Tamales are my mom's favorite and I really wanted to make them for her. I was a little intimidated by this dish, since I've never made anything like this, but I was lucky enough to have my mom's sous chef assistance (her chopping skills are elite) and my abuelita's help and supervision. It was a lot of work but definitely rewarding and a lot of fun. The tamales came out pretty good for my first time; they may have needed a little more salt, but with some practice I will make sure I master this recipe soon.
Ingredients for 12 Tamales
1 white onion
1 large tomato
1 bell pepper
4 oz of steamed chopped carrots
4 oz of steamed peas
1 1/2 lbs of peeled white corn
1/4 lb of lard
6 chicken thighs
Approx. 4 cups of chicken stock
Fresh banana leaves
2 tablespoons of achiote
abuelita's aliño
Salt
Pepper
optional ingredients
Raisins
Hard boiled eggs
Spanish manzanilla olives stuffed with red peppers
Corn Prep:
Rinse the corn throughly and ensure all of the seeds and peels are removed; soak in water overnight. Drain and rinse the corn again before cooking.
Chicken Prep:
Prep the chicken thighs by trimming off the excess fat. Season with Abuelita's aliño, achiote & olive oil.
Boil in salted water with 1/2 an onion and garlic for about 15-20 mins or until the internal temperature reaches 165F.
Shred and set aside.
Note: Do not throw out the chicken stock! You will need this for the masa.
Masa Prep:
Boil the corn in salted water either in a pressure cooker or in a deep pot on the stove. The pressure cooker will only take about 20 mins to cook Vs boiling in a pot for 1 hr+, either way works.
Once the corn is cooked, rinse one more time in cold water and blend in food processor with 2 heaping tablespoons of lard and warm chicken stock as needed.
After the corn is blended and the masa begins to form, knead in 1 tablespoon of achiote, Abuelita's Aliño and salt/pepper to taste.
At this point, you may need to add a little more of lard and/or warm chicken stock for the right consistency (it shouldn't be dry). My abuelita let me know that my great-grandmother Herlinda would check the masa by grabbing a piece and rubbing it on the banana leaf to see if it made it shiny from the lard. If it did, then it was ready!
Filling Prep:
Finely chop the remaining half of the onion, tomato and bell pepper and make the refrito with a tablespoon of lard.
Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock, 1 tablespoon of achiote, abuelita's alino, salt and pepper to taste. Mix throughly.
Add in the shredded chicken and cook for 3-5 mins; until the liquid is reduced and has thicken. Let cool.
Putting it all together:
Prep the bananas leaves: lightly toast over a high flame for a few seconds on each side. Make sure the leaves don't burn, but are just lightly toasted. This helps makes the leaves a bit more pliable and easier to work with.
Wipe the leaves down with a dry washcloth.
Grab a small ball of masa and mold into an oval shaped bowl with a pocket left for the filling. Make sure the sides aren't too thick, as the tamale will expand when cooking.
Add the shredded chicken, a few peas + carrots into the pocket; optional ingredients: 1 manzanilla olive, a slice of hardboiled egg and a few raisins.
Close up the tamale and make sure there is no filling showing.
Wrap in a banana leave and steam (baño Maria) in a large pot for 1 hr.
Note: Place a layer of banana leaves under + covering the individual wrapped tamales in the pot while steaming.
TIP: For re-heating, you can steam again or lightly toast in a pan with salted butter.