- 1kg corn dough
- 2 L water
- 500
g lard
- 1 teaspoonful annato seeds or annato paste
- 3 epazote leaves, very finely chopped
- 40 plantain or banana leaf rectangles (25 cm x 15 cms; lightly roasted on a fire until soft).
Stuffing:
- 1 quartered hen or chicken
- 600
g pork leg meat, cut in large pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, roasted
- 8 black pepper corns
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- 1 teaspoonful annato paste
- 1/2 L chicken stock
- 400
g tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 3 epazote leaves
- salt to taste
Habanero pepper sauce:
- 8 habanero peppers, seeded and deveined
- 1 garlic clove, roasted
- 1/4 cup sour orange juice, or 1/8 cup sweet orange juice + 1/8 cup white vinegar
- salt to taste
Tamales:
Dissolve the corn dough in the water and strain through cheesecloth; retain the resulting liquid and let it settle, then discard the supernatant. Reserve the sedimented dough.
Heat the lard until it is liquid and dissolve the annato paste in it. Strain this mixture over the dough while it is still liquid, add salt to taste and the chopped epazote leaves, and mix thoroughly.
Spread a small amount of tamale dough mix at the center of each banana leaf rectangle, add some stuffing (see below) and fold the leaf to form a flat rectangular packet. Hold the packet closed with strings made of banana leaves. Place the tamales flat in a steamer to form layers. Cook for an hour or until the dough has taken a jelly-like consistency and easily comes off the banana leaf.
Stuffing:
In a blender, liquefy the annato paste, pepper corns, cumin and chicken stock. Put the meats and garlic in a pan with plenty of water, salt to taste and bring to a boil; then add the condiments/stock mixture.
Boil the meats until they are tender and the stock has reduced, add the tomatoes and epazote leaves and adjust the seasoning. Once the sauce has thickened and the tomatoes are cooked, remove from the fire. Shred the meats and mix with some of the sauce.
Habanero pepper sauce: Blend all ingredients to a smooth sauce.
Serve the tamales in a tall basket, wrapped in a kitchen cloth to keep them warm, and the sauce in a small clay pot.
Source: Diario de Yucatán |
