Tamale Queens Tanya Aguilar Barraza, Maria Adame To Hold Workshop Saturday

STUDIO CITY (KCAL9) — Tamale Queens Tanya Aguilar Barraza and Maria Adame stopped by KCAL9 Thursday to tell viewers about their Tamale Workshop!

The event will be held at St. Isidore Historical Plaza on Saturday.

Here are some recipes they shared:

Corn Husks
Place the husks into a large bowl. Cover husks with hot water. Set a heavy item on top of the husks to keep them submerged.   Soak corn husks in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes.  This procedure allows the corn husks to soften, making them pliable and ready for you to apply the masa.  Remove the husks from the water; remove any stray silk strands, sort by size and drain.  Place into a covered dish or a large plastic bag to prevent from drying out.

Prepared Masa

5 lbs of prepared masa

1 to 1 ½ cups of broth (use the broth from the meat you cook or use store-bought)

Salt to taste

Add masa to your mixer bowl (adjust to fit) and slowly add broth.  The texture you're going for is smooth – not watery.   Mix for about 5 minutes on a medium to high speed.  The idea is to get a light and airy masa.  Test the masa by floating a small amount (about a teaspoon) in a glass of water.  If it floats it's ready.  If it sinks – it's not – you will need to turn the mixer on for another five minutes.  If it still sinks you will need to add vegetable shortening.  About a ¼ cup at a time until your test sample floats.  Taste the masa and add salt if needed.

NOTE:  For every pound of meat you will need approximately 1.5 pounds of masa.  i.e. For a 5 lb roast you will need about 7.5 pounds of masa.

Unprepared Masa

5 lbs of "unprepared masa"

1 lbs Vegetable Shortening (or lard if you prefer)

2 tablespoons of salt

2 tablespoons of baking powder

1 to 1 ½ cups of broth (save broth from the meat you cook or use store-bought)

Add masa to your mixer bowl (adjust to fit).  Add the Vegetable Shortening (Lard if you prefer), salt, baking powder and slowly add broth.   The texture you're going for is smooth – not watery.   Mix for about 5 minutes on a medium to high speed.  The idea is to get a light and airy masa.  Test the masa by floating a small amount (about a teaspoon) in a glass of water.  If it floats it's ready.  If it sinks, you will need to turn the mixer on for another five minutes.  If it still sinks you will need to add more vegetable shortening.  About a ¼ cup at a time until your test sample floats.  Taste the masa and add salt if needed.

Red Chile Sauce

Cut the top off of each chili and then slit it down the middle. Shake out the seeds.  Peel off any excess veins.   Rinse off excess dust from the Chilies under cool water.  Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the cleaned chilies, cover and let them soak for about 20 minutes.  Place the softened chilies in a blender and approximately 2 cups of soaking liquid..  Puree until smooth.   Strain this sauce to remove any pulp or seeds.    You will season the sauce last with broth from the meat you cooked (approximately 1 cup) (or bullion 1 Tablespoon), salt, & garlic to taste.   At this point, the consistency is thin.  An easy way to thicken the sauce is to add some masa to the sauce and simmer for approximately 10 minutes until it thickens.  The idea is to thicken the consistency (like a gravy) so it sticks to the meat.

Salsa Verde

Simmer the ingredients below for approximately 20 minutes until tender.

2 cups water

2 cups tomatillos, husks removed, and washed

Roast the Chilies and a small Onion that you have peeled and cut in half  (on a grill or under the broiler).  Place the tender tomatillos and water into a blender and add:

2 roasted Jalapeno chilies (Adjust the type and quantity to taste.)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced

A small roasted onion

A teaspoon of salt (season to taste)

TAMALE FILLINGS

Pork Tamales with Red Chili

• 3 cups shredded pork
• 1 1/2 cups homemade red chili sauce (seasoned and thickened)
• NOTE:  For every pound of meat you will need approximately 1.5 pounds of masa.  i.e. For a       5lb roast you will need about 7.5 pounds of masa.

Green Chile Strips & Cheese Tamales

• 1 cup green chilies, roasted, peeled, and sliced
• 1 lb sliced Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup green chile sauce (Salsa Verde)

Spreading the masa
Hold a corn husk in one hand.  Make sure the softer side is facing upward.  Be aware that if you place the masa on the rougher part of the husk, once cooked, the tamale will not release itself as easily.   Using your other hand, spread the masa on the bottom half of the corn husk about half way up.  Spreading tools of choice would include a spoon or a spatula.  Try to keep the masa approximately ¼" inch thick – thickness depends on your liking.

Filling
Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of the masa while making sure your mixture is spread from top to bottom, not side to side. Fold one side of the corn husk to cover your filling, fold the other side over. If your filling is not enclosed, use another corn husk with masa, attach it to the tamale.  Fold the pointy end of the tamale down towards the filled portion – This becomes the "bottom" of your tamale.  Wrap each tamale in paper for easy cleanup.

Steaming
Set tamales on their "bottoms" upright in a steamer. You can buy large steamers made just for this purpose. Or improvise using some type of rack.  The key is to have sufficient amount of space for water on the bottom of the pot (enough to last thru 2 to 3 hours of steaming).  Place your tamales in one by one, in a standing position, until your pot is full. Don't pack the pot too tight – the steam needs to get thru to each tamale.  Steaming time for a dozen tamales is approximately 1 1/2 - depending on how full your pot is.  We usually "test" one tamale after an hour and a half by pulling one out of the pot and allowing it to cool for about 2 minutes.  If the corn husk pulls away easily from the masa and the masa appears firm it is done.  If the masa isn't firm (still wet) – it's not ready.  You can "test" tamale again in about 30 minutes.