Open the Husk and the Aroma of Corn and Red Sauce Rises
The moment you lift the lid of the steamer, the dried corn husks give off a faint sweet smell. Out comes a masa dough plumper than a tortilla and chicken coated in a red chile sauce. Tamales are a dish with the pleasure of "unwrapping the parcel" before it even reaches the plate.
Tamales (tamal / tamales) are a Mesoamerican dish in which a corn dough called masa is topped with a filling, wrapped in corn husks or banana leaves, and steamed. Britannica describes it as a dish in which masa harina is made into a thick paste, spread on a husk or leaf, filled, wrapped, and steamed. In Mexico it is an everyday street food and also the dish of Christmas, Candelaria, and the family gathering called a tamalada.
The hard part of making it elsewhere is judging the dough, more than the seasoning. Unlike wheat dough, masa does not stretch with gluten. If too soft it sticks to the husk, and if too stiff it is crumbly even after steaming. This article reduces a Mexican-style red chicken tamal with dried corn husks to a form you can make in a home two-tier steamer.
For another red stew of Mexico, go to tinga de pollo, or to compare the depth of chile sauces, mole poblano, and the way tamale fillings are made becomes easier to see. As a dish that holds a filling in corn dough, it also connects to Salvadoran pupusas. Compared within Mexico, tamales steam masa to a fluffy texture, while tlayuda (in Japanese) is a dish in which a large tortilla is crisped on a dry griddle and layered thinly with beans and cheese. For a warm drink, champurrado (in Japanese), masa harina simmered with cacao, sits naturally beside it in the same corn culture.
In Spanish, the singular is tamal and the plural tamales. In English, tamale / tamales is widely used. This article follows the Japanese spelling for ease of reading and writes both tamal and tamales where needed.
Tamales: A Dish That Grew from Portable Steamed Masa to a Festive Table
Because tamales are a "wrap and steam" dish, regional differences are large. In Mexico many are wrapped long and slim in dried corn husks, while in Central America, along the Caribbean coast, and on the Yucatan peninsula some use banana leaves. There is a similar idea in large leaf-wrapped feasts such as Nicaragua's big vaho and nacatamal, and Venezuela's hallaca.
| What to look at | The axis at origin | The axis to keep elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| Dough | Masa from nixtamal, or masa harina | Look for masa harina, not cornmeal |
| Wrap | Dried corn husks, banana leaves in some regions | Soften husks in warm water and use torn ones as lining |
| Filling | Wide range: pork, chicken, cheese, beans, sweet fillings | For the first time, use red chicken, which makes it easy to check doneness |
| Steaming | Steamed standing up in quantity in a tamalera | Stand them up in a two-tier steamer or a deep pot with a rack |
| How to eat | With atole, salsa, beans, egg dishes | Connect to salsa, lime, bean soup, and chilaquiles-type breakfasts |
The ingredient that cannot be replaced is masa harina. Cornmeal, cornstarch, and Harina P.A.N. look like similar yellow flours, but their uses differ. Harina P.A.N. suits arepas, but for tamales the release from the husk and the aroma change. For the first time, look for a package labeled "masa harina" and "tamales."
The chiles in the filling, on the other hand, can realistically be substituted. If you have dried guajillo or ancho, use them. If not, make the red aroma with paprika, a little chili powder, annatto, and tomato. Rather than making it hot, prioritize a red sauce that clings to the chicken and cuts the sweetness of the masa.
Ingredients (serves 4, about 12 tamales)
This quantity makes about 12 small tamales, a size that is easy to stand in a steamer. Making them larger lengthens steaming and makes it hard to read doneness at the center and release from the husk.
Corn husks and masa dough
This recipe uses chicken. FoodSafety.gov advises cooking poultry such as chicken to a core temperature of 74 degrees C. The filling is cooked before wrapping, but check that the center is hot after steaming too. Commercial masa harina and salsa may contain wheat, milk, or soy depending on the product.
Ingredients That Are Hard to Choose When Shopping
What is worth looking for at specialty stores or online for tamales is not the meat or onion. The first priority is masa harina and dried corn husks. Replace them with ordinary corn flour and the dough does not release from the husk after steaming and the mouthfeel is something else.
| What to look for | What to look for on the label | What to do if you cannot find it |
|---|---|---|
| Masa harina | masa harina, instant corn masa flour, "tamales" on the label | Postpone to another day. Do not force it with cornmeal |
| Dried corn husks | corn husks, hojas para tamal | If too small, use two husks overlapped |
| Dried guajillo | chile guajillo, ancho chile | Make a home version with paprika, chili powder, and annatto |
| Annatto | annatto, achiote | Optional, but the red color and aroma are weaker |
| Steamer | Tall enough to stand 12 | A deep pot with a rack, with an empty cup as a prop |
When softened, some corn husks tear. Prepare about 1.5 times the number you will wrap rather than exactly the number you need. Torn husks need not be thrown out; they can line the bottom of the steamer or be layered on the outside of a parcel.
Masa flour loses aroma once the bag is opened, so seal the leftover and refrigerate it, using it up in about a month if you can. If you cook again, moving on to pupusas or tortillas with the same flour keeps it turning over.
Annatto is not required, but it supplies the red color and earthy aroma when dried chiles cannot be gathered. It can also be reused in Central American leaf-steamed dishes and red stews besides tamales.
Tamales lying on their side and touching water make the dough watery. A tall steamer makes it easier to steam about 12 standing up.
The chicken filling is cooked before wrapping, but with thick meat, or when switching to pork, a thermometer keeps the judgment steady. It is insurance when appearance alone leaves you uneasy.
Method: Soften the Husks, Make the Filling, Wrap the Dough, and Steam
Tamales look like many steps, but there are three things you do: soften the husks, prepare the filling and dough separately, and wrap and steam. Making the filling first and cooling it keeps the dough from sagging when you wrap.
Branching Table for Getting Closer to the Original Elsewhere
| Where you hesitate | Closer to the original | Realistic answer elsewhere | Direction to avoid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dough flour | Masa from nixtamal | Look for "masa harina" labeling | Substituting cornmeal, potato starch, or pancake mix |
| Fat | Whipped light with lard | Lard, or rice bran oil for a lighter version | Adding a lot of butter and moving toward a dairy aroma |
| Chiles | Guajillo, ancho, chile de arbol | Make up the red aroma with paprika, chili powder, annatto | Making it hot with only crushed red pepper |
| Wrap | Wrapping in layered corn husks | Double torn husks, or tie with thin strips of husk | Steaming in plastic wrap and losing all the aroma |
| Steamer | Standing in a tamalera | Stand in a two-tier steamer or a deep pot with a rack | Lying on their side in contact with water |
The priority of substitutions is flour, husks, then steaming method. Chiles can change somewhat and it is still a dish, but if you lose masa harina and husks, the texture and aroma that make it a tamal weaken. On the first shopping trip, secure the flour and husks before the ingredients for the red filling.
For pork, cut 550 g pork shoulder into 3 cm cubes and simmer 40–50 minutes with water, onion, garlic, and salt until it breaks apart with chopsticks. The FoodSafety.gov safe temperature for whole cuts of pork is 63 degrees C with a rest time, but for tamale filling it is easier to wrap if you cook beyond the safe temperature until it shreds.
Where It Goes Wrong
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Masa sticks to the husk | Under-steamed, dough too loose | Steam 10–15 minutes more over medium heat. Next time, hold back the cooking liquid |
| Dough is crumbly | Not enough liquid, not enough fat | Before steaming, add 1 tbsp cooking liquid at a time. After, serve with more salsa |
| Filling leaks out the sides | Too much filling, edges not left clear | Reduce to 1 tbsp filling and leave 1.5 cm on each side |
| Husks scorch | Steamer ran dry, steamed over high heat | Add boiling water at 30 minutes, and lower to medium once steam comes out |
| Red filling is watery | Sauce not reduced | Cook 5 minutes more over medium-low heat until it clings to the wooden spoon |
| Flavor is vague | Not enough salt in the masa, no acidity | Add lime and salsa at the table. Next time, keep the masa salt at 1 tsp |
With tamales, some failures can be fixed by steaming and some cannot. Under-steaming can be fixed: you just steam it again. What is hard to recover is masa that was too watery from the start and scorched husks. Stop the masa at "spreadable but not runny," and always check the water level in the steamer partway.
Another important point is not to eat right out of the steamer. Resting 10 minutes after turning off the heat settles the starch in the masa and makes it release from the husk more easily. Even if it sticks a little when first opened, it sometimes releases after 2 minutes.
How to Eat and What to Serve
Tamales can be eaten by simply opening the husk and spooning on salsa. With a red filling, tomato salsa, salsa verde, lime, and cilantro go well. The masa has a gentle taste, so adding sourness on the plate keeps it from feeling heavy.
For breakfast, serve 1 tamal with egg, beans, and salsa. If you have leftover salsa from chilaquiles the day before, just warming it and spooning it on is enough. For dinner, pairing with a big pot soup like pozole rojo gets heavy, so bean soup, cabbage dressed with lime, and roasted vegetables are about right.
Leftover filling can be wrapped in tortillas the next day. If you roll and fry them like taquitos (in Japanese), cook off the liquid from the filling first. Conversely, leftover masa alone will not make tamales. Leftover masa is easy to use up by rolling it thin and cooking it as a light base for beans and salsa.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Tamales can be stored wrapped. Once cooled slightly, put them in a storage container with the husk closed and finish within about 3 days refrigerated. To freeze, wrap each in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer bag for about 3 weeks. When freezing, leaving the husk on keeps them from drying out.
Reheating in a steamer is best. Refrigerated, steam 10 minutes over medium heat; frozen, steam directly from frozen for 20–25 minutes over medium heat. In a microwave, dampen the husk slightly, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and heat at 600 W for about 2 minutes for one refrigerated tamal, 4 minutes for one frozen. The ends dry easily in a microwave alone, so add salsa just before eating to compensate.
For advance prep, stopping at making the filling is safe. Leaving the masa spread and wrapped overnight lets the husk absorb moisture and the tamal may not release after steaming. On a day you make a large batch, make the filling in the morning and start wrapping 2 hours before eating for a stable schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Can I use cornmeal if I have no masa harina?
We do not recommend it. Cornmeal is ground corn, and differs from the masa harina made for tamales in water absorption, aroma, and how it binds. After steaming it tends to be gritty and does not release from the husk. On the day you make tamales, start once you have the flour.
Q2. Can I make it without lard?
You can. 60 ml rice bran oil makes a light dough. But the fluffy mouthfeel and aroma that come from beating lard are weaker. For the rice bran oil version, season the filling a little stronger and serve plenty of salsa and lime at the table, and it will not feel lacking.
Q3. How do I change it to a pork tamal?
Replace the chicken with 550 g pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes, and simmer 40–50 minutes. Cook until the fibers loosen when pressed with chopsticks, and coat with the red sauce. The steaming time is the same, but large pieces are hard to wrap, so shred them before use.
Q4. Do you eat the corn husk?
No. It is a wrapper that passes on aroma and keeps the shape while steaming. Once on the plate, open the husk and eat only the masa and filling inside. When serving children or first-timers, saying so beforehand avoids confusion.
Q5. How many can I steam at once?
As many as stand in the steamer and still leave a path for steam. Packing them tightly makes the center steam poorly. In a home two-tier steamer, plan on 6–8 per tier, and divide across two tiers if there are more. If you swap upper and lower partway, take care not to burn yourself and keep the lid open briefly.
