Tamales, a Mexican Feast-Day Treat

Tamale-making, like tamale-eating, is an activity meant to be shared. In Mexico, tamales have been a fiesta food since the Indians first offered them to the gods. These labor-intensive, stuffed, and steamed packages are traditionally prepared by groups, in a sort of preparty party. The holiday they are most closely associated with in Mexico is All Saints' Day, while in America, tamales are a Christmas tradition.

Wrapping a tamale
Before you can unwrap and enjoy the delicious filling of a tamale, you first need to create the tidy cornhusk packages. Just follow these steps (and have a look at Figure 1):

1. Soak the dried cornhusks in hot water for 2 hours or overnight.

2. Drain the cornhusks on paper towels. Cut out 9-inch squares of aluminum foil. You'll need one for each tamale.

3. To wrap the tamales, spread 1 or 2 husks lengthwise on the counter with the narrow end pointing away from you. Spread about 2-1/2 tablespoons of filling down the center, leaving about 2 inches bare at the top of the husk.

4. Fold over the sides and then the ends to enclose the filling. Place the folded tamale on a square of foil and fold over the foil to enclose the package. (You can also close the tamale with a strip of cornhusk; see the recipe for Green Corn Tamales for instructions.) Repeat with the remaining filling and additional cornhusks.




Figure 1: Wrapping a tamale.
Banana leaves also make excellent wrappers for tamales. To use, hold the leaves in your hands, and run the leaves directly over a stovetop gas or electric burner on low heat or place in a dry skillet for a few seconds. This process softens the leaves, makes them fragrant, and brightens the green color. Cut them into 9-inch squares, trimming out the tough center stem. Fill, as with tamales made from cornhusks, and wrap the stuffed banana leaf in foil to enclose.


Steaming the tamales
Small batches of tamales can fit into a vegetable steamer basket, but for larger quantities, you need a steamer, which is a large pot with a perforated portion on top for the tamales.

If you don't have a steamer, you can improvise by balancing a rack or colander on top of one or two empty cans or inverted coffee cups that are set in a large pasta or soup pot. Make sure that the water doesn't touch the bottom of the rack.


Always keep an eye on the pot while the tamales are steaming so that the water doesn't get too low or evaporate entirely. And always line the steamer tray with extra husks to cushion the cooking process.

Celebrating the corn harvest
Mastering tamale making is really just a matter of getting organized and setting aside the time, preferably with a group of friends, to dig in and cook. Try your hand at tamale-making with this recipe for Green Corn Tamales. The corn harvest is celebrated all over Latin America with different versions of these simple packets of sweet, fresh corn wrapped in corn husks. They're a good choice for the beginning tamale maker because they don't contain masa. These tamales are also a great choice for a party because everybody loves them. The flavors are simple and sweet.

The green in Green Corn Tamales means that the corn is fresh rather than dried. It doesn't refer to the color of the corn, although fresh husks are green.

Green Corn Tamales

Special tool: Steamer or pot fitted with a rack

Preparation time:15 minutes (does not include time to soften the corn husks)

Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Yield:10 to 12 tamales, or 6 servings
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup hominy grits
3 cups canned corn, undrained (two 12-ounce cans)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of sugar, if necessary
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 8-ounce package dried corn husks, softened (see "Wrapping a tamale" earlier in this article)

Garnishes: Fresh salsa and sour cream

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. Add the grits and cook for about 4 minutes, until golden. Add the corn and its juices, the salt, pepper, the sugar if the corn isn't sweet, and the milk, and simmer until the mixture is thick as oatmeal, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool until touchable. Then stir in the baking powder and reserve in the refrigerator.

2. Wrap the tamales in corn husks according to the instructions in "Wrapping a tamale" earlier in this article. You can skip the step of wrapping the package in foil. Instead, make ties for the tamales by cutting a few of the moistened husks into 6 by 1/4-inch strips. Use the strips to tie the "package" closed with a double knot.

3. In a steamer or a pot fitted with a rack, make a bed for the tamales by laying the remaining corn husks on the bottom of the rack. Layer the tamales upright and steam over low heat for 1 hour. Remove from the steamer and let rest 10 minutes. Serve hot with the garnishes in bowls at the table.

For sweetened fresh corn tamales, add 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/2 cup raisins to the skillet when you add the corn.

For a savory touch and some color, stir roasted and diced red or green bell peppers into the corn.


Celebrate your own corn harvest by substituting 10 ears of fresh corn, with the kernels scraped off the cob and uncooked, in the Green Corn Tamales. Add about 1/2 cup cream. Save the green husks for wrapping, and then you'll realize how these tamales got their name.