Feliz Navidad Tamales

Last month I learned how to make tamales from an Ecuadorean woman in my ward. She has been cooking since she was five years old, and her enthusiasm for making food is infectious. She says that tamales are often made as a dish for a special occasion, such as Christmas, because they can be time consuming to make, therefore special.

This weekend I came home for Christmas and made tamales for my family. They are not hard to make, and so delicious and healthy! The filling can be modified to any taste--mine are not very spicy, for example, but yours could be full of chili peppers if you'd like.

Ingredients for the Tamale Filling:

4 tablespoons achiote oil (or you can dissolve achiote powder into hot oil, and its pretty much the same thing)
2 small onions or a bunch of scallions cut small
1 box or small bag of frozen peas and carrots
2 or 3 cooked and shredded chicken breasts (boiling them is quick & easy, or use leftover chicken)
2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs cut small
1 handful chopped fresh cilantro
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup chicken broth
black olives sliced small (not quite a whole can)
salt and pepper to taste

The tamale filling can be made the night before. Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onions, garlic, cilantro, and olives until they are soft and hot but not yet beginning to brown. Add the chicken meat and stir well. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the peas and carrots and eggs, and mix well. Simmer for a few minutes then remove from heat and either set aside or refrigerate until later.

Ingredients for Tamale Masa:

3 cups masa harina (or any instant corn flour masa)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup softened butter
2 cups chicken broth or water
corn husks

Rinse off the corn husks and place them in a deep pan or pot. Pour boiling water over them and let them soak for about 15 minutes or until soft and pliable, while you make the masa dough. Mix the masa, baking powder, salt, and cumin together, then add the butter and broth and mix (best done with hands) until soft, pliable, and fully combined.

Prepare the Tamales:

Prepare a pot with a steamer in the bottom and a few inches of water (if you don't have a steamer you can use a foil pie pan with holes cut in the bottom and placed upside down in the bottom of the pan) and cover the steamer with a few of the soaked corn husks. Drain and pat dry the corn husks. Take one and spread it out, and place about 2 tablespoons of masa dough in the middle of it. Using the corn husk, roll the dough into a tamale shape and then put a large spoonful of the chicken filling on top of the dough. Fold one side of the corn husk over, then fold the bottom up, then fold the other side over, and then the top. Place the wrapped tamales in the steamer and when the pot is full cover them with a cotton dishtowel and a lid, and steam for 45 minutes. (You might need to add some more water after about 30 minutes.)

To eat the tamales, just unwrap carefully (the steam is hot!) on a plate, and enjoy!

The recipe makes about 25 tamales, and a good portion is 2 medium sized tamales per person.

(Sorry, I should have taken step-by-step pictures of the process and finished product, but I was so excited about making and eating them that I entirely forgot.)