Making Sonoran tamales is a tradition worth keeping
Most days, I call tamales a labor of love. On others, I call it Mexican currency.
Something that manages to dirty every single dish one owns, stains clothing and counters the deepest shade of vermillion with chile and that demands two days of cooking can only be called a labor of love.
This edible symbol of sacrifice is also a unique form of Mexican currency. I used to trade tamales for rather good and expensive bottles of Scotch, though, more commonly, tamales are traded for bragging rights, for respect and admiration, for the matriarchal position in a family.
This position, of course, also comes with the responsibility to provide warm corn husk bundles stuffed with tender beef in red chile, either for love, devotion or cold hard cash.
A tradition worth the effort
These days, tamales are becoming a
deep form of heartbreak. Heartbreak for all the times I’ve been asked to make tamales and heard some form of the words: “Oh, my nana used to make them, but I never bothered to learn.”
I’m here to tell you to be bothered
enough to learn how to carry on the traditions you love, or learn to forget them.
Be bothered enough to raise the status of culinary cultural heritage beyond the Mexican grocery store parking lot or social media marketplace, where this labor of love is sold cheaply; desired, but marginalized.
Be bothered enough to know you are eating a food both ancient and modern. That tamale is not a word, but tamal, singular, and tamales, plural, are. And that there are Mexican, Salvadoran, Honduran, Belizean, Nicaraguan, Caribbean and yes, Southern tamales, all distinct from each other, not simply food, but a labor of love.
The story of tamales de res Sonorenses
This particular recipe, adapted from what my mother and I remember of my tatarabuela’s (great grandmother) tamales, is rather specifically for tamales as they are commonly made in Nogales, Sonora.
It was there that someone started adding potatoes and carrots to their tamales along with the usual olives – with the pit and only ever with the pit, as they otherwise never taste right – and pickled jalapeños.
Doña Elodia, my tatarabuela, would
not be shown up. Raisins, added to this recipe, have not been a constant in my tamales, and are not, to my knowledge, seen in savory Mexican tamales outside Sonora. But, it shouldn’t be dismissed as an oddity, but embraced as one of the many small surprises found inside these warm bundles, much like the olive pits, which really should be expected by now.
Though the fillings are flexible, all Sonoran beef tamales should be generous in portion, with a simple husk fold, no cutesy corn husk bows adorning them, no wax paper wrapping the corn husk wrapping. My particular recipe has no flour thickener in the chile colorado, though this simplifying step can be forgiven, so long as the remaining steps involved in this labor of love are faithfully preserved.
How to freeze tamales
Cooked tamales may be stored in airtight containers once they are completely cooled. They do best when first individually frozen in a single layer and then packed into a reusable silicone bag or container.
To enjoy, thaw out for 24 hours in the fridge, then reheated.
Three ways to reheat tamales
Tamales can be gently reheated in a steamer basket on the stove top for approximately 10 minutes, with the husk still on.
Tamales can also be reheated in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for 2 or 3 minutes.
They can also be gently pan fried on both sides over medium heat and covered, just make sure to use gentle heat so they warm through without burning.
Tamales de res
Two days? Oh yes, for those of you making your first foray into homemade tamales, for your own sanity, I recommend breaking this process up into two days.
Servings: 16 generous tamales
Day 1: Make red chili beef filling and prepare your masa For the beef: gallon water
1⁄2
2 pounds beef shoulder (chuck), cut into 4 large pieces
1 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 white onion, cut in quarters
1 head garlic, cut in half
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
For the chile colorado:
6 dry chile colorado (anaheim/california) chiles
1 white onion, cut in quarters
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
11⁄2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
For tamal masa:
8 ounces lard, room temperature
1⁄2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 pounds unprepared masa
1 cup warm stock or broth, or as needed
Cook the beef:
Bring water to a boil. Carefully add beef pieces, turn down to a simmer and cook, skimming any scum that forms on the surface. After 10 minutes, add salt and aromatics (onion, garlic, oregano, bay leaves). Loosely cover and cook at a steady simmer until beef is tender, approximately 2 hours.
Remove from heat and allow the beef to cool in the broth. Once cool enough to handle, remove meat from broth and shred (not too finely). Strain aromatics out and reserve the broth.
Make the chile colorado:
Clean the chiles by removing stems, seeds and any large veins. Wash the chiles well in cold water and place in a small pot along with the onion, garlic and a good-sized pinch of salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook at a simmer until the chiles soften, approximately 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and puree the chiles, onion and garlic with oregano and just enough of the cooking liquid to keep blender blades moving. Add more liquid to adjust to desired sauce thickness. Taste for seasoning. The sauce, at this point, will have a slightly metallic taste. Set aside.
Any unused chile colorado can be frozen in an airtight container and will keep well for up to a month.
Make the red beef filling:
In a pot large enough to hold the shredded meat, heat 1 cup of broth and whisk in approximately one cup of chile colorado. Bring to a simmer and add the shredded beef. Mix well. Taste and add more chile colorado and broth as necessary to reach desired consistency. Season with additional salt, as needed.
Prepare the masa dough:
Beat lard until very fluffy, as if creaming butter for frosting.
Add salt and combine with lard. Slowly add chunks of the masa. While mixing, drizzle in warm stock. Not all of the liquid may be necessary, add just enough to produce a dough that is spreadable and just slightly sticky. Continue mixing until well blended. Masa should be very light in appearance and should resemble mashed potatoes.
Test your dough: drop a small amount of masa into a glass of water. If properly fluffy, the masa will float. If it sinks, the masa is too dense and requires more liquid and further mixing.
To check the flavor, fry a small amount of the masa over medium heat, adjusting for seasoning as necessary. Refrigerate filling and dough. You’re done with your first day!
Day 2: Assemble tamales de res
If you took my advice and are refrigerating your masa, then before you start making the tamales, allow your dough to come to room temperature. Cold masa is not as easily spreadable.
8 ounces dried corn husks, or as needed
1 pound russet potatoes, cut into 1⁄4” by 2” sticks, cooked in salted water until just tender 1 pound carrots, cut into 1⁄4” by 2” sticks, cooked in salted water until just tender Salt as needed
12-ounce jar of manzanilla olives,
preferably with pit, drained
1⁄2
Remove masa from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Clean the dried corn husks by rinsing well under running water to remove any dried corn silk still attached. Place in a lidded pot and cover with warm water, weighing down with a heat-safe plate or other heavy object. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to soak in hot water until soft, approximately 30 minutes.
Make your fillings easily accessible: red chile beef, cooked potatoes, cooked carrots, olives and raisins. Remove the husks from soaking water and strain. Holding a husk on the non-dominant hand, pointed end towards the body, spread a large dollop of masa on half of the top half of the husk, leaving 1⁄2” of clear space at the top.
Place beef filling, potato and carrot batons, olives and two or three raisins on the masa.
Fold the husk over, completely surrounding the filling with the masa. Fold the bottom half of the corn husk up over the vertical seam.
Set aside, keeping the tamal vertical. Repeat until masa and filling are gone.
cup seedless raisins How to cook tamales:
In a large pot fitted with a steaming basket that allows for 2 inches of water at the bottom, loosely line the bottom of the pot with leftover corn husks. Arrange tamales standing vertically. Cover tops with a layer of corn husks. Cover the pot and bring water to a boil. Once a good amount of steam is visible, lower to low medium.
Cook for approximately 45 minutes. Tamales will still be soft to the touch, and with a slight tackiness. Remove cover, and allow to cool in the pot for approximately 10 minutes. Carefully remove tamales and lay flat to cool. If any tamales become slightly misshapen, they can be reshaped at this time.
Tamales taste better the next day, after they’ve had time to cool and firm up. Cool for half an hour at room temperature before refrigerating. This long wait is often difficult, and no shame should be felt if a tamal must be consumed immediately.