How to Cook Tamales

Gene Gonzalez modernizes the old fiesta favorite

About the TAMALES

While the recipe for Mexican tamales makes use of stone-ground corn, this recipe is given a homegrown twist with the use of toasted rice, a staple in Pampanga from where this recipe originated. To make tamales before, one would need to grind peanuts and mill rice the old-fashioned, time-consuming way; but in this recipe, Chef Gene shortens the procedure by using modern equipment. “Tamales, among other dishes, is an ‘endangered’ dish because it’s tedious to prepare,“ he says. “I’ve come up with something easier. There are certain things we have to adapt to without taking away the authenticity of the dish.”

What you need
900 grams rice flour
100 grams glutinous rice flour
1 cup peanuts
4 cups coconut milk
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup annatto (achuete) oil
3 cups shrimp juice
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups sugar
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon lye (lihia; available in the baking section of supermarkets)
4 cups water
banana leaves, cleaned
4 hard-cooked eggs, sliced
20 shrimps, cooked and shelled
1 cup crushed crispy fried pork rind (chicharon)
boiled chicken meat, sliced
Chinese ham, sliced
chorizo, sliced

What to do
Making the tamale base

1 Roast both rice flours in pan over medium heat. Keep mixing so flour does not burn, just until it turns beige in color and toasty in aroma. Set aside.

2 Fry peanuts in oil until golden. Process in a blender with 1 cup coconut milk until a smooth paste is achieved. Set aside.

3 In a large saucepan, sauté garlic in annatto oil. Add toasted flour, peanut mixture, shrimp juice, and chicken stock. Stir continuously. Add sugar, salt, and pepper.

4 Add lye to water then pour about half into the saucepan. Continue stirring until a light and thick paste is achieved. Strain the mixture then cook over medium-low heat until it reaches a smooth, thick, pudding-like consistency. Mix the remaining mixture in the strainer with the remaining water then strain again and add to the rest.

Assembling the tamales
On a banana leaf, place about 3 tablespoons of the mixture, shape into a square and pat lightly to flatten the top. Top with sliced egg, shrimp, chicharon, chicken, ham, and chorizo. Wrap and tie securely. Repeat with the others. Cook for an hour in a deep steamer. Allow to cool. Serve.

Top tips from the chef
This recipe makes about 14 tamales. You can keep them cooked and chilled in the refrigerator for a week.

1  Start assembling while the mixture is still warm. When cold, it will not be as pliable and will be hard to work with.

2  You can use cashew nuts and salted eggs instead of the peanuts and hard-cooked eggs.

3  To make your own annatto oil, heat 10 grams of annatto seeds in 1 cup oil.

4  To prepare the banana leaves, wipe them clean then pass leaves over the flame just until they turn shiny. Do this on both sides of the leaf.

5  To make shrimp juice, put 3 cups water and shrimp heads (hard outer shell removed) in a blender then pulse, not purée. Strain.

Photography by David Hanson Styling and Interview by Angelo Comsti