Making Tamales in Australia: Husks, Banana Leaves and the Masa

Tamales are among the oldest foods in the Americas, and one of the most sociable: a batch is a day's work for several people, and the reward is dozens of parcels of steamed corn dough that freeze beautifully. In Mexico they are street breakfast, Sunday market food and the dish owed by whoever finds the figure in the rosca on 6 January, who must host the tamales on 2 February. In Australia the obstacles are practical: the wrappers, the masa and the fat. All three are solvable. This guide goes through them.

For the regional varieties, see our global guide to Mexican tamales. Here we stay in the Australian kitchen.

What a tamal is

A tamal is masa, dough made from nixtamalised corn, wrapped in a corn husk or a banana leaf and steamed. The filling can be meat, cheese, chilli, beans, vegetables or fruit, or nothing at all; the wrapping is unwrapped and discarded, or used as a plate. Tamales originated in Mesoamerica thousands of years ago and spread through the Americas. In Mexico, corn husks are the usual wrapper in the centre and north; in tropical states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz and the Yucatán, banana or plantain leaves are used, and the tamales are often larger and square.

The wrappers

• Dried corn husks. Sold by Mexican grocers and online shops in Australia, in packets. Soak them in hot water until pliable before using. Australian sweetcorn husks from the greengrocer can be dried at home and used, though they are thinner and smaller than the husks sold for tamales; use two overlapping.
• Banana leaves. Easy: Asian grocers sell them frozen and sometimes fresh, and anyone with a banana plant in a warm part of Australia has a supply. Pass them briefly over a flame or through hot water to make them supple, wipe them, and cut them into rectangles. Our piece on what Asian grocers stock for a Mexican cook covers where to look.
• Baking paper and foil. A last resort that works: a rectangle of baking paper wrapped in foil steams the masa perfectly well, even if it gives no flavour.

The masa

Fresh masa from a tortillería is the ideal, and a few Australian cities now have makers of fresh masa; our guide to buying Mexican ingredients in Melbourne mentions the city where nixtamalising has taken hold. For everyone else, masa harina, dried nixtamalised corn flour, is the reliable route. Buy one labelled for tamales if you can find it (it is usually coarser), otherwise ordinary masa harina is fine. Our guide to masa harina in Australia explains who sells it. Do not use cornmeal, polenta or cornflour: none of them is nixtamalised, and the dough will not hold.

The fat

Traditional tamal masa is beaten with lard until light. Australian supermarket lard is often hydrogenated or blended, and some Australian products in the same aisle are not lard at all; our explainer on why Copha is not manteca sorts them out. The most reliable results come from rendering your own pork fat, which butchers will sell or give you as trimmings. Vegetable shortening works for a vegetarian version, and some cooks use a mix of lard and butter.

Beating the masa

1. Mix masa harina with warm stock (or water) and salt to a soft dough, cover and rest it while you beat the fat.
2. Beat the fat with a stand mixer or hand mixer until white and fluffy.
3. Add the masa to the fat a handful at a time, beating constantly, with splashes of warm stock, until the dough is soft and spreadable, like thick icing. Add a little baking powder if you like a lighter tamal.
4. Test: drop a small piece into a glass of cold water. If it floats, the masa has enough air. If it sinks, beat it longer.
5. Season boldly. Masa tastes flatter after steaming.

Filling and folding

Spread a thin layer of masa over the wide, smooth side of a soaked husk, leaving a border. Spoon a little filling down the middle, fold the sides over to enclose it, and fold the narrow end up. For banana leaves, spread the masa in a square, add the filling, and fold into a flat parcel. Classic fillings: pork or chicken in red chilli sauce, chicken in green salsa, strips of poblano or jalapeño with cheese (rajas con queso), or mole. Sweet tamales use sugar, cinnamon and raisins in the masa. Our sweet tamales, sweetcorn tamales and chipilín tamales recipes show the range.

Steaming without a tamalera

A tamalera is a tall pot with a rack above the water. In Australia, any of these works:

• A large stockpot with a steamer insert or a heatproof bowl upturned in the bottom, topped with a rack, with water below the rack.
• A bamboo steamer stack over a wok, for banana-leaf tamales laid flat.
• A pasta pot with its colander insert.

Stand husk tamales upright, open end up, packed fairly snugly. Cover with spare husks and a tea towel under the lid, and steam over a steady simmer, topping up with boiling water. They are done when the masa pulls cleanly away from the husk; let one rest a few minutes before testing, as they firm up as they cool.

Common problems

• Dry, crumbly tamales. The masa needed more fat or more stock. It should be soft enough to spread easily.
• Heavy, dense tamales. The masa was not beaten long enough. Use the float test.
• Raw centres. The pot was packed too tightly, the water ran low, or they came out too early. Steam them longer.
• Wet tamales. Water got into them. Keep the water below the rack and stand husk tamales upright, open end up.

Make a day of it, then freeze

A tamalada, a tamal-making party, is how Mexican families handle the work: one person beats masa, others spread, fill, fold and gossip. Plan for a big batch. Tamales freeze very well in their wrappers; steam them from frozen until hot through. Our guide to freezing tortillas, salsa and masa has more on keeping them.

In Australia, the season for this is winter. The Mexican dates for tamales, the Christmas posadas and Candelaria on 2 February, fall in an Australian summer, when a pot steaming all afternoon is unwelcome. Our Mexican fiesta calendar sets out the dates, and our piece on champurrado and atole covers the hot drink that goes with them.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make tamales with polenta or cornflour?

No. Neither is nixtamalised, and the dough will be crumbly and taste wrong. Use masa harina or fresh masa.

Where do I get corn husks in Australia?

Mexican grocers and online Mexican shops sell dried husks. Banana leaves, from Asian grocers, are an excellent alternative.

How do I know the masa is beaten enough?

Drop a small piece into cold water. If it floats, it is ready.

How many tamales does a batch make?

A kilo of masa harina, made into dough and beaten with fat, fills a large stockpot: enough for a family meal and a freezer bag of leftovers. Scale up for a tamalada.

Can tamales be frozen?

Yes, cooked and in their wrappers. Steam them from frozen until hot through.

Sources

• Wikipedia, Tamale (masa, corn husks and banana leaves, origins, regional wrappers): en.wikipedia.org
• Wikipedia, Christmas in Mexico (rosca on 6 January, tamales on Candlemas): en.wikipedia.org