Supplies

  • 4 cups Masa Harina
  • 1 stick of butter (Cut into small chunks)
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons chilli powder
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • One packet of corn husks (or 30 corn husks)

Steps

  1. Take corn husks and pour hot water over them, weigh down with a heavy pan and let sit for an hour.
  2. In a mixer, cream the butter by spinning on medium until all the chunks are broken apart and the consistency is smooth.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients before adding the vegetable stock.
  4. Mix thoroughly until it becomes a dough.
  5. Add the dough to the creamed butter, and mix on medium for about 2 minutes until it gets a little fluffier.
  6. The mixture should have the consistency of thick cake batter (it should just barely stick to the spoon). If it's too thick, add a bit more vegetable stock.
  7. Time to assemble the tamales! Drain the water from the husks. Lay out each husk and put two heaping spoonfuls of the batter in the center of the husk, flattening the mixture a bit.
  8. Add about a tablespoon of filling - in this case, beans (see recipe below) and cheese, but you could use anything.
  9. Close the masa around the filling using one side of the husk. Then fold the bottom of the husk upward and finally the other side of the husk across (see video) and tie with a strip of husk (torn off to act as string).
  10. Steam the tamales for 45 minutes to an hour if they are small (like ours' - easer to make) or an hour and half if they are bigger.