Like many other mid twenty somethings, I felt unbeatable, brave and fearless. I wandered into the local wine bar and pitched a wild, half thought out idea to the owner. To my surprise she agreed to let me use the kitchen to give Indian cooking classes on the weekends {& to serve food to customers during the evenings}. Each weekend, small groups gathered; individuals with little in common, outside of their culinary curiosity for 'exotic' foods.
 | Several months earlier I had done the same, in a small kitchen in the Himalyan town of McLeod Ganj in India. I spent my afternoons with a scrawny man named Bhimsen, learning how to use a hand powered blender to grind chickpeas; watching his every move as not to let him know how lost I was in the simplicity of his kitchen. |
Living in Mexico has sparked my desire to learn traditional recipes.
For the past three Thanksgivings we have experimented with making tamales...with the added challenge of tweaking the lard-filled originals into vegan and vegetarian oddities; confusing most locals in our small fishing village, whom I dare to brag my culinary feats to.
The amount of time and degree of difficulty of making tamales tends to intimidate most people.
Don't get me wrong...it is a process, but having some of your favorite people gathered around you & an adult beverage or three, makes the time fly by!
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Instructions:
- Warm a skillet with 3-4 spoonfuls of coconut oil.
- Add onion & garlic to a hot skillet. Cook on medium low until golden brown.
- Add plantains. Cook until lightly golden brown & then flip to the other side until lightly brown.
- Add all remaining ingredients. Cook for 5 minutes. Stirring occasionally.
- Add another 3-4 spoonful of coconut oil.
- Add fresh squeezed lime juice
- Mash the plantains together with a large spoon or other utensil
Spicy & Sweet Plantain Tamales
{Always a favorite at our tamale dinners}
Ingredients:
3 very ripe plantains sliced thin
1 can of black beans
coconut oil
1-2 jalapeño peppers diced (with or without seeds depending on your spicy-ness desired)
2-4 cloves diced garlic
1/2 red onion diced
ground cinnamon
sea salt
fresh limes
Ingredients:
3 very ripe plantains sliced thin
1 can of black beans
coconut oil
1-2 jalapeño peppers diced (with or without seeds depending on your spicy-ness desired)
2-4 cloves diced garlic
1/2 red onion diced
ground cinnamon
sea salt
fresh limes
Masa
2 cups masa flour
1/2-2 broth (we use a combination of warm water and Braggs liquid aminos)
1/3 cup coconut oil (liquid form)
salt
1-2 tsp. chili powder
Tamale Covering
Banana leaves (or cornhusks which will need to be rehydrated in boiling water for 15-20 minutes)
filling
Add masa to a mixing bowl on a low/medium speed. Slowly adding water to the masa. Add coconut oil, salt and chili powder. Mix 1-2 minutes or until all the ingredients have combined.
Place 2 tablespoons of masa dough onto the banana leaf. Flatten the dough to make a very think layer. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of filling down the center of the dough. Fold the ends of the leaf and roll the tamale closed like a burrito. The dough on the inside of the leaf should surround the filling and the leaf helps to keep it in this form.
Steam for 1- 1 1/2 hours in a steamer basket. Add water to the bottom of the pot, if needed and change the stacking of the basket levels every half hour.
2 cups masa flour
1/2-2 broth (we use a combination of warm water and Braggs liquid aminos)
1/3 cup coconut oil (liquid form)
salt
1-2 tsp. chili powder
Tamale Covering
Banana leaves (or cornhusks which will need to be rehydrated in boiling water for 15-20 minutes)
filling
Add masa to a mixing bowl on a low/medium speed. Slowly adding water to the masa. Add coconut oil, salt and chili powder. Mix 1-2 minutes or until all the ingredients have combined.
Place 2 tablespoons of masa dough onto the banana leaf. Flatten the dough to make a very think layer. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of filling down the center of the dough. Fold the ends of the leaf and roll the tamale closed like a burrito. The dough on the inside of the leaf should surround the filling and the leaf helps to keep it in this form.
Steam for 1- 1 1/2 hours in a steamer basket. Add water to the bottom of the pot, if needed and change the stacking of the basket levels every half hour.
Notes:
- The filling can make anywhere between 8-12 tamales.
- We often package the leftover fillings for the next night's dinner or make tacos with it as we wait for the tamales to steam.
- Tamales can be frozen and reheated.
- Check out a traditional drink recipe {The Cantarito} to serve with the tamales.
- Corn husks & banana leaves can be found at International markets or Mexican markets.
More Tamale Filling Inspiratioin
| Sweet Potato & Lentils 2 medium sweet potatoes 1/2 cup lentils 2-4 cloves garlic diced 1/2 red onion diced 1 lemon 2-3 spoonfuls olive oil sea salt | Tomatillo, Squash & Poblano Pepper 10 diced tomatillos 3 small squash 1 poblano pepper 2-4 cloves garlic diced 1/2 yellow onion diced 1/2 spoonful cumin seeds 1 spoonful olive oil sea salt |
We even convinced our families to gather for some tamale making this Christmas back in the States! The ladies were nice enough to oblige and the men were gallant enough to try something new. Everyone was either drunk or to the point of starvation before we served them...our secret scheme for ensuring their success!
