Cheese and jalapeno tamales or tamales de rajas con queso are one the most popular tamal recipes from Mexico. Learn how to make them with this easy to follow simple recipe. Can be made vegetarian or vegan!
20ozvegetable brothadd a pinch of ground turmeric for colour, if desired
Additional Ingredients and Tools needed:
1large packdried corn husksyou’ll need anywhere from 25 for tamales plus extra for steaming
Instructions
Soak The Corn Husks
Sort through the husks, remove any dirt and debris. Rinse thoroughly then leave to soak in warm or hot water, either in a large container or a clean kitchen sink.
Make The Filling
Heat the oil in a very large pan then sauté onions with a little salt, until soft. Next add the garlic then add the jalapeno pieces and sauté until they begin to soft. Then add the tomatoes, more salt and cook until they break down.Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Make The Masa
You can either use a stand mixer for this, or a very large bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl with a spoon. Your choice.Whip the shortening until light and fluffy. Add half of the masa harina, the baking powder and the salt and whip until well combined and you have coarse crumbs. Add a little bit more of the masa harina and some of the vegetable broth and whip.You want to combine masa harina into the masa dough little by little. The same with the remaining broth.Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl so you can assure the ingredients are all well combined.Whip until the masa is well combined, smooth and airy.
The Float Test
Once all of your ingredients are well combined you want to do “The Masa Float Test”.You do so by dropping a small dollop of the mixed masa dough into a glass of water.The dough should float back to the top. If it doesn’t you need to continue whipping and test again. This ensures that your masa is airy and you end up with light and not dense tamales.Not everyone does this, but I like to. It’s up to you.
Assemble The Tamales
Drain corn husks and place then on a colander to drain off excess water. If they’re still too wet when you’re getting ready to spread the masa on them, then pat dry with some paper towels.For this step it helps to have a large work surface.Grab one softened corn husk, place the smooth side facing up and the wide end should be toward the top.Use a spatula or the back of a spoon and spread some masa on it. Make it a thin layer, not too thick.
In the center of dough, place two tablespoons of the filling then a slice of cheese.For the first fold, grab one side of the husk and fold it towards the center. Grab the other side and fold towards the center. Then lastly fold up the thin pointy long side of the corn husk.Place tamales on a tray and repeat until you have used up all of the masa and filling.
Steam The Tamales
Once all of the tamales are made you can steam them.You can use the traditional tamalera steamer pot, or a large pot with a steamer basket or even the pressure cooker or Instant Pot.Add warm water to the pot then secure the steaming basket insert an then arrange the raw tamales inside the pot. Cover with extra hydrated corn husks or a clean kitchen towel. Set to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling you can lower the heat to low and steam for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes you can carefully take out one tamal to check for doneness. Leave the tamal to sit for 5 minutes then unwrap it. If the corn husks pulls away easily the tamales are done, if not they need to steam longer.Steam for another 15 minutes then check again for doneness.
Serve
Now your tamales are ready to enjoy!
Video
Notes
•• Yes, tamales require some work. But they are not only worth it, they really aren't that difficult to make. Just give yourself plenty of time and if needed get some help to make the process go quicker.••• For a vegan version use vegan cheese or simply omit the cheese!