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Tamale Making Tips




Source of Recipe


RC
Tamale Making Tips

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Place dime in bottom of steaming pot. The dime is put in so that when listening to it rattle, you know there is still enough water. If it stops rattling, you will need to add more !
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To prepare the masa, do you use lard, oil, butter? Actually, any fat or oil will work -- the ratio should be one part fat to five parts masa -- and even olive oil works if it's frozen to the right consistency, she says.
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Use a mixer to whip the fat until light, mix in the fresh masa, then thin it with just enough broth (roughly 5 percent of the total volume of the prepared masa) until it is the consistency of butter icing. Spread the prepared masa evenly side to side across the inside, fatter half of a soaked and pliable corn husk.
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How much? One ice cream scoop of masa is enough for a large husk. It should be a little less than a one-quarter inch thick, just enough to make sure it'll seal in all the filling. The best way to spread it is with a rubber or offset spatula.
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And how much filling? The same ice cream scoop measures out just the right amount.
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With sweet dessert tamales, go light on the sugar. Too much can make the tamales tough and hard.
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Experienced tamale cooks make their sauces and fillings and clean and soak their husks the day before they assemble and steam their tamales. That way the assembly line of family and friends can work smoothly.
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The final step is steaming. Set the tamales in the steamer pan folded end down. With enough tamales loosely set in a pan, they won't fall over and spill their contents, and there still will be enough room around the tamales to allow them to cook evenly.
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Tamara places the steamer on top of a pan with 6 inches of water at a full boil, enough water to keep the steam constant during the hour or more it takes to cook the tamales.
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She covers the pan, then turns the heat down to a medium setting. If you keep the pot on high, the tamales are likely to overheat and explode, she explains.
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After an hour, they should be done. Pull one out, wait two minutes for the masa to set, and unwrap it. The masa should roll cleanly off the husk. If not, they need a few more minutes' steaming