Tamales

by SaraJane - Vegan.Chicks.Rock blog

This recipe is from Vancouver's SaraJane from the Vegan.Chicks.Rock. blog. Tamales are a great make-ahead dish because they freeze very well. Just simply steam to reheat and enjoy!

  • Vegan (476)
  • Dairy Free (including lactose and casein) (438)
  • Soy Free (380)
  • Gluten Free (331)
  • Peanut Free (408)
Submitted by admin on October 31, 2011 - 2:52pm
Servings: 
15
Preparation Time: 
2 hours
Ingredients: 
A bunch of corn husks
1 lb large poblano chiles (canned green chiles are okay too, just keep in mind they are not hot like jalapenos)
2 cups masa harina
6 Tbsp vegan margarine, softened
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
5 cups corn (fresh or frozen)
3 cups Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
Instructions: 

Soak a bunch of corn husks in a big bowl of warm water for about 2 hours.

In a heavy pan over medium-high heat, char the outside of the chiles. You want them to be black in places, which will take a few minutes. Remove the chiles from the pan and set aside to cool for a couple minutes. Immerse the chiles in a bowl of really cold water and begin to peel the charred skin away. Once you've skinned them, deseed them and chop the chiles into a small dice.

In a food processor, blend the masa harina, vegan margarine, sugar, salt, baking powder and pepper until combined. Add the broth, corn and 1 cup of of Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds and blend until a moderately smooth paste is formed. It's okay if there are still chunks of corn.You want that, actually.

Take the largest corn husks and set them aside. Tear some of the thinner husks into little strips (you're going to use these to tie the ends). In each husk, flatten 1/3 cup of dough and make a little indentation in the middle. Place 1 tablespoon of chiles and 1 tablespoon of Daiya in the middle and press the sides over it so you've created a filled tamale. Wrap the dough in the corn husk. Pinch the ends together and tie them off with the strips you've made. This might take a little bit of practice, but don't worry, you'll get it. It's okay if you have to use two overlapping husks to fully wrap the tamales. You don't want ANY dough to be sticking out or you'll have a huge mess later.

Once you've formed all of your tamales, get some water boiling in a large pot with a steamer basket with a lid. Place the tamales inside the steamer basket and once the water is steaming, start the timer for 1 hour. You might have to do this in two or three batches depending on how large your pot is. Try not to lift the lid while the tamales are steaming, but please make sure to check that there is still water at the bottom of the pot a few times during the process. You'll probably have to add more water once or twice.

Once the tamales are done, remove them from the steamer and let them sit for about 10 minutes before you start unwrapping them. You need to let them cool a little first or else the tamale will stick to the corn husks. Wait just a bit and they'll come out beautifully.

Don't eat the husk! Unwrap, smother with mole and/or salsa and enjoy!

Return to top