Making Tamales

Gaby and I made tamales today. And they are muy rico! First, Gaby made a huge batch of the filling on Tuesday. Then today she brought the corn husks (ojas) for wrapping and the masa (cornmeal dough) for lining the ojas. We had already borrowed her mother's enormous steamer to cook them in. So, today we rinsed the ojas and drained them, then spread the insides with a thin layer of the masa. Gaby used the back of a large spoon (cuchara) to do the spreading but Bob and I couldn't get the hang of it. The more we tried to spread the masa thinly, the more it just peeled loose. Finally, I decided to use my hands and found that I could do it much more easily por mano than with the cuchara. After spreading the masa, we put a large spoonful of the filling inside the oja, then wrapped it up like a little package, later stacking them inside the steamer. I think we made over 50. Anyway, they're done, and we've eaten a couple and they're delicious! I think I can do it on my own now. Yay! Pics.

The filling (se llama Picadillo):

10 chicken breasts, cooked separately and cubed

1 kilo of potatoes, cooked and cubed

Saute 1/2 kilo of tomatillas, 2 onions (chopped), 6 poblano chiles (cut into strips)

In the molcajete, grind 7 (or so) chiles nopaleros, about 20 dried chiles de arbol, and a couple of cloves of garlic; liquify them and cook with water and salt, then strain

Add everything altogether and cook for about 1/2 hour, covered

Add several mint leaves near the end.

Chill in fridge before filling the tamales ojas.

Buen provecha!