the masa mixture and 1 to 2 Tbsp. of your favorite filling for each tamale.
• Stand tamales in a steamer basket in large pot filled 1/4 full with water. (Make sure tamales are not touching the water.) Bring water to boil; cover. Steam 1 hour or until tamales pull away from the corn husks, adding more water to the pot when necessary. Cool slightly.

HOT TAMALES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, kosher salt, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin. Divide the mixture in half and reserve 1 half for later use.
• Cut the Boston butt into 6 even pieces and place into a 6 to 8-quart saucepan. Add half of the spice mixture and enough water, 3 to 3 1/2 quarts, to completely cover the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is very tender and falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid to a cutting board. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Both meat and liquid need to cool slightly before making dough and handling. Remove any large pieces of fat and shred the meat into small pieces, pulling apart with your hands or using 2 forks.
• Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and remaining half of the spice mixture and continue to cook for another minute. Add the meat and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• While the meat is cooking, place the husks in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• For the dough:
• Place the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the lard and using your hands, knead together until the lard is well incorporated into the dry mixture. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 3 to 4 cups to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.
• To assemble the tamales:
• Remove a corn husks from the water and pat dry to remove excess water. Working in batches of 6, lay the husks on a towel and spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat, then fold the bottom under to finish creating the tamale. Repeat until all husks, dough and filling are used. Tie the tamales, around the center, individually or in groups of 3, with kitchen twine.
• To cook the tamales:
• Stand the tamales upright on their folded ends, tightly packed together, in the same saucepan used to cook the meat. Add the reserved broth from making the dough and any additional water so the liquid comes to 1-inch below the tops of the tamales. Try not to pour the broth directly into the tops of the tamales. Cover, place over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 12 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, to maintain a low simmer, and cook until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve the tamales warm. For a 'wet' hot tamale, serve with additional simmering liquid. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.;

BASIC MEXICAN TAMALE DOUGH RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine lard, salt, and baking powder and, using an electric mixer, beat at medium-high speed until well whipped, about 1 minute.
• Add one-fourth of the masa at a time to the lard, beating between additions until thoroughly incorporated. Add chicken stock and continue beating until dough is light and has a soft and spreadable hummus-like texture. Cover masa with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Remove masa from refrigerator and re-whip, adding additional chicken stock 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary, to return it to original hummus-like texture. Use tamale dough in any tamale recipe (see links above for ideas, assembly, and cooking instructions).

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.

TAMALES

Steps:

• Make the filling: Heat a small heavy skillet or a comal over medium heat until hot. Add garlic, and cook until soft and well charred on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Peel, and transfer to the jar of a large heavy-duty blender. Add chile to pan, and toast for 1 minute per side. Tear chile into pieces, discarding stem; add to blender. Add avocado leaves to pan, a few at a time, and toast about 30 seconds per side; tear into pieces, discarding tough stems; add to blender.
• In a large deep skillet, heat lard over medium heat. Add onion, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onions to blender along with 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth. Add beans, with their liquid, and blend until smooth. If necessary, work in batches.
• Reheat lard in skillet, adding a little more if necessary. Add the blended bean mixture, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until you have a thick paste, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Let stand at room temperature, covered, or set over an ice bath, until cool.
• Fill tamale steamer or a stockpot lined with a steamer with enough water to come just below the level of the rack. Place four light coins in the water. Discontinuation of their jiggling will let you know that the water is getting dangerously low and should be supplemented with more boiling water. Place a double layer of corn husks to cover the rack; set aside.
• Make the dough: In a medium bowl, work lard and salt into the masa until evenly distributed. Divide dough into 15 portions, and roll each into a smooth ball.
• Line a tortilla press with a piece of matte plastic wrap (such as a cut-open vegetable bag from the grocery store, not a shiny piece of plastic). Place one of the balls on the bottom plate of a tortilla press, and flatted slightly with your hand. Press the top plate down, but not too hard, to obtain a disk of dough about 5 1/2 inches in diameter.
• Remove disk from tortilla press. Peel back the top piece of plastic to release the dough, replace the plastic, and flip disk and plastic over. Peel back the second side. Spread a generous tablespoon of the bean paste over the center of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Use the bottom piece of plastic to fold the dough up and over the filling about two-thirds of the way. Repeat on second side, enclosing the filling. Fold in the two remaining sides, creating a rectangular tamale, about 3 1/2-by-2-inches.
• Carefully transfer tamale to a soaked corn husk. Top with a piece of hoja santa. Fold the corn husk over to completely cover dough. Set tamale on a tray, and repeat with remaining ingredients.
• By this time the water in the steamer should be boiling and the coins rattling. Place the tamales in the steamer, overlapping them slightly, but not stacking them. Cover with more husks, a thick kitchen towel, and a tightly fitting lid.
• Cook tamales for 40 minutes to 1 hour. To test for doneness, remove one of the tamales and check that, when it's opened up, the dough separates easily from the husk. Serve with salsa de chile pasilla de Oaxaca.

TAMALE DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine masa harina, lard, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture is the texture of coarse cornmeal. Transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 cups corn kernels to processor bowl, puree, and transfer to bowl with masa mixture. Stir in remaining corn kernels and chicken broth. Knead mixture with hands until a dough forms. Cover dough with a damp towel until ready to use.

BASIC TAMALES

Steps:

• To make the dough, place the masa harina in a large bowl. Use a wooden spoon to beat in just enough chicken broth to make a smooth, soft dough, like a medium-pliable bread dough.
• Beat the lard in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until very fluffy and fully aerated, about 3 minutes. Still mixing on medium speed, begin adding the masa a handful at a time, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. If the mixture becomes too stiff, add up to 1 cup of broth a little at a time. When all the masa has been incorporated, the mixture should be very light and delicate, the texture of buttercream frosting. Beat in the salt.
• To fill and steam the tamales, drain the corn husks and select as many as you can of the larger pieces, being careful not to open the crinkled leaves of the core that are full of corn silk. If necessary, select some of the better-looking middle-size or narrow pieces and paste them together with a little of the tamale dough. Pat the husks dry. Place a husk on a work surface. Spread 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the dough across the wide end of the husk, covering it from side to side and extending about halfway up toward the narrow tip. Place 1 heaping tablespoon (smaller husks will take less) of filling in the center of the dough. Make a cone shape by folding the 2 long edges over the filling so that they overlap slightly. Fold in half crosswise. Repeat with the remaining husks and filling. As they are finished, place the tamales on a baking sheet (they can be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap, up to 1 day, or frozen for 1 month).
• Have a steamer and insert ready, with about 1 inch of boiling water in the bottom of the pot. Place the tamales in the insert, in layers as necessary. Place some of the unused corn husks over the tamales to help absorb the steam. Cover tightly and bring quickly to a full boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cook for 1 hour, adding boiling water as necessary. Remove the steamer basket and let the tamales stand 10 minutes before serving.

BASIC TAMAL DOUGH

Steps:

• If using fresh masa, skip to next step. If using masa harina, place it in a large bowl and reconstitute by adding 4 cups warm stock. Beat with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands until you have a stiff, smooth dough like a medium-pliable bread dough. Use a little more stock if necessary, but mixture should not be loose.
• Beat lard in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until very fluffy and fully aerated, about 3 minutes. It may take longer if your mixer is not of the most powerful. (A heavy-duty machine such as a KitchenAid is best.) The best alternative to a mixer is not a spoon but your bare hand: Whip and beat the lard with a rapid folding motion until you feel it lightening and continue to whip until it is fluffy and full of air. It should be as light as butter creamed for the lightest butter cake.
• Keeping mixer on medium speed, begin adding masa or reconstituted masa harina to lard a handful at a time. Stop to scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as necessary. If mixture becomes too stiff to beat, add up to 1 cup tepid chicken stock a little at a time. Alternatively, beat in masa or reconstituted masa harina using your bare hand as a whipping and folding tool, adding up to 1 cup chicken stock as necessary. When all masa or reconstituted masa harina has been incorporated the mixture should be very light and delicate, the texture of buttercream frosting. Beat in salt.
• The mixture is now ready to be filled or spread onto corn husks, banana leaves, or other wrappers, and steamed.