Oaxacan Tamales de Mole Amarillo
When the Spanish introduced cooking fats it revolutionized the whole concept of tamales. Today virtually all are filled with a mixture of masa and lard. Without the added fat the masa would be almost inedibly dense. I’d always wondered how the pre-Hispanic peoples could have made tamales without lard to lighten the dough.Insight came from Zoyla Mendoza, the inspired Valley Zapotec cook who has been my mentor in so many ways. I had come to visit her village, Teotitlán del Valle, during the annual Days of the Dead celebration. Zoyla first took me shopping at the village market and then showed me the secret of the popular amarillo tamales. Essentially they are tortilla-tamales — you make a very thin corn tortilla and carefully fold it over a filling of mole amarillo and a little plain shredded chicken, then wrap it up in a long corn leaf — not a husk, but the leaf stripped from the cornstalk. It would be hard to duplicate the same feat unless you could get some big corn leaves and master a somewhat intricate wrapping technique.I have adapted the recipe to use corn husks. For true pre-Hispanic tamales, eliminate the chicken, and make mole amarillo without cloves or peppercorns.
Ingredients
- 1 pound finely ground masa about 2 cups, either fresh or reconstituted by mixing 1½ cups masa harina with 1¼ cups warm homemade chicken stock (or water)
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 10 large dried corn husks soaked
- 2 large or 4 medium-sized fresh hoja santa leaves or 4-5 dried leaves, crumbled
- 1½ cups
Mole amarillo - 1 cup cooked shredded chicken
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the masa and salt, working well with your hands to mix evenly. (If using masa harina, add the salt before mixing in the stock or water.) Form the dough into 10 Ping-Pong-sized balls.
- Drain the corn husks and pat dry. Have them on the counter ready to fill.
- Working with one ball of dough at a time and keeping the rest covered with a damp cloth, prepare a tortilla press and press out the dough into a 5-inch round. Gently peel off the plastic liner.
- Carefully holding the tortilla in the palm of one hand, place 1 heaping tablespoon of mole amarillo in the center. Place several pieces of shredded chicken over it and top with a piece of the reserved hoja santa. (If using dried hoja santa, sprinkle about ½ teaspoon over the chicken.) Fold together the sides of the tortilla to enclose the filling; it is not necessary to close the open ends.
- Carefully place the filled tortilla lengthwise in the center of a corn husk. Fold the sides of the husk together, taking care to keep it seam side up.
- Place the tamales on the steamer rack, seam side up, stacking in layers as necessary but making sure that they lie flat on the rack.
- Steam, tightly covered, over medium-low heat for about 30-35 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 378kcalCarbohydrates: 69gProtein: 15gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 491mgPotassium: 303mgFiber: 6gVitamin A: 206IUCalcium: 127mgIron: 7mg