CONNECTICUT, USA — Chef Macarenda Ludena is the head chef and CEO of CoraCora in West Hartford and shares with us how to make tamales with your choice of veggie or meat filling!
CoraCora is a family-run Peruvian restaurant that was also a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restuarant and Best Chef - New England.
Ingredients:
Yield: 20-24 tamales
Masa/dough (which is 100% vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free):
4-6 cups instant Corn Masa for tamales or Masa Harina (instant corn flour)
3-4 cups of vegetable stock/broth
2 cups of finely chopped red onion
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of Aji Panca paste/base
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1-2 teaspoons of salt
Fillings:
Veggie filling:
2 cups of mixed vegetables or vegetables you have available in your fridge
1/2 cup of oat milk
1/2 tablespoon of Aji Amarillo paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Pork Filling:
2 1/2 pounds of pork shoulder
1/2 of a red onion
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 tablespoon of Aji Panca paste
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sarza Criolla / Onion Salad
1 small red onion: chopped julienne style
2 small tomatoes cut in thin wedges
3 tablespoons of lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 cilantro sticks
Instructions
First, make the tamal masa/dough.
In a large bowl mix the instant corn flour with vegetable stock.
In a large pot, mix the masa with red onion, garlic, Aji Panca, vegetable oil and salt, and let cook for 20-30 minutes while mixing.
To assemble, spread 2 tablespoons of the masa and flatten it to about 1/4 inch thick in the center of a banana leaf.
Put desired filling in the center of the dough.
Lift up the two long sides of the leaf to help enclose the filling in the dough and fold the edges together.
Then fold the remaining two sides over the top to create a roughly square parcel. Repeat for all tamales.
Time for Bain-marie (water bath). Place a round cooling rack on bottom and add boiling water into a Dutch oven.
Stand tamales on the rack, turn the heat to low, and let steam for 2 hours.
After tamales have finished steaming, unwrap and serve with Sarza Criolla/ onion salad.
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