🫔How to Make Tamales: Red Pork Tamales and an Easy Tamale Masa Recipe

What are tamales?

Tamales are portions of nixtamalized corn masa (corn cooked with lime, the same dough used for tortillas) whipped with lard and broth, filled or plain, wrapped in a leaf and steamed. The word comes from the Nahuatl tamalli, and their history goes back to pre-Hispanic times: wrapped, cooked corn was everyday food long before the Spanish arrived.

Today there are tamales all over Mexico, and every region has its own. In central and northern Mexico they're wrapped in dried corn husks, called totomoxtle in Nahuatl; in the south and southeast, they're wrapped in banana leaves. The red pork tamales in this recipe are a tamalada classic: the family get-together where everyone pitches in spreading masa on husks.

How do you make tamale masa?

Tamale masa is made by mixing tamal masa harina with broth, baking powder and salt, then beating it with lard until it's fluffy and a small ball floats in water. That float test is the grandmother secret: if it floats, the masa has enough air and the tamales will come out tender; if it sinks, keep beating.

The flour matters. Maseca for tamales is ground coarser than the Maseca for tortillas, which helps the masa turn out fluffy. Tortilla masa harina works in a pinch, but the tamal version is made for the job. This tamale masa recipe uses the standard home ratio: for every 4 cups of masa harina, 1 1/3 cups of lard and about 3 1/2 cups of broth, or whatever your bag recommends. You're aiming for a soft masa that spreads easily, like peanut butter.

The classic fat is pork lard, which gives tamales their traditional flavor. Vegetable shortening whips the same way and works well. You can make tamales with oil too, but the masa won't get as fluffy, since oil doesn't trap air the way whipped lard does.

tamal masa harina

4 cups

lard or vegetable shortening

1 1/3 cups

broth, roughly, or whatever your bag recommends

3 1/2 cups

a small ball of masa in water: the sign it's whipped enough

It floats

How do you know when tamales are done?

Tamales are done when the masa pulls away cleanly from the husk: take one out of the steamer, let it rest 5 minutes and unwrap it. If the husk peels off clean and the masa looks set, they're ready; if the masa sticks or looks pasty, they need another 15 to 20 minutes.

A full steamer usually takes an hour to an hour and a half over medium heat. The most common problem is the water: if it runs dry, the tamales scorch on the bottom, and if it touches the rack, they get soggy. That's why a lot of families drop a coin in the bottom of the steamer: as long as it rattles, there's still water.

What other tamale fillings are there?

Besides red pork, the most common homemade tamales are green chicken, rajas with cheese and sweet tamales. The masa and the wrapping stay the same; only the filling changes, plus the masa itself for the sweet ones:

• •Green chicken: shredded chicken in a salsa verde of tomatillos, serrano chile and cilantro. A jar of salsa verde saves you a step.
• •Rajas con queso: strips of roasted poblano or jalapeño with a strip of cheese, like Oaxaca or queso fresco, and sometimes tomato. A great meatless option.
• •Sweet tamales: the masa is sweetened with sugar and made with water or milk instead of broth; sometimes it's tinted pink and studded with raisins, pineapple or coconut.
• •Regional tamales: Oaxacan ones in banana leaves with mole negro, or corundas and uchepos from Michoacán. Every region has its own.

When are tamales eaten, and what goes with them?

Tamales are eaten all year, especially in winter, and they almost always come with atole, champurrado or café de olla. Their big season is Christmas, the December posadas and February 2, Día de la Candelaria, when whoever found the baby figurine in the Three Kings rosca has to treat everyone to tamales. In the U.S., the Christmas tamalada is a tradition for many Mexican families.

Tamales and atole are breakfast and dinner all over Mexico, and tamales and champurrado, the chocolate atole made with masa, are the cold-weather pairing. In Mexico City, people even tuck a tamal into a bolillo roll to make the famous guajolota.

How do you reheat and freeze tamales?

The best way to reheat tamales is to steam them for 15 to 20 minutes, and to freeze them, just pack them cooled, husks on, in freezer bags. Steaming leaves them tasting freshly made, but there are two quicker ways to reheat them:

To store them, let them cool in their husks. In the fridge, in a covered container, they keep 3 to 4 days. In the freezer, in bags with the air pressed out, they hold up well for a couple of months. Steam them straight from frozen for about 30 to 40 minutes, or thaw them overnight in the fridge first.

• •Microwave: wrap the tamal, husk and all, in a damp paper towel and heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
• •Comal or skillet: husk on, over medium heat, turning now and then, for about 10 minutes. They get toasty on the outside, the classic next-day tamales asados.

Where can you buy Maseca for tamales in the U.S.?

You can order Maseca for tamales online from MexGoodies, along with ancho chiles, Knorr chicken bouillon powder and salsa verde for green tamales. They're original products from Mexico, shipped anywhere in the U.S. in 3 to 7 days (Canada too), so order ahead of your tamalada.

Pork, lard, cheese and corn husks for tamales are at your grocery store or butcher; look for the husks in the Latin foods aisle, especially in December. Guajillo chiles and baking powder come from your grocery store too.

Frequently asked questions