Make the Best Tamales

My sister makes the best tamales in the world and shared her recipe with me. She uses authentic corn husks, tamales masa mix, a can of Salsa Verde with tomatillos and a bag of dry chile peppers, and she has a 16 qt tamale steamer good for making up to 7 dozen tamales at a time!

Here is a copy of the authentic recipe provided by Maseca and used by my sister to make the real GOOD Tamales! There are many ways of making different tasting tamales. All the popular fillings range from vegetables, beans, beef, pork, chicken, and seafood. There are even versions of sweet, fruit-filled dessert Tamales. You name it, you can make a great tamale out of it.

Here is a breakdown of the easy steps she takes to make these muy bueno tamales!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

6 cups Maseca corn masa mix for tamales

6 cups Chicken broth

1 cup corn oil

2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 large rotisserie chicken

2 cans Salsa Verde or tomatillo sauce

1 bag corn husks

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the corn husks in warm water until soft.

2. Blend with an electric mixer Maseca corn masa mix for tamales, corn oil, salt, baking powder and the chicken broth to obtain a consistent mixture.

3. Shred the chicken and marinate in the green salsa or tomatillo sauce (whichever you use). Then, spread masa evenly over the corn husks, and spread a spoonful of marinated chicken on top of the masa (this is the trick to not drying them out).

4. Fold the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make along the package.

5. Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rests against the side of the tamale with a seam.

6. Place the tamales in tamale steamer and cook tamales for 35-40 minutes. Check every 20 minutes. The tamales are cooked when they separate easily from the corn husk.

There you have it. there is how to make the best tamales in the world. But you might have a hard time finding the things to make them.. especially the steamer pot. Well, luckily, the same site she got the recipe from, also has a whole kit for making tamales. The pan is a little expensive, but it makes lots of tamales at a time. You could even sell them to your friends or other people you know. People on construction sites usually will buy all of your tamales at lunch time. OK, her The Deluxe Tamale Making Kit came from mexgrocer, and I tell you what, it was well worth it. They even offer a ten percent discount if you enter a code "MEXITEN" when you are in the checkout.

Thanks for reading, I'm off to some great eating!