Crafting tamales has been a tradition for years and with ancient roots and history, the art of making the perfect ‘tamal’ has been passed down from generation to generation. Pastry Chef Karina Orozco of downtown’s Spill the Beans, knows this tradition well and looks forward to it year after year. “I am always excited for tamale season. I actually try not to eat any during the year so that when Christmas rolls around, I can indulge!” says Orozco.
Orozco grew up making lots of tamales with her family every year and loves the family aspect attached to the tradition, she also adds, “the bonus with tamales is, you always have something to unwrap on Christmas!”
When it comes to how many tamales can be made during the holiday season, the sky is the limit. And with so many tamale varieties, the opportunity to get creative with fillings and presentation is huge. El Jardin Cantina’s corporate sous chef May Ortiz shares that, “Some Christmases we would make up to 400 tamales! My personal favorites have always been the Elote and the Beef with red chile.”
In order to achieve the perfect tamal, the masa can make or break the batch. Ortiz suggests, “Visiting a tortilla store and purchasing quality masa if you can’t make it yourself.” Never use the “just-add-water” flour type, she warns, “while you’ll be able to make a tamal it will never be as good as one made with freshly milled corn”.
Chef Michael C. Brown has taken his love for tamales straight to the menu of Jalisco Cantina, located in Oceanside. Offered as a shared plate, the Fresh Corn Tamale Bites incorporate the holiday favorite with a sweet and savory twist featuring poblano chiles, cotija cheese and jalapeno aioli.
Try the recipe for yourself this season, courtesy of Jalisco Cantina:
Serves: 2 – 4
Ingredients:
- 4 cups corn
- ½ stick of butter, softened
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- ¾ cup flour
- 2 cups Masa Harina (corn dough)
- ½ cup chopped, roasted poblanos
- Cotija cheese
- Fresno chiles
Instructions:
- Blend the corn, butter, and sugar well.
- Add flour and the Masa Harina and blend again, until all ingredients are combined.
- Remove from blender and fold into chopped roasted poblano peppers.
- Fry until golden brown, and sprinkle with Cotija cheese and sliced fresno chiles.
- For frying at home, you can add 4 – 6 cups of oil to a pot/pan and set stove burner to medium, letting the pot/pan of oil heat for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the oil, which should be between 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 Celsius) and 400 F (205 C). If oil it not hot enough, raise the burner heat a little and continue to check the temperature.
- Add corn tamale bites to oil and leave to cook until they become a golden brown.
- Scoop out the bites using tongs and place on a cooling rack until ready to sprinkle with Cotija cheese and sliced fresno chiles.
