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Tamales La Alviso By Shenanchie |
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I am a great fan of Mexican food, and tamales are one of my favorites. For many years I have eaten tamales from the can or from shrink-wrapped plastic wrappers. I always thought they were tasty this way, especially if cheese or chili was spooned over the top of them. I remember peeling the wrappers off the individual tamales and thinking they were like wet paper – which in reality they probably were.
Several years ago I was privileged to be a part of a family session of prepping and assembling bona fide homemade tamales. The process is quite lengthy, but is well worth the end result.
I would like to thank Wilbert and Elva Alviso, my friend and his mother respectively, for allowing me to participate in the making of authentic Mexican tamales. It was a special experience for me, and one I have never forgotten. I took copious notes the entire time, naturally, although my major contribution to the afternoon was spreading the Masa on the corn husks with Wilbert – which turned out to be very rewarding anyway.
Early one Saturday morning in October 2001, I loaded up my dog Foofer and we drove to the Alviso household. Elva had already cooked the meat and cleaned the corn husks. Cleaning the husks is probably the most tedious and difficult part of tamale-making, she told me. After Foofer greeted Wilbert, we then sat down at the Alviso’s kitchen table and started spreading Masa on the corn husks.
I have detailed the process of making the tamales from start to finish, even though I was not involved in the first part of it. Thanks to Elva and Wilbert, I was still able to fill in the beginnings of this enjoyable culinary venture.
The corn husks for making tamales come in a package, and can usually be found at a Mexican specialty store or if you’re lucky, at the local grocery store. These are simply the husks from corn on the cob, but they need to be cleaned just the same way. The particular corn husks we used were dried and bleached. The corn “hair” needs to be cleaned out of these once the package is opened, which can become time-consuming. There are usually dozens of corn husks per package, so remove only the amount required for the batch being made. The husks are layered together, and need to be separated carefully. The corn “hair” found at random in the husks needs to be removed. Leftover corn husks will store on the shelf quite well if they are kept dried; they can be used for another batch of tamales. Just before spreading Masa, take the husks to be used and soak them in warm water. Soaking in a clean sink works quite well. This process will soften the husks up and make them more pliable.
Most tamales have a meat filling, but they can also be prepared using cheese, refried beans or chiles. During our late October session, Elva Alviso prepared pork tamales and filled leftover husks with refried beans and Monterey Jack cheese, and then with green chiles and cheese. Chicken or beef combinations also make hearty fillings.
Elva seasoned a pork shoulder roast with cumin, salt and pepper, and garlic. She simmered it slowly in a large pot of water until it was fully cooked, and then let it cool for a few hours. After the meat was sufficiently cool to the touch, she shredded the meat by hand into 2" and 3" strips. Once this was finished, she returned the shredded meat to a large frying pan, and added a bit of the juice from the frying pan as additional flavoring. She then added more cumin, salt, pepper and garlic and stirred the mixture well. She kept the filling warm until we were ready to add it to the Masa-layered corn husks.
Contrary to what people might assume, homemade tamales can be made from store-bought Masa. Elva used “Maseca” instant corn Masa mix from Aztec Milling, although Quaker now has their own brand as well. The simple ingredients included in these mixes are corn, water and lime.
The complete ingredients for Masa dough is as follows:
One tip Elva and Wilbert gave me is to use lard in the mixture rather than shortening, and to increase the amount to two cups.
In a large bowl, combine the Maseca with the baking powder and the salt. Work in the water or broth with your hands to make soft, moist dough. In another bowl, beat the lard until it is fluffy. Add the Masa, and beat until the dough has a spongy texture. I noticed that Elva kneaded the dough and had it spread out in a large aluminum roasting pan. This was the perfect size to fit all of the dough, and it made it much easier later when layering the corn husks.
Wilbert is a great cook, and he can be very inventive. He told me he and his mother used to use spoons when spreading the Masa on the corn husks. Then one day he decided this method simply took too long and was difficult, so he grabbed a flat spatula and used this to spread the Masa. The method works wonders, I can tell you, because when Wilbert and I started spreading the Masa things went very quickly. Wilbert used a slotted spatula, and I brought along a solid spatula. Elva set the roasting pan filled with the Masa on the kitchen table, and Wilbert and I started to work.
As I had never spread Masa before, Wilbert showed me how to do it on the first few tries. At this point, the Masa had a wonderful, elastic texture that was not sticky like regular flour-dough. The corn husks had been removed from the warm water, and set into a stainless steel bowl on the kitchen table. Taking the spatula flip-side up, we scraped out chunks of Masa and spread them carefully onto the corn husks. Since the husks are triangular in shape, the “pointed” needs to be on top as the process begins. If there are any loose ends on the edges, strip them away and set them aside. Elva uses these strips, once they are dried, to tie various things together. If there is a tear in the husk, use a smaller piece of husk to patch the area. Spread some Masa over the tear, and then simply take the smaller piece and fit it over the tear, leaving the end a bit farther out on the bottom. Once the Masa is layered, any tears should hold in place.
Scooping Masa with the spatula, proceed to spread it out onto the husk about two inches from the top. Spread evenly over the husk, including the edges. Wilbert likes thick Masa, but he suggests a normal Masa spread is about 1/8" in thickness. Once one husk is finished, set it aside and begin another. As each one is complete, lay the husks on top of each another. They shouldn’t stick together. Repeat this process until the Masa is gone – one thing I learned was the Masa runs out long before the husks do. Once the rhythm of spreading the Masa on the corn husk is down pat, it the process goes quickly and somewhat smoothly.
Once the corn husks have been spread with Masa, it’s time to start filling them to create tamales. Take a large spoon, and scoop the filling mixture right down the center of the husk. Fill evenly, but make sure to keep it down the middle. Then roll the husk from one side (as if rolling a tortilla), tucking carefully but tightly. Once the husk has been rolled completely, fold the slender end over the tip of the triangle. Repeat with all the husks and the filling. COOKING THE TAMALES After the husks are filled and rolled, they need to be steamed. Professional home steamers work well, but might not hold a lot of husks at one time. Wilbert and Elva used a large pot, filled about halfway with water. Wilbert had purchased a collapsible steamer basket to set down in the water, but it was not submerged. Arrange the husks with the folded-side up, and fit them snugly together so they stay upright better. Once the basket is filled, cover and start boiling. Depending on the thickness of the Masa, the tamales can take anywhere from an hour to an hour-and-a-half to cook. To test doneness, remove one of the tamales from the pot and try taking off the corn husk. If the husk removes easily, the tamales are done. If the Masa is still sticking to the husks, they need to be cooked a bit longer. Tamale Superstition - “Too Many Hands Spoil the Pot” While Wilbert and I were spreading the Masa on the corn husks, Elva spoke to him in Spanish, telling him to inform me not to let more than one person handle the tamales once they were steaming in the pot. Whoever places the tamales in the pot had to be the one to handle them throughout the steaming process. If more than one person handles the tamales during the cooking, it is said the batch will not cook correctly - the dough will be sticky, the husks will fall apart or they will taste terrible. Apparently this is a highly credible superstition in some circles. One good note, however, is that if you have more than one pot going the “Too Many Hands Spoil the Pot” only applies to one pot per person!
"Tamales La Alviso" was written for entertainment purposes only and expresses the sole opinions of the author. This article is not meant to be a professional chef's essay on tamale-making, but rather an observation about the generalities of the process from a home kitchen.
©2001-2007 Shenanchie - Appetizing Muse
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