Easy Authentic Tamales

Array

Difficulty: Beginner

Serves: 16

Attribute: A simple to follow recipe for amazing homemade tamales.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups water, (plus more)
  • 2/3 cup lard
  • 1/4 lbs pork loin
  • 2 cups masa harina, (type of flour)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 chile pods, (dried)
  • 11 oz beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 8 oz cornhusks, (dried)
  • 1 onion, (halved)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

In a Dutch oven, add in garlic, pork loins and onion. Fill with water, enough to cover ingredients. Bring contents to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours.

Remove seeds and stems from chile pods. Place chiles into a saucepan, pour in 2 cups water and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Pour chiles and water into a blender. Puree until smooth. Strain the mixture. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to chile mix.

Shred the pork, add in 1 cup of chile mix. Toss together.

Place cornhusks in a bowl of warm water and let soak. Remove from water and pat dry once well soaked.

In a separate bowl, beat together a tablespoon of beef broth with lard. Beat until fluffy. Add in remaining salt, masa harina and baking powder. Beat together, add more broth to make spongy dough.

Spread a thin layer of the dough into the cornhusks, about 1/4 inch thick. Add a tablespoon of pork into the middle and fold sides inward. Steam for 1 hour.

Remove husks from tamales, drizzle the remaining sauce over each tamale. Top with sour cream.