Ingredients:
- 15 corn husks
- 3 1/8 (25oz) massa (virgin)
- 1 tablespoon chili paste
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup water
Directions:
1. In a large container, place the corn husks deep in hot water and cover for a couple hours until they are soft and pliable.
*tip: you may need to weigh them down with an inverted plate and a heavy can to keep them submerged.
2. In an electric mixer add massa to the bowl. Then at medium-low speed add the following ingredients one at a time: chili paste, baking powder, salt, oil and water. Mix everything until it gets soft and heavy.
3. Drain water from husks. One at a time, flatten out the husks with the narrow end towards you and place 2.5oz (a little more than 1/4c- size of palm of hand) of massa on the middle of the corn husk, leaving a little more room at the bottom of the husk. Then add 1.5oz of meat filling in the middle of the massa.
4. Take the left side of the husk and fold it directly over the right side. Fold the narrow bottom end of the husk onto the folded tamale.
*tip for parties and presentation you can tie with strip of corn husk when serving dry tamales. 5. As you are making the tamales, stand them up on their rolled ends in a prepared steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately 30-40 minutes until massa is firm and holds its shape.
*tip: cover the tamales in the steamer with a layer of the left over corn husks. You can also fill empty spaces (if you have them) with gently wadded aluminum foil to prevent them from falling over.
6. Gently remove the tamal from the husk and plate. Cover with homemade enchilada sauce, sprinkle with cheddar & jack cheese and cook in hot oven for 2-3 min (until cheese is melted.)
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