Tamales

Ingredients

• 10x banana leaves cut into squares 20cmx20cm
• Precooked and shredded chicken – marinated in a sauce of your choice that isn’t too wet
• 1kg masa for tamales (masa lista)
• 200ml chicken stock
• 800ml warm water
• 400g pork lard
• Salt

Equipment

• Mixing bowl and pot
• Knife to cut banana leaves
• Vegetable steamer or drop steamer

Method

Add masa harina, stock, lard, and a big pinch of salt in a mixing bowl, add the warm water as you churn the mixture with your hand or a mixing spoon. Continue to churn the mixture and add more warm water until the consistency of the mix is soft but not too wet. To touch, the masa shouldn’t stick to your hands, but should leave an imprint. Cover half of one of the banana leaves with the masa (approx 80g), then add some shredded chicken on top and press it into the masa.

Cover the chicken with more masa and then fold over the banana leave to create a little pocket around the masa.

Place tamales in steamer and steam until the banana leaf no longer sticks to the masa and the masa itself has a bouncy feeling to touch. Your finger should no longer leave an impression. For 1kg of masa, this should take between 30 and 40 minutes..