BajaNomad

No More Tamales Please !

Diver - 5-2-2008 at 02:48 PM

My wife is a very good cook but somehow she has just not got the knack of tamales. I am getting a little tired of grainy, crumbly masa and dried out meet filling.

Any idea what she is doing wrong with the masa ?
It never has that smooth, noodly texture like my favorites in Baja.

Once she has cooked and shredded the pork and placed it in the pan with peppers and onions, what can she do to keep it moist other than lard ? Tomatoes ? Broth ? ??

Help !!!

DENNIS - 5-2-2008 at 02:54 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
Any idea what she is doing wrong with the masa ?

Help !!!


Real recipes call for lard although veg shortening will do. is she cutting corners on this in the interest of health?

Diver - 5-2-2008 at 02:56 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Real recipes call for lard although veg shortening will do. is she cutting corners on this in the interest of health?


Yep, I think she used "Smart Balance". :lol::lol::lol:

Isn't there something that works that she won't think will kill me ?
.

DENNIS - 5-2-2008 at 03:04 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Diver
[
Isn't there something that works that she won't think will kill me ?
.


Maybe you should make the masa while she's washing your car.
Vegetable shortning, Crisco Lite, isn't as bad as lard. Anyway, a lousy, dry tamale might hang up in your throat, killing you instantly. It happens all the time.

Iflyfish - 5-2-2008 at 03:33 PM

You are going to die anyway and maybe from something else. Better to take the risk and eat the real tamale! Bless her heart for trying, but nothing beats pig fat!

Iflyfishwhenicangetmylardburroupoffthelardsoakedsofa

ELINVESTIG8R - 5-2-2008 at 03:44 PM

The secret is to mix in manteca into the prepared nixtamal until you can roll it into a small ball the size of a marble and it floats in a glass of warm water.

tripledigitken - 5-2-2008 at 03:50 PM

If they don't improve you can always smother them with enchilada sauce and top with sour cream. :spingrin:


Ken

DENNIS - 5-2-2008 at 04:01 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by tripledigitken
If they don't improve you can always smother them with enchilada sauce and top with sour cream. :spingrin:


Ken


There you go, Diver. That sounds pretty good.

The Sculpin - 5-2-2008 at 04:09 PM

Lard is much better and healthier for you than shortening. You can always work off the lard, you can't work off the trans-fats!

That said, here's an "award winner" (1st place winner for the "Best Commercial Gourmet Tamale" at the Indio International Tamale Festival Indio, CA-Dec. 2, 2000) that doesn't use lard. This will feed 8 people or one large texan!

Recipe for 60 minutes
Yields approx. 25 tamales
Ingredients:


6 cups MASECA CORN FLOUR FOR TAMALES
1 can Chicken broth 49 0z.
1 cup Canola vegetable oil
2 tsp. Salt
1 ½ tsp. Baking powder
2 Large rotisserie chicken
2 ½ jars Green tomatillo sauce of 12 oz. each
1 bag Corn husks (shells type)




Instructions:
Soak the corn husks in warm water until soft.

Blend with an electric mixer, Maseca, corn oil, salt, baking powder and the chicken broth to obtain a consistent mixture.

Shred the chicken and marinate in the green tomatillo sauce.

Spread masa evenly over corn husks, and spread a spoonful of marinated chicken on top of the masa.

Fold the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make a long package. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rests against the side of the tamale with a "seam".

Place the tamales in a steamer and cook tamales for 35 - 40 minutes. Check every 20 minutes.

The tamale is cooked when it separates and easily from the corn husk.

Good luck - and life is too short to drink cheap scotch or crappy tamales!!

[Edited on 5-2-2008 by The Sculpin]

DENNIS - 5-2-2008 at 04:16 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by The Sculpin
Lard is much better and healthier for you than shortening. You can always work off the lard, you can't work off the trans-fats!



Crisco has a model that is trans fat free.

I'm going to try your recipe with the canola oil.

CaboRon - 5-2-2008 at 05:42 PM

I picked up a dozen home made tamalies recently at one of our local favorite restaurants...

After getting home I popped a couple in the steamer and waited for the delicious delicacies ....

When eating the first one ... to my surprise ... I found a three inch long c-ckroach baked into the masa :P

Now I understand there are curious and quaint cooking customs down here .... but ... this addition has put me off tamalies for a long time ..... :barf:

I think I am going to learn to make them at home ....

And damm the lard, full speed ahead.

CaboRon

DENNIS - 5-2-2008 at 06:00 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
When eating the first one ... to my surprise ... I found a three inch long c-ckroach baked into the masa :P



Sounds like one of those big ol' water bugs.

Paulina - 5-2-2008 at 06:09 PM

Theres an idea of what to do with all the stink bugs that are taking over Punta Banda! A little more protein never hurt anyone.

P<*)))><

DENNIS - 5-2-2008 at 06:14 PM

Hitchc-ck could have made a movie about the creepy little critters. They're disappearing slowly.

CaboRon - 5-2-2008 at 06:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by CaboRon
When eating the first one ... to my surprise ... I found a three inch long c-ckroach baked into the masa :P



Sounds like one of those big ol' water bugs.


Dennis,

We used to call them concertina bugs.

CaboRon

bajabound2005 - 5-2-2008 at 07:19 PM

I think she's overcooking the tamales...I'll post my recipe tomorrow.

CaboRon - 5-4-2008 at 06:36 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabound2005
I think she's overcooking the tamales...I'll post my recipe tomorrow.


So, you mentioned a recipe ???

I want to learn how to make these at home.

That way I can control the ingredients :lol:

CaboRon

bajabound2005 - 5-4-2008 at 06:51 AM

The recipe posted by The Sculpin is EXCELLENT. I recently made those. You will, however, need more broth than that. I use corn or sunflower oil; canola will work just as well.
Into the masa (before adding liquids), add:
3 Tablespoons paprika
1 Tablespoon cumin seeds (whole)
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
3 Tablespoons garlic powder
Increase the salt to 2 Tablespoons

Adding some spice to the masa gives it lots of flavor, otherwise it's just cornmeal.

I've never added baking powder to my masa but a number of recipes do call for it. When mixing in the liquids, you're trying to get to the consistency of peanut butter.

Cypress - 5-4-2008 at 01:16 PM

About those tamales? :D There are a couple of ladies in Mulege that sell 'em $1US/ tamale. The best! Marta makes premo tamales. Had some pork tamales way up in the boonies, from a fresh killed hog at a rancheria owned by Vincente Mayorales(my spelling is suspect) that were hard to beat, along with fresh goat cheese and cracklins(chincaronnes?).:):yes:

Udo - 5-4-2008 at 03:06 PM

Ey, Cypress!
You are correct about Marta's tamales! YUM-O!
By the way, when you head north from Mulege you need to make a stop in San Ignacio at the La Pinta hotel restaurant for some chips and guacamole.
Their guacamole is average, but the chips are the corniest (maiz) I have ever tasted. They really have the WOW! factor. After literally eating hundreds of thousands of chips all over Mexico, these stand out.
As a matter of fact, this will be one of our stops for the FOOD NETWORK TV SHOW "[U]FEASTING ON ASPHALT"[/U], where I will be the spanish interpreter. Alton Brown and the crew will travel either northbound from Cabo, or southbound from Tecate on BMW bikes and eat nothing but road food over a five week period.
I'll let you know when we are going to make the trip. Should start in mid January of next year. My other job is production assistant (make eating recommendations as well as places to stay that can accomodate a crew of 25).

Paulina - 5-5-2008 at 08:13 AM

Udo,

You have a cool job. I think it would be great if you would post about this adventure come Jan. of next year.

Thanks,
P<*)))><

Udo - 5-5-2008 at 08:29 AM

Hola paulina!
I will definitaly post what happened on the trip. And although it is geared towards BMW sport cruisers, we will have a small caravan of vans and perhaps an RV.
Internet is sparse in Baja, therefore my communication with it will be limited.
You have the best looking of all the avatars of anyone. It really depicts the Baja attitude.
I plan on submitting one with my wife and I in one of our beachfront place we stay in Baja...if I can figure out how to do it.

bajabound2005 - 5-5-2008 at 09:35 AM

Internet sparse in Baja? Not any more, my friend! You'll find wi-fi in many places and internet cafes plentiful.

turtleandtoad - 5-5-2008 at 10:57 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Cypress
About those tamales? :D There are a couple of ladies in Mulege that sell 'em $1US/ tamale.


I'm a little surprised at the high price. There is a woman in Edcouch, Texas (our homebase) that makes and sells beef and pork tamales for $5/dozen. And they are great!!

If she can make a profit at about 42 cents each in the US, why are they twice as expensive in Baja? Is there that much difference in the price of ingredients between the US and Mexico?

vandenberg - 5-5-2008 at 11:33 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by turtleandtoad


I'm a little surprised at the high price. There is a woman in Edcouch, Texas (our homebase) that makes and sells beef and pork tamales for $5/dozen. And they are great!!

If she can make a profit at about 42 cents each in the US, why are they twice as expensive in Baja? Is there that much difference in the price of ingredients between the US and Mexico?


Cost has nothing to do with the way Mexicans do business.
It's what they can wring out off the dumb gringos.
Would you pay $10.00 for a Margarita you can get in most California bars for $2.50?
The fact that their rent, non existing insurance, cheap help and whatever is a fraction of their American counterparts, has no bearing on their pricing.

DENNIS - 5-5-2008 at 12:07 PM

They've been getting a buck apiece at roadside stands for a long time around here. I never did think they were worth it since most of them are dough-balls with a rock in the middle anyway. You have to make your own. Traditional Aztec food was probably great 500 years ago but, times have changed.