Healthier Tamales
Directions
- 1Simmer beef chuck roast with onion, whole garlic head, 2 bay leaves, and 2 tablespoons of salt until tender, about 2.5 hours.
- 2Shred the beef and save and strain the broth for the masa.
- 3To make the red sauce, blend 5 guajillos, 1 or 2 chile anchos, 9 tomatillos (or any tomato), 5-6 garlic cloves, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, and 1 cup of broth or water.
- 4Adjust salt to taste for the red sauce.
- 5With a hand mixer, beat shortening for 5 minutes on medium to high speed.
- 6Add baking powder and mix for 1 minute until incorporated.
- 7Add masa harina and salt, and slowly start incorporating hot broth while mixing.
- 8Add your reserved red sauce directly into your masa or mix it into your broth to add color and flavor to your masa.
- 9Mix for 25 minutes on medium speed to ensure you get nice fluffy soft tamales.
- 10Taste test a small piece of masa and adjust salt if necessary.
- 11Wrap your tamales to your desired thickness, adding potato, carrot, and a jalapeno slice if desired.
- 12Use a steamer basket or tamal pot and steam on low for 1.5 hours.
- 13Allow your tamales to rest for 15-30 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb beef chuck roast
- 1 onion
- 1 whole garlic head
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp salt
- 5 guajillos
- 1 chile ancho
- 9 tomatillos
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp pepper
- 1 cup broth or water
- 4 cups masa harina (or maseca)
- 6 oz avocado oil shortening
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 4 cup hot broth
- 0.75 cup red sauce (reserved)
- 1 tsp salt
- potato
- carrot
- jalapeno slice
Equipment
hand mixersteamer baskettamal pot
Tips
- You can use your protein of choice: beef, pork, or chicken.
- Adjust salt to taste for the red sauce.
- Saltiness for the masa depends on your broth and sauce, so taste test a piece.
- You can use any fat of choice for the masa: beef tallow, lard, or shortening.
- Mixing enough air into the masa ensures nice fluffy soft tamales.
- Wrap your tamales as thick as you like.
- Allow your tamales to rest for 15-30 minutes before serving.
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