Vegan Tamal de Frijol Negro

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The shift to plant based food is not new to Mexican cuisine. For example, pre-hispanic tamales were filled (or not) with vegetables, sauces, and fruits. This tamal is filled with frijole negro (black beans) with epazote herb.

Including a few sprigs of epazote herb is the typical way of cooking a pot of black beans in Mexico. By itself, a whiff of epazote has a scent of turpentine and one might not be inclined to cook with this herb. However, epazote adds a distinctive savory, earthy flavor to soups, moles and stews. I incorporated diced epazote in the masa of this tamal and I was not disappointed in the added dimension of flavor in this vegan tamal. Let’s get started.

Ingredients

Bean filling

2 cups dry black beans, washed and drained

1 clove garlic smashed

¼ medium onion, peeled

6 cups water

3-4 sprigs epazote

1 tablespoon salt

Tamal

Makes 30 tamales

30+ unbroken and wide hojas (corn husk)

2 lbs masa for tortillas

1 ½ tablespoons baking powder

½ cup vegetable broth

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons diced epazote

1 cup white onion , chopped in ¼ inch size

Salt

Extra diced epazote for garnish

Preparation

Refried Beans

To keep this dish vegan, you’ll need to cook your beans from scratch. Canned refried beans may contain animal fat.

Spread the beans on a flat surface and inspect and remove any debris and broken beans, then wash them in water and drain. Place the beans in a 4 quart sauce pan, add 1 smashed garlic clove and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a very low simmer, cover and cook for 1 ½ hours. Add the sprigs of epazote and cook 30 minutes more or until beans are soft. Periodically check the water level and add hot water as necessary. When the beans are cooked soft to the touch add ¾ tablespoon of salt, stir and set aside. Beans may be prepared a day ahead.

Using a slotted spoon extract the beans separating them from the broth and transfer to a 10 inch skillet. Add the oil and using a potato masher, mash the beans into a chunky paste. If necessary add additional bean broth from the pot to facilitate the mashing. Cook at medium while mashing to remove excess water. Taste for salt and set aside.

Hojas

Separate each hoja, throughly rise with water, and place in a large bowl. Cover with water for a minimum of 30 minutes so they are no longer stiff but pliable. Hojas have a smooth side and a rough side. If you run your finger nail across the hojas you will feel the difference.

Masa

In most large western US cities, masa can be purchased from Mexican grocery stores. If not, use commercially sold masa harina which is dry corn flour. It’s commonly stocked in your supermarket and follow the instructions to make the masa.

For these vegan tamales start with “masa for tortillas” because this corn meal has no lard. Place the masa in a large mixing bowl and mix in ½ cup of vegetable broth. Mix in the baking powder and ¼ cup of olive oil and if necessary additional broth until obtaining a smooth and spreadable consistency. Mix in diced epazote to flavor the masa.

Tamal Assembly

Masa in placed on the smooth side of the hoja Run your finger nail across the hoja to identify the smooth side of the hoja.

I prefer to set the hoja on my hand because it gives me more control in spreading the masa..Lay the hoja flat on the palm of your hand, or on a flat surface with the narrow end (top) of the hoja pointing away from you.

Lay a heaping spoonful of masa, about 2 tablespoons, in the center of the wider-half of the hoja (bottom half). With the back of the spoon spread the masa left and right about a quarter inch thick, leaving a slight border around the edges.

For the filling, place 2 tablespoons of black beans in the center of the masa, then top with chopped onion. Fold both sides (long sides) of the hoja over the filling, then fold over the top narrow part of the hoja. 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 to 45 minutes from the time the water boils. Tamales should be steamed an additional 15 minutes if frozen.