Tamalito Appetizer
This recipe is fun to do and by tackling this recipe you will learn to make a basic tamal that will turn out delicious and impressive. If you have never made tamales, this is a low risk dish with a high reward for acquiring a new experience in Mexican cooking and you will earn high praises for presentation and taste, guaranteed.
In this posting, we will make two savors of tamales. Red chile and calabaza (squash) with corn. Cooking tamales is simple, just steam them fresh or frozen. Uncooked tamales can be frozen and retained in the freezer for months and taste the same as the day you made them. For my red chile tamalito, I simply mix diced California chile with masa (corn meal). For the corn tamalito, I mix frozen corn kernels and pureed squash with masa. Regular sized tamales are made with filling in the center. Because these are appetizer size, the ingredients are mixed within the masa.
You can find fresh masa and corn husks (hojas) at your Mexican grocery stores or Tortilleria or you can prepare masa from corn flour (masa harina). Be sure to ask for masa for tamales.
Husk Preparation
1 lb corn husks (hojas)
makes 6-7 dozen tamalitos
Separate each husk and place in a large bowl. Cover with water and rinse several times discarding the rinse water. Cover the husks with water for a final soak and let them soak while you prepare the masa. Turn husks over several times and soak until they are no longer stiff but plyable. They can be ready in 30 – 45 minutes.
Tamalitos are smaller than regular tamales, so we will need husks 5 to 6 inches in width. Split the very wide ones in half as shown in the picture below. For tying the ends of each tamal, use the narrower husks to tear strips of about 1/4 inch in width. Husks have a smooth side and a rough side. If you run your finger nail across the husk you will see the difference. Always place the masa on the smooth side.
Chile Ingredients
Makes 18 chile tamalitos
2 – 3 oz California chile pods (not a hot pepper, most of the time)
1 lb. masa for tamales
Salt
Chile Preparation
Please refer to my recommendations in the selection and preparation of chile sauce from dry chile pods with this link to my red chile sauce. In this recipe we will not make a sauce. Remove stems and seeds from pods and rinse twice with water discarding the rinse water. Place pods in a large bowl and half cover with water. Soak the chile for about 2 hours or until the pods are completely soft turning them during the soak period.
When the chile is completely reconstituted in water and soft, dice them and set them aside. Place the masa in a large bowl, taste it for salt; adjust to a salty taste. Fold in the diced chile until the chile is uniformly distributed within the masa and refrigerate your mixture until you are ready to assemble your tamalitos.
Calabaza (squash) Ingredients
Makes 18 calabaza tamalitos
1 1/2 cups winter squash (Kabocha or Butternut variety)
1 lb masa
4 cups water
Salt
Calabaza Preparation
Cut the pumpkin in half and remove and discard the seeds and stringy insides. Cut each half in 2 pieces. Place the squash in a steamer container inside the pot.
Place 3-4 cups of water in the steaming pot and bring to a boil, simmer and cook covered for about 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Once the pumpkin has cooled, scoop out the flesh and discard the peel. Puree through a food mill or use a potato masher. The filling can be prepared one day ahead.
Place the masa in a large bowl, add the squash puree and fold-in to distribute uniformly in the masa. Taste for salt and adjust to a salty taste, mix-in the corn and refrigerate your mixture until you are ready to assemble your tamalitos.
Assembling your Tamalitos
Masa in placed on the smooth side of the husk. Run your finger nail across the husk to identify the smooth side of the husk. Lay the husk flat and place a heaping tablespoon of masa in the center of the husk. Fold over long sides and roll like a cigar. Tie each end with a husk strip and a double knot. If the husk is too long, snip-off the excess with scissors. You can store tamales for a day prior to cooking or you can freeze them uncooked for months.
Cooking Tamales
Tamales are always cooked in steam. Never use a microwave to cook tamales; microwave only for reheating after they’re cooked. Lay the tamales in any steamer and simmer and cook covered for 35 minutes from the time the water boils. Tamales should be steamed for 45 to 60 minutes if frozen. A tamal is cooked when it can roll off the hoja.
Note
The singular use of the word is “tamal”, the plural is “tamales”.
Making tamales is labor intensive and in this case I tie the ends mostly for presentation and ease of handling as an appetizer. To save time exclude the calabaza puree but keep the corn and you can have just as good a tamal. Other options include mixing diced fresh carrots and/or zucchini or roasted diced green chile etc. I encourage you to experiment with your own creativity as corn masa is a great food media to build upon.
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