Hot tamales are one of the most iconic Mexican snacks, a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as an appetizer, main course, or side dish. Hot tamales are made by wrapping a corn dough mixture filled with a variety of savory fillings in corn husks and steaming them until cooked through. The result is a tender, flavorful, and slightly spicy treat that is sure to tantalize your taste buds. This article provides a step-by-step guide to making hot tamales using corn flour, along with three different filling options: a traditional pork filling, a vegetarian black bean filling, and a sweet corn and cheese filling. Whether you're a seasoned home cook or a novice in the kitchen, this article has everything you need to create delicious and authentic hot tamales from scratch, perfect for any occasion.
Let's cook with our recipes!
CORNMEAL TAMALES
Steps:
- Combine the ground beef, seasonings, yellow cornmeal, and tomato sauce in a large bowl and mix well. Make 36 balls of approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture, or 1 1/2 ounces per ball. Roll each ball into a cigar shape about 5 inches long. Fill a 9 by 12-inch casserole or cake pan with the dredging mixture. Dredge the individual meat "cigars" in the cornmeal until well coated. Place each cornmeal-coated "cigar" in a piece of paper and roll up the paper around the filling. In a large steamer pot, lay two layers of tamales and steam for 1 hour, covered. Serve hot.
- Variation - Mississippi Corn Bread Tamales:
- Add 1/2 cup water and a teaspoon of salt to 10 cups corn bread crumbs and work into a paste. Cover the meat "cigars" with the paste individually instead of dredging. Proceed as directed
HOT TAMALES (LOUISIANA STYLE)
These take a bit of time to roll, but the end result is well worth the effort. My Maw maw-in-law taught me how to make hot tamales with this recipe (she learned how to make them from a friend in Texas.) You can adjust the spices to your tastes- my husband loves it when you use tablespoons instead of teaspoons, but I find it too hot. You can also use all beef instead of that 1 lb of pork, if you prefer. Tamale wrappers are available in specialty stores, or online, although some grocery stores carry them. You will need 80-100 6-inch paper tamale wrappers, which are not listed in the ingredients as they aren't food. This recipe makes a lot by design, and they freeze wonderfully. I took pictures of the steps involved in rolling the tamales and posted them on my blog in case my directions aren't clear: http://randomcreativity.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/tamales/
Provided by Random Rachel
Categories Meat
Time 3h30m
Yield 75 tamales, 25 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Run onions, celery, garlic, and bell pepper through your food processor until they are finely minced.
- In a very large bowl, combine ground meat, minced veggies, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Mix together thoroughly using your hands. Add in the rotel, 1 cup of corn meal, and 1 can of tomato sauce; mix again. (You need to mix the wet ingredients in separately from the spices so that the spices don't all clump together in one spot.)
- Lay out your papers beside two baking sheets or trays. Add 1 cup of cornmeal to one baking sheet, to roll the tamales in (the other one is to stack completed tamales on.)
- Pinch off some of the meat mixture, and form into a ping pong sized ball. Roll it in the cornmeal, coating it as thick as you can. Place in the center of a tamale paper on one side, and roll. The ball should squish into a log, leaving an inch of the wrapper empty on either end. Press down the top of both empty ends, and fold the two sides of the ends in before folding them under the tamale.
- Repeat with the remainder of the meat mixture. After a few, you get the feel of how much meat it will take to fill the wrapper up enough. We got 75 tamales out of one batch, it depends on how big you make them.
- In a large dutch oven, pour in the 1/2 cup oil and 1 can tomato sauce. Cover with a layer of tamales, then a can of sauce, and a sprinkle of chili powder, repeating until you run out of tamales. Fill the pan with water until the tamales are just covered.
- Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer 2 - 2 1/2 hours till done, adding water if necessary.
CREAMED CORN TAMALES
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 1h45m
Yield about 20 tamales
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water until pliable, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the dough: Combine the masa harina and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the corn and 1/2 cup hot water until combined. Add the butter and mix with your hands until evenly distributed.
- Remove the corn husks from the water and shake dry. Unfold the husks on a clean surface (discard any small husks or husks with holes). Put about 1/4 cup dough down the center of a husk; fold in the long sides to enclose the filling, then fold in the top and bottom to make a packet. Secure with kitchen twine. Repeat with the remaining dough and husks.
- Set up a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the tamales are firm, about 1 hour. Remove from the steamer and let rest 10 minutes before unwrapping.
HOT TAMALES
Provided by Alton Brown
Time 5h45m
Yield 4 to 5 dozen tamales
Number Of Ingredients 20
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.;
HOT TAMALE CASSEROLE
If you like Mexican food you'll love this recipe! It's a little extra work but well worth it. Make it as hot or as mild as you like.
Provided by Bergy
Categories Vegetable
Time 1h30m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 24
Steps:
- Heat oil in a large skillet.
- Add onion and green pepper; saute until tender.
- Add beef and cook until crumbly.
- Add tomatoes (if the tomatoes are very juicy take off some juice, keep it you can add it if needed), tomato paste, corn, olives, cumin, salt, all spice, chili powder, pepper sauce and cornmeal.
- Simmer stirring frequently for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Spoon mixture into a 2 1/2 qt casserole.
- MAKE TAMALE TOPPING----------------.
- In a large bowl mix, flour cornmeal, sugar and baking powder.
- Add melted butter, milk, and egg.
- Stir only until dry ingredients are just moistened.
- Quickly stir in the jalapeno pepper and cheese.
- BACK TO THE CASSEROLE-----------.
- Spoon the topping in large spoonfuls around the edge of the casserole.
- Bake in 450°F uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until cornmeal topping is cooked through and lightly browned.
Tips:
- Use fresh corn flour: Fresh corn flour will give your tamales a better flavor and texture. If you can't find fresh corn flour, you can use masa harina, which is a type of corn flour that has been treated with lime.
- Soak the corn husks: Soaking the corn husks in warm water for at least 30 minutes will make them more pliable and easier to work with. You can also soak them overnight in the refrigerator.
- Use a large pot: You will need a large pot to cook the tamales. A Dutch oven or a large stockpot will work well.
- Steam the tamales: Tamales are traditionally steamed, which helps to keep them moist and flavorful. You can steam them in a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water, or you can use a tamale pot, which is a special pot designed for steaming tamales.
- Let the tamales rest: After the tamales are cooked, let them rest for a few minutes before unwrapping and serving. This will help them to set and hold their shape.
Conclusion:
Hot tamales are a delicious and traditional Mexican dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. They are relatively easy to make, and they can be made with a variety of fillings and toppings. Whether you are making them for a special occasion or just for a weeknight dinner, hot tamales are sure to be a hit.
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