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Mexican Recipe: Traditional Masa (Tamales)
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Traditional Masa (Tamales)
- 1 1/3 cups lard, butter or shortening
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 cups masa harina
- 2 1/2 cups cold liquid (chicken, beef or vegetable broth, or fruit juice for sweet tamales)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt for savory tamales, or a pinch of salt plus 1/4 cup sugar for sweet tamales
With a electric mixer, beat lard and baking powder until light (3 to 5 minutes). With mixer still running,
slowly add masa harina, liquid, salt, plus sugar if making sweet tamales.
Masa is at right consistency when you drop a small piece into a glass of water and it floats. Chill before pressing
into dried corn husks, fresh corn leaves cleaned of silk, or banana leaves. Use your fingers to press masa into husks.
Dip your fingers into cold water to prevent masa from sticking to them. Fill with your favorite filling (2/3 masa
to 1/3 filling).
Or mix fresh cooked corn kernels, cooked black beans, raw green onions, chopped jalapenos, cheese or garlic into the
masa and forget the filling. Tie husks on both ends and steam the tamales for 1 1/2 hours.
Recipe courtesy of Lucrecia Salvado.
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