I long for the flavor of tamales de elote, made with puréed fresh corn kernels. But our starchy, flavorful Mexican corn cannot be replaced with United States sweet corn, which creates a terribly insipid, watery effect. So I evolved something a little different using a regular masa mixture with fresh corn kernels and seasonings beaten in.
Tamales with Corn and Poblano Chiles (Tamales con elote y chile poblano)
I long for the flavor of tamales de elote, made with puréed fresh corn kernels. But our starchy, flavorful Mexican corn cannot be replaced with United States sweet corn, which creates a terribly insipid, watery effect. So I evolved something a little different using a regular masa mixture with fresh corn kernels and seasonings beaten in.
Ingredients
- 35-40 dried corn husks
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium-size white onion finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 poblano chiles roasted, peeled, tops removed, seeded, and diced
- 2 cups fresh or drained canned corn kernels or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen
- 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Salt to taste
- ½ recipe
Basic Tamal Dough
Instructions
- Place the corn husks in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let soak while you prepare the filling.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until rippling. Add the white onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until golden, 2-3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium; add the poblanos, stirring well to combine, and cook 2 minutes longer. Stir in the corn kernels and season with cilantro and cook until the moisture has evaporated, about another 3 minutes. Season with salt. Cool thoroughly.
- Fold or beat the corn mixture into the prepared tamal dough, being sure it is evenly distributed. Fill, fold, and steam the tamales, using about ¼ cup of the masa-corn mixture for each husk.
Notes
Serve with a picante sauce such as Pico de Gallo Norteño or Tomatillo Sauce with Chipotle Chiles.
