Tamale is probably one of the most diversified Mexican dishes out there. Furthermore, tamale is also a holiday staple dish!
But whether Thanksgiving is already around the corner or you’re just looking for different ways to serve tamale, we’ll hand over to you our step by step guide on how to serve tamales.
Steamer
This a kitchen appliance that cooks food with the method of steaming.
It has multiple mainly the vessel above which contains food and the base where the water is place.
Sweet Corn
Sweet corn, as what the name suggests, is well, sweet.
It’s a corn that has a high content of sugar in it.
Husk
Husk or corn husk is what you call the covering of a corn, or to be precise, the ear of a corn.
This can be used for wrapping purposes, same as a banana leaf.
Pork Belly
Pork belly is basically a cut of meat from the fatty part which is the belly of a pig, as the name suggests.
This is an absolute crowd pleaser as this can be use for many purposes.
Tequila
Tequila is one of the major distilled alcohols.
It is made from a plant called the blue agave.
Beside serving as a beverage, it can also serve as a cooking ingredient.
Step-By-Step Guide
With this guide, I’ll tell you how to serve it in two unique ways but let’s head right to the basics: how do you first steam tamales?
Basic Recipe
1. Go get your steamer! Or just find your cooking pot, make sure it’s deep enough.
2. You’re gonna need a strainer or colander for the next stop.
Make sure it’s gonna fit inside the pot and place it in.
3. Pour water into the pot but make sure not to overfill.
Just enough water before it reaches your steamer.
4. Next, you sprinkle some salt or some seasoning granules all over the water you poured inside your cooking pot.
5. Place all your tamales vertically, meaning they should not be lying down but standing up and facing up.
The close end should be the one placed directly above the steamer or colander and the open end facing up.
6. The water has to reach a boiling point, next.
So set your stove to a high setting and wait for the water to boil.
Then lower it down to a medium setting.
7. Cover the pot with a lid and let it steam for over two hours.
Never ever let the water run dry.
For this exact reason, check your pot from time to time and refill the water, if needed.
8. Remove the tamales, one by one, using a pair of kitchen tongs and just let them cool outside by placing on a plate.
9. Next, you now start unwrapping your tamale, this is usually a corn husk or a banana leaf.
Unwrap it gently using a pair of thongs.
10. Serve with other side dishes.
There are numerous ways and ingredients you can use to do so.
Proceed to the next section to find out how.
How to Serve Tamale With Sweet Corn & Mexican Crema
1. Choose either a corn husk or a banana lead for your wrap and submerge it underwater inside any container.
Wait until they are soft enough.
2. Using a food processor, place your corn inside and start grinding.
The gradually, place your sugar, flour, butter, cornmeal, and baking powder.
Go back to grinding them altogether.
This will result into your Massa spread.
3. Take out your husks and make sure it’s dry.
Then spread out some Massa spread, about 3 oz, onto the wrap or husk.
4. Next, you proceed by adding some strios of cheese and chili onto the middle of the wrap, together with the Massa.
5. Fold the left side of your wrap over the right side.
Then also fold the bottom end onto the already folded husk.
6. Steam your tamales.
You can refer to the guide above for references and step-by-step instructions.
7. Make some Mexican cream to serve as a delightful companion to your tamales.
Do this by whisking some cream — both sour and heavy and some salt into one mixing bowl.
You can place it inside the refrigerator, if you chose to make this in advance.
Otherwise, serve it when it’s under room temperature.
How to Serve Tamales With Pork Belly
1. Make sure brine is ready and once it is, add your pork belly to it and place it inside for overnight inside the refrigerator.
2. For the next day, separate the pork belly from your brine and let the pork belly sear inside an oven — about 3 – 5 minutes per side.
3. Prepare your tequila, cilantro, jalapeños, carrots and a cup of your brine liquid to a simmer then place it inside an oven.
4. After an hour, remove your pot from your oven.
And filter out the tequila.
This is because you will have only have to use this for later.
5. Place about two cups of chicken stock to the pot and place your cooking pot inside your oven.
6. Begin to observe after two hours.
If the liquid has largely lessened or has vanished, add some more stock.
7. After three hours, you can now remove your cooking pot from your oven.
8. Cut your pork belly into preferred cuts and slices.
9. Going back to your tequila.
Put it onto a saucepan and reheat it along with half a square of a any chocolate bar with square cuts.
10. Place your pork belly slices skin side down.
Cook until it has crisped.
Serve it on top of your Massa cake with your tequila sauce.
Added Tips
After steaming your masa, observe your dough.
If it’s still a bit mushy or soft, you have to steam it back.
Rewrap your husk carefully and place them back inside the pot to resteam.
Don’t forget to keep observing the tamales inside the pot, at least every 12-15 minutes.
Observe if they are firm enough and if it no longer sticks to the wrap.
Never ever stack your tamales on top of one another because you risk your filling coming out of the wrap.
This is also why it must steamed vertically
Another commonly asked question is this: your masa cannot be cooked inside an oven.
Use a steamer.
If at anytime and any cost, you smell a burning scent: this isn’t normal.
Observe your water level since the amount you are required to use can evaporate very rapidly.
Final Thoughts
There are hundreds of variations of existing tamales available.
This is because you can literally serve tamale with anything.
After steaming, you can now choose among a selection of different ingredients you can serve it with such as pork belly, tequila, Mexican crema as stated.
We hope this article has greatly helped you in determining how to serve tamales!
Please do not hesitate to drop some suggestions below in the comment section.