What a joy to discover how enjoyable it is to make fresh tender tamales. Following the tropical Oaxacan style, they were steamed in banana leaves which seems to create a very moist and succulent tamal. We made three types, and there was definitely a first place winner - surprisingly the one I had the greatest doubts about as it was an instinctive combination of ingredients, not from a given recipe. One of the most enjoyable parts took place before my guests arrived - that was the mixing of the masa. The soft, fine grain of the corn masa must be mixed gently by hand and the texture was so soft and tender and fluffy, like the sand on the beach at Tulum. Adding the water and slowly squeezing the masa to pull the moisture into the ground corn is such a sensual experience, and then later adding the vegetable shortening - both steps were alchemical in nature as the dry corn became a soft and succulent golden pillow of grain. It seemed an ancient Mayan ritual, a woman’s hands bringing life forth from deep down in the earth through love of the corn and in honor of the Earth Goddess. A magical transformation.
The very best of the fillings was a steamed ancho chile blended with red onion, garlic, and a little tofu for a creamy body, and then mixed in a bowl with finely chopped zucchini. As we layered the corn masa on the banana leaf, we added the ancho chilie filling, and then topped it with thinly sliced dried tomato and a slice of jack cheese. With a final dollop of masa on top, we carefully folded the banana leaves up (top and bottom first, then sides) and tied the moist bundles closed with thin strips of banana leaves. I had harvested the banana leaves earlier in the day, cut them to size, microwaved them for 2 and a half minutes, and then stored them in a plastic bag to keep them moist. This flavor combination was the best tamale I have ever tasted, made one quietly hum a little while slowly savoring it.
The second best tamale was the sweet one – shredded coconut was added to the remaining masa, and then fresh local sweet white pineapple chunks (with out the acid of the yellow pineapple, it tastes more like a pear) and raisins were gently pressed into the masa. The third tamale was a canned Anaheim chile with jack cheese and dried tomato, a familiar flavor, but just not as remarkable as those with the fresh and complex ingredients.
Corn Masa
makes 10 - barely
2 cups of masa ( I found Red Mill’s in the natural food
section in a one pound versus five pound bag)
1-1/2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
All blended together, squeezing slowly, by hand.
(And listening to Santana’s Abraxis certainly didn’t hurt, with a little dancing to Black Magic Woman while squeezing the masa)
In a separate bowl, whip with a fork
2/3 cup of Earth Balance organic vegetable shortening
(probably ½ cup would be enough / less rich)
Fillings
One dried ancho chile with top and seeds removed,
steamed in water, then chile and water are poured into blender with ¼ red onion and a few cloves of garlic. A small piece of firm tofu is added, probably less than 1/4 of a pound / block, for body. In bowl, add finely diced half of a zucchini to the ancho sauce. Assemble with thinly sliced dried tomato (creates great chewy texture and flavor) and a slice of Jack cheese is optional. This made enough filling for a second follow-up batch.
Pineapple was sliced and cubed, raisins and finely shredded coconut added as well. Anaheim chiles were rinsed and patted dry, added with Jack cheese and dried tomato.
Cooking
Layered in the steamer basket in a large pot, we had to steam them for an hour to get a good result. Recipes all said 45 min but they weren’t ready until 60 min. If you serve them immediately, you will see a transformation take place. The first one is a soft pillow of grain that crumbles a little and needs a fork to be eaten. The second one gains a little body and is firmer as it cools. The third one is the cooled into the firmer tamale shape one is more familiar with and can be eaten by hand. All three stages were excellent, but even the third one was still just minutes from the stove, much fresher than any other possible way to enjoy them. Maravilloso!
