Tamales

 American is to apple pie as Mexican is to ___________. The answer: tamales. The tamal (which is the singular in Spanish, not tamale) has been popular throughout Mexico and Central America since pre-hispanic times, and there are probably hundreds of different varieties - different salsas; different leaf or husk wrappers; different meats; no meat, just beans; no meat, just fruit; etc., etc., etc. However, all varieties of tamales seem to have two required ingredients - tamale masa (generally bought in the supermarket as Maseca's masa for tamales and readily available in the US) and manteca (lard).

Though not very expensive, in Mexico, tamales are generally reserved for special occasions, birthdays, holidays and the like, which I imagine is due to the procedure and time that tamales warrant. Besides the homemade ones for special occasions, tamales are very popular street food and are often served up in a bolillo to make them a handheld snack. Another option here in Mexico City is the "tamale man," whose fleet of tricycles goes around the city, playing their blaring commercial and selling tamales directly at your doorstep (he passes my house at 10:15 every night).

Ingredients
1 package of dried corn husks
1 pacakge (or 900 g) Maseca masa for tamales
400 g lard, melted
2 - 3 L chicken stock or water
2 Tbsp. salt
1 liter salsa verde
1 1/2 kilos boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 40 to 50 cubes)

Directions

1 - Prep the dried corn husks. Separate the husks and soak them in a big pot of warm water. Wash and rinse them. Let them dry. Throw any ripped husks away.

2 - In a very, very large bowl (5 L capacity, at least), mix the Maseca, half of the chicken stock, and salt together. Then, add the lard and mix well. Slowly add more stock until you reach a creamy consistency. When you remove your spoon (or hand, as we do it), the mixture should run off back into the bowl.

3 - Fill the bottom part of your tamale pot (steamer) with water, and put it over high heat.

4 - Set up a tamale assembly line in the following order: husks, masa, salsa, chicken.

5 - Put a small scoop of masa in the middle of the corn husk. Put a scoop of salsa on top of the masa, and place a piece of chicken on top.

6 - Fold in all sides of the husk over the masa and chicken. Place it upside down inside another husk for extra security. (I don't think that's very authentic, but we usually make the other type of plantain leaf tamales, so it's OK to be extra sure for beginners.)

7 - Once wrapped well, start placing the tamales in the tamale pot.

8 - Repeat steps 5 through 7 until there are no ingredients left. (I usually run out of chicken first, but I always have some frozen chicken nuggets on hand, which is actually quite a crowd pleaser, especially for little gringo children. Cheese works, too - most anything not to waste delicious masa.)

9 - Put the lid on the tamale pot, and cook for an additional hour and 15 minutes.

10 - Remove and serve tamales with tongs.

11 - Unwrap and enjoy! (Careful, they will be hot!)