Tamales Verdes
Published December 1, 2014
Hannah Whitaker for The New York Times. Prop stylist: Theo Vamvounakis.
- Total Time
- 1 hour 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
50 to 60 dried corn husks, or as needed
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
5 to 6 jalapeño peppers
1 quart chicken broth
1 teaspoon teaspoon salt
2 clove garlic
¼ onion, sliced
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
2 tablespoons lard
1 pound boneless, skinless cooked chicken breasts, shredded
FOR THE MASA
1 4.4-pound bag Maseca tamale mix
4 cup lard, approximately 1 ½ pounds, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
2 quarts chicken broth.
Preparation
- Step 1
For the filling, place husks in a large bowl. Add water to cover, and set aside to soften.
- Step 2
In a large saucepan, combine the tomatillos, jalapeño peppers and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a blender, and add salt, garlic, onion and cumin. Blend until puréed. Return the mixture to the pot, and place over medium heat. Add the lard, cook for 5 to 7 minutes until fully melted, then remove from heat and set aside.
- Step 3
For the masa, combine the masa mix with the melted lard, baking powder, salt and chicken broth in a large bowl. Knead dough until soft, 10 to 20 minutes.
- Step 4
To finish and steam: Fill the bottom of a steamer with about 2 inches of water. Line the bottom of the insert with a layer of corn husks.
- Step 5
In a corn husk, place about a handful of masa. Spread with 3 tablespoons of the sauce and some shredded chicken. Fold in the sides of each husk, and fold the pointed side up, leaving one end open. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Stand the filled husks in the steamer with the open ends up.
- Step 6
Cover the tops with a layer of additional corn husks, and cover the pot tightly with foil and a lid. Steam until the tamales release easily from the husks, 45 minutes to 1 hour; add water to the bottom of the pan as necessary so it doesn’t run dry, and be careful not to overcook.
Private Notes
Comments
Mark Bittman says you can use olive oil that you put in the freezer for a few minutes to solidify. I use olive oil in all of mine and my family loves them.
Lard is what makes Mexican food taste authentic. You could use another fat, but you lose a lot of the flavor. Crisco would work as a fat.
Make your filling juicier and add the juice to the masa mix. This works particularly well when you use red chile meat as a filling. Or use part chile and part water or stock to mix the masa.
I grew up in Phoenix and ate a lot of homemade tamales. The best ones I ever had were made with butter, and the filling mixed into the masa. Then just dolloped onto the softened husks, folded into a little envelope shape, tied then stacked in a steamer to cook. Easy and delicious.
Made this recipe and it makes so many tamales, def over 50-60 husks. Add chicken or any other filling to accommodate for the amount of masa you make. Other wise super bomb!!
Need to add more filling. Use olive oil and bob red mill masa works great.
I grew up in Phoenix and ate a lot of homemade tamales. The best ones I ever had were made with butter, and the filling mixed into the masa. Then just dolloped onto the softened husks, folded into a little envelope shape, tied then stacked in a steamer to cook. Easy and delicious.