This weeks topic on Hive Top Chef we have the topic of Steamed which reminded me of what I have wanted lately which are tamales.
I had first heard of tamales when I was on a road trip to the Texas many years ago. I saw signs all over saying "tamales" and wondered what this was. I had only had candy that was called tamales.
On this trip, I never had tamales, even though we crossed the border to Mexico for the day. We did not eat there. It wasn't until a few years later when I went to Mexico for a real vacation, that I tried a tamale. I believe it was chicken. It was love at first taste.
I have had tamales a few times in Mexico since then, and have made them two times myself.
This is the first time I have used a special flour made for tamales. I have only used masa for tortillas which worked well. This was at the Mexican grocer so I thought I would use this instead.
Tamale dough
3 cups masa for tamales
3 1/2 cup water or vegetable btoth
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup vegetable shortening (or oil)
1 teaspoon salt
I don't have a stand mixer so I used a whisk to beat the vegetable shortening first.
I added the vegetable broth little at a time until it formed a soft dough. There are different preferences to the consistency of the dough. I just went for softer than bread and stiffer than cookie.
Let it sit for a while then form a ball on the banana leaves. I just chose a size and went with it.
Some people use their hands to flatten the dough before filling and some use a tortilla press. I don't have a tortilla press so I used a plate gently pressing down with plastic on top of the dough. You could use parchment paper as well.
I had already prepared the filling which was mushroom and black bean.
Filling
3 large portobellos
1 small onion diced
4 or 5 cloves garlic minced
2 jalapeno peppers
2 serrano peppers
Handful chopped cilantro
Juice of a lime
Salt and pepper to taste
I was given portobellos which are not my favourite but they were a gift from my partner's mother. She's a senior and always likes to give a parting gift when we visit. I decided to add them to the filling.
I threw them in the processor to roughly grind.
This was going to be simple because of the sauce that I would add later.
The black beans were from a can. I often soak and cook them but not this time.
I love spice so I chose jalapenos and serranos to give it some heat. It had a nice kick for us but some folks I know wouldn't be able to handle it. It was not too spicy for us. Serrano peppers are more spicy than jalapenos so if you don't like the heat from peppers you could omit those or all of them.
I started by cooking the onions and garlic then peppers in a hot oiled pan.
I chopped up some coriander and threw that in. There are some herbs that are popular in Mexican cooking. One is epazote and hoja santa which I don't like. I like almost every herb but not those. I used cilantro which was quite satisfactory.
I added tomato paste at the last minute to thicken and add a little extra flavor and acid.
I applied the mix to the pressed down masa dough.
Usually tamales are steamed in corn husks but the Mexican grocer was out of them. I chose banana leaves instead. I have no experience with those but the Mexican grocery guy said he prefers banana leaves for tamales.
I went by feel when I packaged these. I am no expert at this but I figured as long as it's held together that's all that matters. I know many Hive chefs here know exactly what to do with banana leaf package cooking.
I have a bamboo steamer, an electric steamer and a cheap folding metal steamer like this which is what I chose for simplicity. I cooked them for over an hour.
I chose to make a Mexican inspired mole sauce This was made before the tamales.
There are many kinds of mole sauces from Mexico. They can be really complex. The ingredients can go over 5o items. Each region and family can have their own style. It can take days to make for some who have time and tradition, and good cooking facilities. Mine is in the style of a Canadian cook with a studio apartment.
I have chosen what may be called a red mole. Like a black mole, it contains a magic ingredient. Chocolate.
Mole sauce
2 guajillo peppers
3 ancho peppers
2 pasillo peppers
4 tomatoes
10 small tomatillos
1 onion
7 or 8 cloves garlic
1 plantain
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander
1 teaspoon peppercorn
2 whole cloves
5 allspice berries
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 cup almonds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup sesame seeds
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup cane sugar
75 grams dark chocolate
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 litre vegetable stock
Salt to taste
One of the key ingredients to this mole is the dried peppers. I have chose popular peppers for mole sauce, which are not really spicy. They have a nice deep smokey flavor.
For the whole spices I toasted them in a hot pan then ground them with a mortar and pestle.
The green tomatillos are very much like a tomato that looks just like a green tomato. It has a husk on it when it grows. I bought these without the husk. They do have a different flavor then an actual unripe green tomato. It's not easy to find but I have a Mexican grocer down the street. I also have a few little stores that sell exotic imports.
I have chosen a few nuts and seeds often used in mole sauces. These help to not only flavor but to thicken the sauce.
Mole sauce is not only savoury but also sweet without being obvious. It shouldn't taste like a desert. I have used raisins in addition to plantains.
I put the tomatoes in a hot oiled pan to roast with half the onion.
When it was cooked I removed the skin.
I did the same with the tomatillos but didn't remove the skin which doesn't loosen.
I separately toasted in oil, first the nuts, then the seeds and plantains and raisins.
The traditional mole sauce can often have tortillas, animal crackers or Mexican bread bread. I just used a slice of bread. This is to thicken the sauce.
I don't have a big blender so I started grinding the ingredients in a processor.
After I used a small blender a bit at a time. It should be nice and smooth so you can add water or broth, adjusting the seasonings as you go.
After its blended add it to a hot pan covered in oil. This splatters so have a cloth ready.
I added more cocoa powder, sugar, and salt as it cooked.
Then I added the chocolate. It was cooked down by simmering for a while until thicker.
Before I added it to the dish I blended it again for extra smoothness.
This was the sauce I chose because I really like it but any salsa would do.
I don't eat dairy so I made a vegan cream from soaked cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and salt. This is simple but a nice addition.
Sesame seeds are a nice addition to the tamales when they are smothered with mole sauce.
Mole sauce is not a requirement for tamales but I decided to do this because I really like it. If you don't feel like doing so much work for a mole sauce, there are really good ready made ones that you add liquid to. Many households in Mexico use them.
Thanks for dropping by.
