Tamales Mexicanos de Puerco en Chile Colorado y Pollo en Chile Verde (Mexican Red Pork Tamales and Green Chicken Tamales)

Many cultures have their own types of Tamal (Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, Central and South Americans, etc.) depending the culture and even region it is prepared differently using different ingredients and cooking methods. In general a tamal is a starchy dough usually corn based, stuffed with some type of filling usually meat or seafood sometimes vegetables, wrapped and steamed

The tamales I grew up eating were the Mexican tamales as well as the Salvadorian tamales (that will be left for another post) today I'm focusing on the Mexican tamales, they are made from dried corn treated with nixtamal/ lime which is calcium hydroxide, this releases the nutrients in the corn, the corn is ground, and mixed with lard, salt, and I don't know what else. This dough we just call it "Masa"

Here in the United States I feel safe to say NO ONE makes the dough from scratch, especially here in Southern Mexifornia I mean California we have so many good Mexican stores that sell quality Mexican ingredients, and prepare fresh dough daily, they sell by the pounds. The best dough down here in my opinion is from "La Amapola" a Mexican deli when we visit my aunt in Huntington Park we always stock up on Masa. But when we aren't in teh area and run out of their dough, then Vallarta (a chain of Mexican stores down here) and "El Gallo Giro" (a Mexican bakery) sell good masa.

The other option is to buy "Masa Harina" sold under the brand "Maseca" it is made of pure all natural corn, it is dried ground to a powder corn treated with lime to release the nutrients, the directions are on the packet for making the tamal dough, but I believe it's inferior to the fresh dough from the stores but still delicious.

... I really should be getting paid for talking about these products and establishments haha.

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Ingredients for Tamales dough and wrap:
-10 lbs. already prepared "Masa Para Tamales" (Tamale dough)bought from the Mexican store, fresh or buy "Masa Harina" and make dough according to packet instructions

-2 packets 8 oz. "Hojas de Tamal Encochadas" (dried corn husk leaves) (soaked in cold water for 30- 60 minutes)

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Filling 1 Ingredients- Pork in Red Sauce:
-5 lbs. pork leg meat cut into small cubes
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 onion minced
-4 cloves garlic minced
-12 dried "Chile California" peppers ( right )
-10 dried "Chile Guajillo" peppers ( left )
-2 ripe tomatoes
-1 heaping teaspoon cumin
-1/4 heaping teaspoon cloves -1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

Directions for Filling 1- Pork in Red Sauce:
(1) Get pork, wash it, and cover half way with water season liberally with salt and pepper, bring to boil on high heat and leave slightly uncovered, add some very generous amounts of oil maybe 1/2 cup while the pork is boiling. leave alone.

(2) Meanwhile, remove stem and seeds from dried peppers, put in a pot with 3 tomatoes and boil until tender in water just enough water to barely cover. about 10 minutes, when tender put in a blender with enough liquid to make a sauce and chicken bouillon, strain sauce through a strainer, add ground cumin, ground cloves stir well.

(3) When all the water evaporates on the pork you were simmering, brown the pork slightly, set meat aside, brown onion then add garlic when fragrant, add red sauce you made, bring to a boil, add pork meat and simmer 15 minutes, taste for salt add more if necessary. Turn off heat, the filling is done.

(4) Be sure the sauce isn't too thin it needs to be thick and somewhat reduced set aside.

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Filling 2 Ingredients- Chicken in Green Chile Sauce
-4 lbs boneless chicken meat
-salt and pepper to taste
-1 onion minced
-2 jalapeno or serrano peppers minced (any spicy green pepper)
-4 cloves garlic
-1 lbs. tomatillos
-water about 1 1/2 cups
-1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

Filling 2- Chicken in Green Sauce Directions:
(1) Brown chicken in oil with salt and pepper on very high heat

(2) Meanwhile blend tomatillos in a blender cut in half with water and chicken bouillon, make sure it's very well blended and liquefied
(3) When chicken is browned, add onion and green chili pepper, when onion is translucent or browned, add garlic when fragrant add the tomatillos you blended with water and bouillon. Add salt to taste if necessary.
(4) Bring to a boil and allow to cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Be sure the filling isn't to loose set aside.

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Directions for wrapping Tamales and cooking them:
(1) Don't forget to soak the corn husks, when soaked for about 30- 60 minutes in cold water take them out as your using.
(2) Have everything arranged and ready (your fillings, your dough, the corn husks drained after soaking, and large dishes to place your already wrapped tamales)
(3) Get a corn husk, spread the masa on it, on the upper part like this
(4) Put about 2 pieces of filling with a little sauce
(5)Fold it so the two corners with masa stick, then tuck one side in

(6)Then fold the end upwards,
(7) Set aside
(8)Do the same with the green filling
(9) Here's when we are done wrapping all of them. Please note that when wrapping them some corn husk leaves will be smaller or rip if that's the case use two that over lap each other.
(10)Get a deep enough pot, and line is with corn husk like the pictures below

(11) In one pot put only one kind of tamales (green or red) my mother say's if you steam them all together then the flavors can intertwine.

(12) Tuck in leaves to form a dome on the sides,

(13) Place a corn husk on the center (please note this dome is formed so water from the pots lid does not fall onto the tamales, if thsi happens they drown and never harden, you will get a mushy mess.
(14) Do the same with the red ones in another pot
(15) Have water boiling in a seperate pot and put about 3 cups of boiling water in each pot, but ladle the water in through the sides of the dome, cover and cook on medium high heat, for about 1 1/2 hours.

(16) Take one out to test if the dough is raw or not fully cooked, when done they are ready to eat.
(17) Enjoy with some "Champurrado" a type of thick Mexican chocolate cinnamon drink:)

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Please Note:
(1) My favorite are the one's with "Chile Colorado" if I were making them and not my mother I would only make the one's with pork in "Chile Colorado"

(2) Also there's a sweet pineapple type of masa, my mom buys the prepared pineapple dough but adds certain things that makes it amazing. She also makes another type as well with fire roasted poblano peppers and fresh cheese.

(3) You can make very large batches and freeze them raw then take them out to steam whenever.

ALSO SUPER IMPORTANT... so it's not too much work you can make the filling a day in advance doing everything the same day is a lot of work and super time consuming

(4) When reheating them the next day or after cold, if microwaving cover/ wrap in a wet cloth or towel or it will be dry. Another way to re-heat is to put in a pot with very little water and steam until hot again. And the best way or tastiest is called "Tamal Frito" (fried tamal) my mother heats lard in a pan and fries the tamal until crispy on all sides to re-heat :)

Tortillas de Harina (Flour Tortillas)

In case you don't know about "flour tortillas" (I assume almost everyone knows but just in case), they are thin, flat, round, flexible type of bread, it is used in Mexican Cuisine to make "Burritos", and also to eat with food the same way you eat "Corn Tortillas" (which is made from corn "masa" treated with a lime solution to release the corns nutrients)

The homemade flour tortillas hot from the griddle (comal) are delicious when spread with butter, dusted with sugar, rolled and enjoyed with hot coffee or milk or even a hot chocolate for a late night snack or breakfast.

I am not a fan of buying flour tortillas from the store because they use "shortening" and other hydrogenated fake oils sometimes "margarine" which I dislike :) so I rather have them only when homemade with either lard or butter as the fat. My mother uses butter because she loves the buttery taste, and say's it makes the tortilla more flexible.

I never really knew exactly how to make them until today, I knew what went into making them but not the proportions.

Ingredients:
-5 cups all-purpose flour (La Piña brand is the one we use)
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1 stick butter about 1/2 cup (preferably unsalted but if you have salted it's okay to)
-2 cups hot water (more or less we used 2 but until it get's right consistency)
Directions:
(1)Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil while waiting do the rest (fill it with plenty of water more than you need better to be safe than sorry than having boiled water then you find you need more later so boil atleast 4-6 cups even though I just ended using 2) turn off heat it should be at a bare boil like hot but not bubbling when you add it to flour.

(2)Add flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl, mix with hand by swooshing around.

(3)With your hands add pieces of butter you rip off by hand and place into the flour, then with your hands rub and crumble together with flour until you get a crumbly texture but be sure to not have any big lumps of flour. Rub the flour well with butter.

(4)With a wooden spoon mix flour as you add water little by little and stirring until the dough becomes like a ball but is still sticky it will stick somewhat to hands and that is normal.

(5)Move to a flat surface with flour (in my case the kitchen counter) and work the dough dusting with flour occasionally until it doesn't stick to your hands (it was floured like 4 times and worked for about 5-10) until the dough is soft. Let dough rest atleast 10 minutes, it is optional to let the dough rest my mother usually doesn't but it makes it better. Also a trick my mom uses to know if she worked the dough enough is she cuts a big opening with the knife and if there's like a slight circle bubble thing on the dough that looks like a dip dot or something like that then it's ready the baking powder has activated also (or whatever I don't know the science of this stuff.)
(6)Divide dough into medium round balls, flatten out and round with a rolling pin or cup on a very lightly floured surface.

(7)Have a hot griddle ready that has been heating for about 5 minutes of medium high heat to high heat, add tortilla flat on to the hot griddle until it bubbles a bit or poofs then flip, it just has to slightly change color on one side. Then set into a container or in my case a "Tortillera" ( a type of container made of yarn and wood with a cloth and styraphoam inside to keep them warm and sealed.)

IMPORTANT TIPS AND NOTES:
(1)Be careful not to add to much flour when working the dough or you will get dry tortillas, and also don't add to much water either it has to be just right.

(2)Be sure the griddle is hot enough it the griddles heat is to low you will end up "toasting" the tortillas and they will not be flexible.

(3)These tortillas can last up to 1 week sealed well in the fridge, the prepared dough can last up to 2 day's wrapped in plastic in the fridge.

(4)I didn't cook these I was simply observing my mother and told her to please measure so I can learn ha ha. Because she makes these but it's always eye balled so I never really learn or wouldn't be able to share.

(5)A good tortilla will puff then disinflate if it doesn't then it isn't that good.

(6)Things like making breads and stuff is more about texture, etc. so if something doesn't feel right follow your instincts and if you mess up it will be your fault ha ha just kidding, well the measurements used worked fine for use as well as the technique.

(7)You can make them as big or small as you want and as thin or fat as you want.

(8)Most importantly USE COMMON SENSE this is really important when working with bread, if it seems to sticky slowly add more flour to get the right consistency, if it looks to dry then add a little more water, feel the dough in your hands to see if it feels right.