Healthy Tamales Food

CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Place chicken (or turkey), 1 onion wedge and whole garlic clove in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165°F, about 12 minutes. Transfer the meat to a clean cutting board to cool. Shred the meat.
• Meanwhile, soak cornhusks in a large pot or bowl of hot water. Weigh the husks down so they stay submerged.
• Chop the remaining onion wedge. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add minced garlic; cook, stirring constantly, until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they soften into a thick, chunky paste, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded meat, chipotles, adobo sauce, oregano, pepper and 1/2 cup broth. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• If using fresh masa, put it in a large bowl and add 1/2 cup broth. Knead with your hands until a wet dough forms. (If using masa harina, place it in a large bowl and add 2 1/4 cups broth. Mix until evenly moist and soft.)
• Pour the remaining 1 1/4 cups oil into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the oil while mixing on low speed and working up to medium speed once the dough comes together.
• Add baking powder and the remaining 2 teaspoons salt. (If using masa harina, add an additional 1/2 to 3/4 cup broth if the dough seems stiff.) Mix on high speed for 10 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed, until the dough is smooth and fluffy.
• To assemble tamales: Remove a husk from the water and pat dry. Choose the largest, thickest husks that don't have any holes. Peel off and discard any dried corn silk.
• Use a rubber spatula to spread about 1/2 cup of dough (or less: the amount will depend on the size of your husk) in a rectangle on the husk, leaving about 3 inches of space on the narrower end of the husk, where you'll fold it closed, and 2 inches of space on the other end. Using a slotted spoon, add about 1 tablespoon of the reserved filling down the middle of the dough. Bring one end of the husk toward the other and press together lightly to seal the dough inside the husk. (If the filling spills out, you've added too much, but you can spoon a little more masa on top of any leaks.) Tuck the edges of the husk under each other to form a long tube. Hold the tube vertically and press firmly on the bottom edge of the tamale to seal. Fold the husk back in the place where you've sealed it. Place on a baking sheet and repeat to make the remaining tamales.
• Add 1 inch of water to a large pot fitted with a steamer basket. Line the basket with a layer of husks. Bring the water to a light boil. Add the tamales carefully in a vertical position. Steam, adding more water if necessary, until the husk just starts to pull away from the dough, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Using tongs, transfer the tamales to a baking sheet; let cool for 15 minutes. Serve the tamales with salsa, crema (or sour cream) and avocado, if desired.

HEALTHY TAMALES RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot, place the cornhusks and cover with hot water to soften them. Leave there for at least 30 minutes. Drain and reserve.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients (corn masa-harina, baking powder and salt) , and stir in the vegetable oil. Pour the warm chicken broth and mix with a spatula until you form the dough into a creamy texture, similar to soft ice cream. If the dough doesn't look as creamy as in the picture, add a little more broth, a tablespoon at the time.
• Spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough on the already soft corn husk using a spoon or spatula. Top with 2 tablespoons of the filling. Fold one left side of the husk to the center and then the right side to the center. Finally, fold the end toward the center of the tamal. Place the tamal on a tray while you finish assembling the rest.
• Now, get your steamer ready adding a couple of hot cups of water and line the steamer rack with corn husks. If you don't have a steamer, place loose pieces of aluminum foil at the bottom of the pot to function as a steamer rack.
• Place the tamales standing up, cover with the rest of the corn husk, a clean dishtowel, and the pot lid.
• Cook for 60 minutes to 75 minutes over a medium heat. While cooking, add more hot water to the pot if needed, be careful with the steam while removing the lid. To make sure your tamales are done, remove one and if the corn husk can easily be removed from the dough they are ready. The tamales will firm up after cooked.

HOT TAMALES

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, kosher salt, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and cumin. Divide the mixture in half and reserve 1 half for later use.
• Cut the Boston butt into 6 even pieces and place into a 6 to 8-quart saucepan. Add half of the spice mixture and enough water, 3 to 3 1/2 quarts, to completely cover the meat. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the meat is very tender and falling apart, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the meat from the cooking liquid to a cutting board. Leave the cooking liquid in the pot. Both meat and liquid need to cool slightly before making dough and handling. Remove any large pieces of fat and shred the meat into small pieces, pulling apart with your hands or using 2 forks.
• Place a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Once shimmering, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are semi-translucent, approximately 3 minutes. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and remaining half of the spice mixture and continue to cook for another minute. Add the meat and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• While the meat is cooking, place the husks in a large bowl or container and submerge completely in hot water. Soak the husks until they are soft and pliable, at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• For the dough:
• Place the cornmeal, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and combine. Add the lard and using your hands, knead together until the lard is well incorporated into the dry mixture. Gradually add enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 3 to 4 cups to create a dough that is like thick mashed potatoes. The dough should be moist but not wet. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and set aside until ready to use.
• To assemble the tamales:
• Remove a corn husks from the water and pat dry to remove excess water. Working in batches of 6, lay the husks on a towel and spread about 2 tablespoons of the dough in an even layer across the wide end of the husk to within 1/2-inch of the edges. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture in a line down the center of the dough. Roll the husk so the dough surrounds the meat, then fold the bottom under to finish creating the tamale. Repeat until all husks, dough and filling are used. Tie the tamales, around the center, individually or in groups of 3, with kitchen twine.
• To cook the tamales:
• Stand the tamales upright on their folded ends, tightly packed together, in the same saucepan used to cook the meat. Add the reserved broth from making the dough and any additional water so the liquid comes to 1-inch below the tops of the tamales. Try not to pour the broth directly into the tops of the tamales. Cover, place over high heat and bring to a boil, approximately 12 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, to maintain a low simmer, and cook until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve the tamales warm. For a 'wet' hot tamale, serve with additional simmering liquid. Store leftover tamales, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, in the freezer, for up to a month. To reheat, remove the plastic wrap and steam until heated through.;

REAL HOMEMADE TAMALES

Steps:

• Place pork into a Dutch oven with onion and garlic, and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer until the meat is cooked through, about 2 hours.
• Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from the chile pods. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. Transfer the chiles and water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture, stir in salt, and set aside. Shred the cooked meat and mix in one cup of the chile sauce.
• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water. In a large bowl, beat the lard with a tablespoon of the broth until fluffy. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as necessary to form a spongy dough.
• Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place one tablespoon of the meat filling into the center. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer. Steam for 1 hour.
• Remove tamales from husks and drizzle remaining chile sauce over. Top with sour cream. For a creamy sauce, mix sour cream into the chile sauce.