- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- For the Masa:
- 2 cups instant corn masa flour
- 1 1/2–2 cups warm water or broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup coconut oil (softened), lard, shortening, or vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- For the Tamales:
- 20–24 dried cornhusks, rehydrated in boiling water for 20 minutes
- 2 cups of your filling of choice (see options below)
Instructions
- Make the masa: In a mixing bowl, beat the fat component on high speed to whip it up (skip this if using liquid vegetable oil).
- Add the masa flour and about a cup of the water. Add another 1/2 – 1 cup water to make a soft, moist dough. Add the salt and chili powder.
- Assemble: Pull out a cornhusk and lay it down, smoothest side up, and the pointier end towards you.
- Put about 2 tablespoons masa dough on the husk and pat it out very thin. Put about 2 tablespooons filling in a line down the middle of the masa. Roll it up, using the husk to form it into a little log. Fold over one side of the husk, then fold the bottom up and roll over the rest of the husk. Tie it closed with a thin strip of another husk if you like. It does look cute that way.
- Roll up a bunch more tamales that way. You’ll get about 16 tamales from this recipe.
- To cook: Set up a steamer basket in a large pot.
- Lay some husks over the bottom of the steamer, sit the tamales upright in the pot, cover with another layer of husks. Put a tight lid on it.
- Steam for about and hour and a half, adding water if necessary.
Find it online: https://hilahcooking.com/how-to-make-tamales/