Tamales Rojos y Verdes (Red and Green Tamales Recipe)
The red and green tamales are very frequently served in the valley, at the country's capital, the city of Mexico itself; as in most mexican tamales, they are wrapped and steamed in corn husks.
Recipe for The Tamales Rojos y Verdes:
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of white corn masa for tortillas
- 2 cups of the broth leftover from when the meat for the filling was cooked
- 1 pound of lard
- 1.5 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt (or only a pinch is needed to do the sweet tamals)
- 50 corn husks for tamal, prepared (washed, soaked and then dried)
For the red filling
- 1/2 lb. of ancho chilis dipped in very warm water, deveined and seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon of lard
- 1 Red tomato
- 1 pound of pork meat cooked with an onion, and aromatic spices
- Salt to taste
For the green filling
- 1.5 lb. of peeled green tomatoes or tomatillos
- 1/2 cup of chopped coriander
- 1 tablespoon of lard
- 1 onion finely chopped to small bits
- 6 chilis serranos finely cut
- 3/4 lb. of pork meat cooked with an onion.
- Two cloves garlic and aromatic spices to your taste (coriander, etc...)
- Salt to taste
You will need a food processor or blender for this recipe.
Preparation:
- 2 pounds of white corn masa for tortillas
- 2 cups of the broth leftover from when the meat for the filling was cooked
- 1 pound of lard
- 1.5 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of salt (or only a pinch is needed to do the sweet tamals)
- 50 corn husks for tamal, prepared (washed, soaked and then dried)
For the red filling
- 1/2 lb. of ancho chilis dipped in very warm water, deveined and seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon of lard
- 1 Red tomato
- 1 pound of pork meat cooked with an onion, and aromatic spices
- Salt to taste
For the green filling
- 1.5 lb. of peeled green tomatoes or tomatillos
- 1/2 cup of chopped coriander
- 1 tablespoon of lard
- 1 onion finely chopped to small bits
- 6 chilis serranos finely cut
- 3/4 lb. of pork meat cooked with an onion.
- Two cloves garlic and aromatic spices to your taste (coriander, etc...)
- Salt to taste
You will need a food processor or blender for this recipe.
Preparation:
Mix the masa gradually with the broth, incorporating it well by mixing with your hands.
Aside from this, beat the lard until it gets spongy and then add it to the masa. Beat this masa and lard mixture vigorously until it is ready (drop a small bit in a glass of water, if it floats then your dough is ready), then add the baking powder and the salt and again mix well.
Put two tablespoons of tamal dough in every tamal corn husk, add then put some filling (red or green) in them, fold and wrap the corn leaves. They are now ready for cooking in a tamalera, (any steamer device will do) on a bed of tamal leaves. Steam-cook everything for 45 minutes, they are ready when the corn leaves come off easily from the dough.
FOR THE RED FILLING Using a food processor liquefy the red tomato, the chopped ancho chiles with the garlic cloves and the water into which they were soaked in. This sauce is cooked with a bit of oil, mix it with the meat, season with salt and allow it to boil a few minutes until it becomes with the desired thickness.
FOR THE GREEN FILLING Start to cook your green tomatoes in 1/2 cup of water until they soften, then let them cool a little and liquefy the tomatoes with the coriander. Aside from this in a saucepan, cook the onion in the lard, the chili is then added to this and then mix in the liquefied tomatoes; mix in the meat (already cooked at this point) and season to your taste.
Aside from this, beat the lard until it gets spongy and then add it to the masa. Beat this masa and lard mixture vigorously until it is ready (drop a small bit in a glass of water, if it floats then your dough is ready), then add the baking powder and the salt and again mix well.
Put two tablespoons of tamal dough in every tamal corn husk, add then put some filling (red or green) in them, fold and wrap the corn leaves. They are now ready for cooking in a tamalera, (any steamer device will do) on a bed of tamal leaves. Steam-cook everything for 45 minutes, they are ready when the corn leaves come off easily from the dough.
FOR THE RED FILLING Using a food processor liquefy the red tomato, the chopped ancho chiles with the garlic cloves and the water into which they were soaked in. This sauce is cooked with a bit of oil, mix it with the meat, season with salt and allow it to boil a few minutes until it becomes with the desired thickness.
FOR THE GREEN FILLING Start to cook your green tomatoes in 1/2 cup of water until they soften, then let them cool a little and liquefy the tomatoes with the coriander. Aside from this in a saucepan, cook the onion in the lard, the chili is then added to this and then mix in the liquefied tomatoes; mix in the meat (already cooked at this point) and season to your taste.
