Description
This heart healthy recipe for the masa corn dough uses olive oil in place of lard. The result is soft, delicious tamales that taste even better than the traditional lard-based tamales.
Ingredients
About 25 large dried corn husks
Filling of choice: chicken filling recipe below. See post for more filling ideas!
For the masa dough:
- 2 1/2 cups masa harina
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 3/4 – 2 cups hot veggie or chicken broth (the cooking liquid from the filling adds great flavor)
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon tomato bouillon with chicken flavor (or more, to taste)
Instructions
- In a large pot, fill with hot tap water, then put the dried corn husks in the pot to soften for 30 minutes. It’s best if you put something to weigh them down to keep them submerged in the water.
- While the husks are softening, prep your filling. I included my recipe for cheesy chicken tamale filling below, or, for a vegan version, my lentil chorizo makes a great filling too.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the masa with the baking powder and seasonings, then stir in 1 3/4 cups of the hot broth and the bouillon. Finally add the oil and stir until well mixed. Taste and add more bouillon if needed. As the dough forms, it should look nice and creamy, kind of like ice cream. If the dough doesn’t appear creamy enough, add some more broth, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until it does look creamy.
- To assemble the tamales, lay out a softened corn husk with the large side facing you. Take about 3 Tablespoons of the dough and spread it super thin on the husk. I used wet fingers to pat mine nice and thin. Then put about 2 – 3 Tablespoons of filling down the center. Fold the left side of the husk to the center, then the right side. Wrap the tamal up in the husk like a present and fold the top down.
- Set the tamal with the “tail” side down on a platter while you work on assembling the rest of the tamales. Line the bottom of a steamer basket with any torn corn husks you find. Then set the tamales upright with the open side up in the steamer, cover with a couple more torn corn husks, then a damp clean towel or cloth and then the steamer cover. Steam for 60 – 75 minutes or until, for a test tamal, the corn husk comes easily away from the dough. Remove from the steamer and let cool. The tamales will firm up after they cool for a bit.
Notes
See the post for step by step photos.
I’ve found I get 23 – 26 tamales from this recipe.
RECIPE SOURCE: Sumptuous Spoonfuls – https://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/ … © Copyright 2023, Sumptuous Spoonfuls. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to publish any of my images, please ask first. If you want to republish this recipe as your own, please re-write the recipe in your own words or link back to this post for the recipe.
Keywords: Tamales, Mexican, Olive Oil, Heart Healthy, Gluten Free, Diabetic