The Tamale Post
My wife, Raymi, is half Mexican and the tradition in her family as long as anyone can remember has been to make tamales for the Holidays.
For those of you unfamiliar with the dish, tamales are an ancient Mesoamerican creation of ground corn (masa) spread on a dried corn husk or banana leaf and then filled with a meat and spice mixture. The tamale is then steamed so they solidify and the flavors meld together in a symphony of deliciousness.
This is a very labor intensive process so tamales were typically only eaten during holidays or times of celebration. Their tamales are made entirely by hand and it is usually and multi-day process. We even grind the corn for the masa and the ancho chilies that are used to season the pork filling.
The night before we make the tamales, the dried ancho chilies are seeded, the corn is cleaned, and garlic is peeled.
The corn is then boiled and mixed with lard (yes, lard) before it’s ground into masa.
The rehydrated ancho chilies are mixed with a secret blend of spices and ground into a fine paste to be combined with the ground pork.
This meat, chili, and spice mixture is cooked slow and low until the flavors are combined perfectly.
This next step caused me the most anxiety when I first was introduced to the family over ten years ago. The masa must be spread on the corn husk just right...not too thin, not too thick. This is serious business. My late Mother-in-Law, Shirley, taught me right and it took me two years to come close to perfecting.
The tamales are then filled, rolled, and steamed. I can tell you, the smell of these cooking is indescribable.
Next, an incredible garlic sauce is made from oil, lemon juice, and a bazillion cloves of garlic. This is whipped into the consistency of meringue and spread on the tamales. This sauce is, seriously, one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten in my life.
Last, but not least, the feast is put onto the table and each household has several dozen to take home and eat later.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into our holiday tradition!
Yours in the Chain,
Eric
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Wow that looks like a hard task indeed, I doubt I would have the patience, even though I like cooking.
That being said, they look beyond delicious. My mouth's watering just looking at these pictures. Sounds like you had a fun (and busy) Thanksgiving!
PS: I love the figurines on your oven, they're so cute!
Mmmmmm, I love tamales!! I've never had the pleasure of making them from scratch, but I have been blessed with homemade tamales shared from friends' grandmothers' kitchens. What a lovely and enjoyable tradition to continue in your family. Thanks for sharing it with us!
You made tamales and didn't even invite us?! Geez! I see where I rate :P Kidding of course. Those look amazing. Maybe some day I'll dive down the tamale rabbit hole and try to make some myself. I imagine your wife has some pretty amazing recipes that have been passed down through they generations.
Lol. It is a rabbit hole! There are so many variations that can be made. We even made a few different kinds of dessert tamales this year.
Great Holiday tradition. The tamales look fabulous and I really really enjoyed all your pics. I feel like I am in the kitchen with you. TFS
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Thanks!
Do you have the measurements for this sauce?
This sounds absolutely delicious and after your approval of the taste I’d love to make some for our home.
Hey, @lydon.sipe! Here's a recipe that's close They use corn oil instead of canola though.
This is good on pretty much anything!
Great! Thank you, Eric!
Looks so delicious and a wonderful way of sharing food and happiness..
Thank you!
Wow, this is serious cooking @ericvancewalton! Sounds delicious, have never eaten Tamales, missing out big time! I love cooking but this sounds like quite a task, will attempt making that garlic sauce though. Thanks for sharing the process with us :)
damm that's looks so amazing you are an all rounder :D
I love tamales, @ericvancewalton, and just had a couple for lunch, hours ago (my wife is half Colombian :) Did not realize they were so labor-intensive!
Awesome, small world! They don't have to be this labor intensive. Most people buy the masa already ground and don't do it by hand.
I see... But, like everything else, you get out of it what you put into it :) I'm sure I'll appreciate the hard work more next time I have one made for us from scratch from our 90 year old family friend!