I had a package of banana leafs in the freezer waiting to be used for something, so making tamales sounded like a good idea. Frozen banana leafs are easy to find in well stocked Asian or Latin markets, I am sure if you are in the Southern States are Hawaii, fresh ones on the tree are a option. I bought a big chunk of pork butt which I seasoned and seared, then a long braise till the meat was very tender and easy to shred, I made a form of red chili sauce from dried chili peppers and tomatoes. Next was the dough made from a easy "just add water" masa flour, the real dough is a lot better then the instint but I did not want to spend all day making these. Next step was thawing the leafs and cutting into six inch squares which a held over a gas stove flame for a few seconds to soften them, I place a scoop of dough and then some pork on top, fold into a square package and place in a steamer basket. When steamer is filled, simply steam for half an hour and they are ready for your hot sauce to finish.
2 comments:
Will try this one, can also get the masa from Latin food stores already made or if there is a Mexican food restaurant, they may sell the masa as well. Usually they sell it by the pound.
latin store masa is mostly made with lard so if you don't eat meat or don't want the extra fat, use the just add water kind.
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