Christmas tamales · The tamalada

Masa for tamales, and how to fill, fold and steam them

45 minutes to make, about 2 hours to fill and steam · makes enough for about 2 dozen tamales

A photo like it · Jose Huwaidi, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The masa is the tamal. Beat it long enough and it turns light and spreadable, and a pinch floats in cold water. This makes enough for about two dozen; the tamalada page multiplies it for your party.

You need

• 1 cup (200 g) lard, or vegetable shortening for vegetarian tamales
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 3 1/2 cups (450 g) masa harina for tamales
• 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) warm chicken or vegetable broth, plus a splash more
• 30 dried corn husks, plus a few extra for tears and tying

How to make it

1. Soak the husks: put them in a big bowl or the sink, cover with very hot water and weigh them down with a plate. Leave them 45 minutes to an hour, until soft and bendy.
2. If you're using masa harina, stir it with the warm broth in a bowl until it comes together like soft cookie dough. Cover and let it sit 15 minutes so the corn drinks up the liquid.
3. Beat the lard with the baking powder and salt in a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer) on medium-high for 2 to 3 minutes, until it's white and fluffy.
4. With the mixer running, add the masa a handful at a time, beating until each is worked in. Then beat for another 5 to 8 minutes, scraping the bowl now and then.
5. Test it: drop a half-teaspoon of masa into a glass of cold water. If it floats, it's ready. If it sinks, beat another 2 minutes and test again. It should spread like thick hummus; beat in a splash of broth if it's stiff. Taste it: it should taste well seasoned on its own.
6. Set up the line: soaked husks patted dry, the bowl of masa, the fillings, spoons, and a sheet pan to hold the finished tamales.
7. Spread: lay a husk smooth side up, wide end toward you. With the back of a spoon, spread about 3 tablespoons of masa into a thin rectangle over the wide half, leaving a 1/2-inch border on the long sides and the narrow top bare.
8. Fill: spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling down the middle of the masa. Less is more; overfilled tamales burst.
9. Fold: bring the long sides together so the masa wraps the filling, roll them in the same direction to close, then fold the narrow bare end up under the back. Tie with a thin strip of husk if it won't stay.
10. Set up the steamer: fill a tamalera or a big pot with a steamer basket with water to just below the basket. Drop a coin in the water: when it stops rattling, the pot needs more water.
11. Stand the tamales upright in the basket, open end up, leaning on each other snugly but not squeezed. Cover them with a layer of extra husks and a damp kitchen towel, then the lid.
12. Bring to a boil, turn down to a steady simmer and steam 75 to 90 minutes, topping up with boiling water from a kettle if the coin goes quiet.
13. Check one: take it out, let it sit 5 minutes, and unwrap. The masa should pull cleanly away from the husk. If it sticks, steam 15 minutes more.
14. Turn off the heat and let them rest in the pot, lid on, for 15 to 20 minutes before serving: they firm up as they sit.

Good to know

• Using fresh prepared masa from a tortilleria (ask for masa preparada para tamales)? Use 2 lb (900 g) in place of the masa harina and broth, and beat it with the lard the same way.
• Steamed tamales keep 5 days in the fridge and 3 months frozen. Re-steam 15 minutes from the fridge, 30 from frozen.

The rest of the tamalada

Or order a dozen: 25 makers

Chef Amazing's own recipe. Save it and it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.